Chris Burgess received his first tattoo, a yellow round smiley face in the center of his arm, at age 14. He did it by his own hand. With Indian ink, a sewing needle and thread and clumsy, puerile hands that had not yet perfected the steady handedness that comes with years of artistic practice, he carved the face into his arm.
"What's goin' on, brother man?" Burgess, one of the main tattoo artists at Rare Breed Tattoo, asks with a smile as he answers his cell phone. He has a heavy, playful Southern drawl that comes from being born and raised in Burlington. Wearing a loose-fitting black T-shirt over his stocky, athletic stature, sandy blond hair, tanned skin and his airy nature, Burgess looks more like a surfer than a tattoo artist.
Then you notice his arms.
The cold eyes of Father Lucas Trevant, Anthony Hopkins' character in the film "The Rite" stare out from Burgess' forearm, squished between a zombie from "Night of the Living Dead" and "Candy Man." Pumpkin Head, Lost Boy, the devil, Pin Head and other horror movie characters sprout up along Burgess' left arm, covering almost every area of skin. Burgess recites the names of these grim and gruesome characters fondly, as if reminiscing of old friends. His goal is to have a full arm of tattoos, or a complete sleeve, of these characters.
Burgess also has tattoos on his arms, shoulders and stomach and plans to add more.
Even before one walks into Rare Breed Tattoo, the feeling is palpable. This stop is far-removed from the simple, Southern, understated style of downtown Burlington.
With its sinister décor, colorful clientele, the thick, musky scent of incense and the sound of hard rock leaking out its doors, the store stands out and seems to thumb its nose at tradition, choosing instead to embrace followers of an alternative lifestyle.
"I don't think anyone sets out to become a tattoo artist," Burgess said.
Burgess was born into a family of artists. His father and grandmother were both artists. His father focused on sketches, graphite and pictures of nature while his grandmother focused on acrylic paintings of ocean and scenery.
Burgess said he's always been drawn to the darker side of things when it comes to artwork: skulls, zombies, demons, etc. This fascination transitioned seamlessly into tattoo culture.
Burgess has worked at Rare Breed Tattoo for the past two years, but said he didn't get his start in the tattoo business until later in life.
After a brief job as a welding technician following high school, Burgess needed money quickly. He tapped into his innate interest in art and drawing and started designing flash, or the designs of tattoos that people can choose from for their tattoos. He liked how the skin felt as he drew as opposed to drawing on paper.
"It's so personal," he said. "Everyone's skin is different, everyone's skin has different stories behind it."
Burgess said he loves tattoo as an artistic outlet because it is so intimate and every tattoo and every person is different. Burgess also liked how giving and receiving a tattoo is a long, involved process and he gets to know his clients. His proudest accomplishment as a tattoo artist was a full sleeve traditional tribal tattoo, which took five months to complete.
"A tattoo is the ultimate expression of one's inner self on the outside and that's why we do it," Burgess said.
That smiley face he drew on his arm at age 14 is now covered up by the sinister visage of The Candyman, part of the sea of characters on his left arm. Burgess said this sleeve of tattoos was a tribute to his mother and one of his fondest childhood memories. Every Friday night, he and his mother would venture out to the closest movie store and buy the latest horror movie release, along with a classic horror film, and watch them together.
An entire arm full of monsters, villains and demons glaring and foaming at the mouth wouldn't be the first thought that comes to mind as a loving gesture toward one's mother, but that's exactly what it is. Beneath the skulls, the blood, the thick black gauges in his ears and the throaty chanting of the heavy metal music blaring from his tattoo station, Burgess is friendly and disarming—a Southern gentleman who happens to be adorned with demons and monsters. He greets every customer with a warm smile and a quick hug, as most of them are returning customers seeking Burgess out personally.