User:Carlaannparra/sandbox

Randy Janson

Steven Randall Janson was born January 26, 1965 in Santa Barbara, California, to Paula Danner and Ronald Janson. Better known as Randy Janson, he is an artist, tattoo artist, motorcycle builder, skate boarder,photographer, surfer and board shaper. He is the eldest of two; he has one  brother Peter. As a teenager Randy's family moved to the desert in 29 Palms California where Randy and his brother would further develop their interest of skateboarding and punk rock, the year was 1982. That year Randy engineered and created with the help of his friend, the late Kurt Mohr, one of the largest ramps of its time. Notoriously called The Death Trap. The word of The Death Trap spread rapidly through out the skateboard community bringing offers and opportunity from such companies as G&S and Gullwing. Ultimately leading to Randy’s position as Team Manager for Gullwing. The years following Randy would travel abroad throughout the US, Europe and Asia developing one of the most successful teams in the history of Gullwing. Opening doors for well noted skateboarders such as Danny Way, Jason Ellis, Jason Jessee, Matt Hensley, Mark “Gator” Rogowsky, Ben Schroeder, Chris Miller and many more. Randy’s interest in tattooing stems from the premature death of his best friend Kurt Mohr to non-hodgkins lymphoma in 1984. To honor his memory Randy decided he would tattoo a portrait of his late friend on his on his left shoulder, this would be the first of many, and also led to his introduction to tattooing and legendary tattoo artist Mark Mahoney. The fall of 1988 Randy became the victim of a near fatal stabbing. The aftermath of the incident led to seclusion and depression. Determined to “get back” to normal life, Randy would spend endless hours drawing and painting. This was a catalyst for many things to come in the world of art and tattooing. His passion for building custom motorcycles has led to many of them being featured nationally and internationally in books and magazines. He has re directed his love of surfing by creating and shaping custom boards for his company Methless. Today Randy resides in San Diego, continues to follow his heart and invests his time and energy in all things creative. In October 2012 Randy opened his newest creation El Rey Tattoo and Barber.