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Jonathan D. Shaw (born July 4th, 1953) is a New York-born tattoo artist and writer, best known for his innovative tribal tattoos in the early nineties and his contributions as managing editor of International Tattoo Art Magazine for several years. He is the son of big band leader, Artie Shaw.

Early Life
Born in New York City on Independence Day in 1953, Jonathan moved to Hollywood, CA with his mother Doris Dowling at an early age. Here he was introduced to comic books, from where his love of drawing spawned. He immersed himself here until the age of fourteen, when he discovered drugs and alcohol as a form of escapism from a troubled family life with his mother Doris and stepfather, writer and producer Leonard B. Kaufman. During this time Jonathan was estranged from his real father. In his late teen years, Jonathan began writing for the Los Angeles Free Press, one of the most widely distributed underground newspapers of the 1960’s. Here he met Charles Bukowski, who became a huge influence on his writing. Around the age of 21, after much struggle and the deaths of close friends due to heavy use of heroin, Jonathan decided to leave Los Angeles and began hitch-hiking through South America. He spent time in various port towns, becoming a merchant marine. In his travels he learned how to tattoo, and it became a quick way to make art, not to mention pocket change for the road. He eventually found himself in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil where he stayed until returning to Los Angeles in the mid-seventies.

Upon arrival, Jonathan was taken under the wing of Bob Shaw, a widely respected first generation American tattoo artist, from whom he inherited his “nom-de-guerre”, which, conveniently enough, happened to be Shaw. Bob Shaw trained Jonathan on the art of tattooing and they worked together on the legendary Long Beach Pike (aka “The Pike”) until Jonathan’s unscratchable itch to be on the road came back full force, along with his increasing alcoholic behavior.

Career
Jonathan spent a short time tattooing in Los Angeles, then other places in the US, including a year in New Orleans and Miami before returning to his hometown of New York City where he was introduced to the notorious tattoo man of the Lower East Side, Spider Webb. He began working at Webb’s studio and in other dark basements of the Bowery, building a name for himself among New York’s underground tattoo scene until he decided to open his own studio.

Fun City Tattoo
Jonathan worked out of his own studio by appointment only on 1st Avenue and 1st Street for a few years until, in 1991- even though tattooing was illegal in New York- Jonathan took the leap and opened the first store-front, public tattoo parlor in New York City, Fun City Tattoo. Located at 94 St Mark’s Place in the East Village, Fun City became a neighborhood hangout and New York pit stop for such notables as Johnny Depp, Iggy Pop, Jim Jarmusch, and the Maysles Brothers of Gimme Shelter Fame. In the early 2000’s, after much pain and loss of love for tattooing, Jonathan sold Fun City to Michelle Myles, a local operator, and moved to Rio de Janeiro, where he has spent the last several years in recovery, and writing extensive memoirs of his life.

International Tattoo Art Magazine
During the time Jonathan was the owner of Fun City, he founded International Tattoo Art Magazine. ITA took the common grassroots tattoo mag and pushed it up to the level of a legitimate fine art magazine, changing the way tattoos would be perceived by the public. It focused greatly on tattoo history, making sure that priceless archives, information and legend was not kept hidden away. It maintained a high standard of the industry by showcasing world class works of art.

Tattoos
Jonathan’s tattoos are known to be among the best, and he tattooed (including but not limited to) The Cure, David Lee Roth, Vanilla Ice, Marilyn Manson, Johnny Depp, Iggy Pop and supermodels Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss. His neo-tribal work and innovative full back-pieces made a stain on the tattoo world, especially of a Mary Klinger painting that he tattooed on the back of Luke Miller, one of his employees at Fun City. Featured in tattoo magazines world wide were Jonathan’s first-of-a-kind tattoos of Robert Williams and Joe Coleman paintings, which he copied immaculately in loving tribute to his old friends and mentors, each tattoo looking like the painting from which it came. Jonathan’s style is mainly described as an old school approach to new school ideas. Keeping the bold, thick, heavy handed style taught to him by Bob Shaw but using an innovative roster of new art, breaking away from traditional sailor flash, including his own work, which was much of the time tattooed on large blocks of skin freehandedly, most of it, in the end looking like the pipes in a wall, or the inside of a clock, interwoven and detailed.

Tattoo Flash
After leaving ITA and Fun City, Jonathan continued to devote himself to the edification of tattoo buffs and the art world by participating in a number of tattoo flash exhibits, including Psychedelic Solutions in New York and La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles. He has a large collection of antique and modern tattoo flash, and his own paintings can be seen in collections with artists like Robert Williams and Joe Coleman.