To the tattooed and soon-to-be tattooed:

My name is Paul and I grew up here in Fargo. From the time I was a young boy watching my mother paint, I've immersed myself in all forms of the arts and very early found my niche in drawing. Everything I did was in blacks and greys and steeped in realism. I guess that’s why I love tattooing in black and grey so much today.

Everyone asks what I specialize in. The answer is "everything." I love working in black and grey, but a good color tattoo can render you speechless. I also do a lot of freehand work. Seeing a tattoo that came straight out of your head and onto skin is an amazing feeling -- especially when the client takes that first look in the mirror and a big smile spreads across their face, knowing the tattoo is a one-of-a-kind creation, designed for them.

I got my start in the body modification industry in 2000 as a piercer at Atomic Needles in Forrest Lake, MN. While attending my first tattoo convention, I met Matt Lampi, a tattoo artist who had his own shop, Get to the Point Tattoos, in White Bear Lake, MN. He was looking for an apprentice and I wanted to start tattooing. We talked for a while and I was so impressed with his enthusiasm for the craft and the art that I decided Matt was the one to teach me. His excitement for tattooing is infectious. Matt was a major influence and valuable mentor who taught me to study everything I could get my hands on, and to appreciate tattooing as a form of art and expression.

While working as an apprentice with Matt, I went to a tattoo convention in Detroit, MI to study artists such as Guy Atchison and Paul Booth. I had the pleasure of meeting amazing artists like Jay Wheeler, Jack Rudy and Bob Tyrrell. After spending most of a year with Matt, I came back to Fargo and began tattooing for Discontent Body Shop. I spent several years tattooing there, building my experience in both tattooing and piercing.

In May of 2004, I opened my own shop -- 46 and 2 Tattoo. I wanted to create a tattoo shop that was a true reflection of my vision: I tattoo and that’s it. No flash art; no piercing; no jewelry; no frills -- just the art of tattooing in its purest form. I wanted something better than the typical shop covered in skulls and demons. That’s just not who I am. I wanted something tasteful and relaxing. Warm and welcoming. Stylishly comfortable... 46 and 2 Tattoo was born.

My tattooing influences include Guy Atchison, Tom Renshaw, Deano Cook, Mike Parsons, Bugs, Anil Gupta, Tim and James Kern, Filip Leu and many others in the tattooing world. Other artists who inspire me include Alex Grey, H.R. Giger, Salvador Dali, Olivia Debardinis, Gil Evgren and many others. It’s so hard to stop finding artists and art to admire and learn from. There is always room for more.

"Hey Paul, what does '46 and 2' MEAN??" I'm glad you asked. I got the idea for the name from a song by the band Tool. "46 and 2" is described as a theory that the human body will, in the next evolutionary step, go from 46 chromosomes to 48 chromosomes and move us more in tune with nature and one step closer to God.

If you have any questions, or would like to chat about anything, I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to drop me an e-mail at paul@46and2tattoo.com or stop by the shop if you'd like to talk about the next step in the evolution of you.

The Chair is calling...

-- Paul Johnson
e-mail: paul@46and2tattoo.com

My name is Noah, and I too was raised in the F-M area. My interest in tattoos began at an early age, watching Popeye re-runs on TV. I remember watching that show and thinking "...someday... I'm gonna have a tattoo." By the age of 5 or 6 I had begun drawing everything around me, as well as the images that filled my imagination. I was obsessed with drawing, and it has been my tunnel-visioned obsession ever since.

I started drawing tattoo ideas for friends when I was 17 or 18, never suspecting that what I was doing was training for a career that would bring together all that I loved and wanted in a career.

After beginning my formal art training at MSUM, my friends began suggesting that I seek out a tattooing apprenticeship. I looked long and hard for the right fit—right shop, right mentor, right opportunity—and I met Paul at 46 and 2 Tattoo. I knew immediately I had discovered the next step in my journey toward becoming a tattoo artist, and here I am.

Influences: H.R. Giger, Edward Gorey, Tom Renshaw, Guy Aitchison, Bob Tyrell

-- Noah Kilsdonk
e-mail: noah@46and2tattoo.com

Hometown: Long Beach, CA

High school: Detroit Lakes, MN

College: Minneapolis College of Art & Design, MN

Influences: Too many people, places, and things to name

Favorite color: Blue

Favorite food: Chocolate

What I want to be when I grow up: a fire truck

-- Mikey Omundson
e-mail: mikey@46and2tattoo.com

My name is Tim Lund.

I've been drawing my entire life and always knew I would be living a life submersed in art. As I got older I dove into high school art classes as soon as they were available to me, and after high school, I attended MSCTC's graphic design program — learning to create in another medium of expression was a great experience for me, but the grind of attending classes and waking up at 7 a.m. for a year convinced me that perhaps a career in graphic design wasn't for me. I was still searching. I wanted to do something where I would be allowed more freedom to do the kind of work that I thrived on, in an environment that fostered the development of my own style.

While still attending graphic design classes, I began talking to Paul at 46 and 2 Tattoo. Several months later in Spring of '05, I was hired on as his apprentice and I've been tattooing full-time since the following Spring. A lifetime of art brought me to a place where I come to work loving my job and the artists I work with, draw inspiration from, and learn from on a daily basis. These are the best artists in town, and I'm not leaving unless they drag me out by my feet.

In summary:

There once was an artist named Tim
His friend said to him on a whim
I know a tattooist named Paul
You should give him a call
So he did, got a job and that's all.

-- Tim Lund
e-mail: tim@46and2tattoo.com