Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/235251
too shop on Madison's East Side adorned with funky art and vintage décor. As I watched Sarah Leuwerke get her calf tattooed there one afternoon, I fantasized that I was on the table, surrounded by light and beauty, under the care of talented artist Haley Raab—until I saw Leuwerke's face tense as she bit her lip and uttered, "Yeah, this hurts." I'm 42. Do I really want to voluntarily get poked with needles for the sake of permanently adorning my body with ink? Well, I kind of do. Seems I'm not the only "mature" woman considering body ink. In 2010, a Pew report said 6 percent of the 64-plus crowd, 15 percent of Baby Boomers (ages 44-64), and 32 percent of Gen Xers (ages 30-44) sported tattoos. And 59 percent of people with tattoos are women, according to a 2012 Oxygen Media survey. Locally, many artists also say an increasing number of women over 35 are opting for tattoos. "[They] usually come in for something that is meaningful to them, quite often related to family, kids, a loved one that's passed away or even a pet," explains Dave Nielsen, an artist at Steve's Tattoos in Madison. "They want to tell a story." Raab adds, "I see a lot of women who want 'heal-your-soul' work." Nielsen and Raab both say they get mothers and daughters (and sometimes grandmothers) coming in together for tattoos. In New Glarus, Renee May, owner of Art and Soul Tattoo and Gallery, estimates that 87 percent of her clients are female. With her light and airy shop full of local art and jewelry, she caters to ladies. "My goal is to abolish all the stereotypes around getting tattoos, especially for women," she says. "Tattoos really are becoming more acceptable. You see a lot more ink on women in the media, on TV , in commercials. And it's more acceptable for older women to get tattoos." Leuwerke, 36, shows off a half sleeve of gorgeous orange poppies on her left arm and phase one of a calf tattoo that features a bird leaving its cage, surrounded by flowers—all rendered beautifully by Raab. "I'm all about full commitment," she says. "I will probably be fully tattooed by the time I'm 60." A classically trained singer and stayat-home mom of three, Leuwerke started getting tattoos at age 33. She and her husband each got one for their 10-year anniversary. Now, every Mother's Day, she asks for ink. Even though people occasionally stare and make rude comments, she says it's worth it. Leuwerke researched designs and artists before going under the needle, but she says, "In the end, when it came to the art, I was trying to attach all this meaning to it. I was overanalyzing. When I let that go, that's when the idea emerged. I just wanted something beautiful." Her flowers do represent something: "Poppies are supposed to grow anywhere, like me," says Leuwerke. The product of a teen pregnancy, she faced some troubling times as a child. "Getting tattooed isn't about displaying your art like an accessory," she says. "For some people, it's about inner healing and something deeper than the skin, something you can't even verbalize or fully understand yourself." I can dig that because I can't un- derstand nor verbalize why I want a tattoo. Sure, it has to do with memorializing my parents, but there are other ways to remember lost loved ones— how about a garden, charitable donation or little shrine of pictures? Been there, done that. I guess I want something more…permanent. Just before her 60th birthday, Conni Bigler wanted to permanently memorialize her son who committed suicide at age 29 after years of battling mental illness. Bigler sits on the board of the Green County National Alliance on Mental Illness, and she makes no secret of her son's struggles or her undying love for him. Skin, Deep Wisconsink is a welcoming tat- Stories and dreams—on biker babes and queens By Lisa Bauer Photos by Grant Griffiths courtesy of Spike-O-Matic Tattoo JANUARY 2014 | bravamagazine.com 55