The 13th Annual New York City Tattoo Convention (www.nyctattooconvention.com) was held, like every year, in Manhattan from the 14th to the 16th of May: another great convention and another great chance for Tom Tattoo and the Association that he represents.

This was the 13th edition and, even if this is not a lucky number, the show was great as success alway smile to the good ones!

Clayton Patterson and partners have dragged Tom in the body art world once again and has invited him to one of the most important event in the tattoo universe.

Like every year, the artist's list was long and full of important international names, friends and legends: Placaso from California; the great artists from Lark Tattoo studio; Mike Bellamy and all the Red Rocket artistic staff; Sean Vasquez; Calipso from Belgium; Henning Jorgensen, the Swedish from New York; from Sweden, House of Pain Tattoo with their marvellous prints presented in convention; always to mention, Shotsie's Tattoo from New Jersey; Jack Rudy; Polaco a very good friend from San Paolo, Brasil; marvellous designs presented by Tattoo Johnny from Georgia; Bill Salmon from California, Tom Tattoo's old friend; from Japan, Horisei, Hori-Magoshi e Hori-Toyo; from Washington, Aaron Bell. For every one of you who desire to know the entire list, please check the Artists and Vendors page in the web site.

This three days of the show has been full of appointments and meetings for Tom, so that he ironically said the he got the impression to have tattooed half Brooklyn! After all, he's very attached to this part of New York where he found the Gleason Gym, a temple for boxing sports from where so many champions have come.

New tendencies and ideas at the Show 2010 tell us that the evolution is strictly artistic: the effect on skin is more and more clear as it was printed on the body.

This is partly an artistic trend and partly this is an evolution due to the new small technical devices. Every artist can take advantage of instruments that consent to express one self with an incredible clear line and very shining colours. Lines and colours, then, have a more stable life on skin.

It's obvious that, along with technical devices, artists must be more and more qualified and talented. As tattooing is becoming an international mass phenomenon, only very talented artists can come out, both new and well know names. There is non longer place for rough-and-ready situations or tattooing as an hobby, the tattoo world asks for talented professionals.

Tom himself, after 30 years of experience is still, daily looking for perfection. This is not obviously possible but this quest allows him to improve day by day, to get appreciated and receive prizes for his work and, above all, to foment an idea of tattooing as an art now rapidly evolving.

New York is not only tattoos, but also a chance to match and meet other forms of art. Thanks to the estimation and the friendship with Michele Savoia, the Taylor (www.myspace.com/savoiacustom; www.houseofsavoia.com; www.houseofsavoiablog.com), Tom partecipated to an unusual photosession held in the House of Savoia at Essex Street, Soho.

Michele has been designing and tailoring custom built clothing and costumes since 1984 for the Music, Sports, Motion Picture, Broadway, HBO and Television Industries, as well as Celebrities and High Powered Individuals. Michele's work has been featured on "Sex and the City" Chris Noth "Mr.BIG" and Dominic Chianese "Uncle Jr." Soprano's.

He a great connoisseur of style and fashion and his work is a modern and original view on first half of last century fashion.

The shooting took place in his show room, in Manhattan, night time. The setting was detailed and stilysh in a middle-fifties atmosphere. Three hot pin-up surrounded Michele while Tom was tattoing swallow and stars on his chest.

Specials thanks and regard to the great photographer Alex Thompson. With his rockabilly personal style, he took a great shooting and was able to understand and pick out the great middle-fifties atmosphere created by the stylist.

Every year New york is like a jewel box, full of surprises, experiences and much more....