The mysteries of the universe not withstanding, Joey, David, Matt, Nathan, Tom and Hayley can take care of all your tattooing needs, as Fu's is open 7 days a week. We welcome walk-ins whenever we're available for them, but it's generally much better for everyone involved if you can swing by for a quick consultation and to schedule an appointment with us.

Custom work is our specialty and first love, but we have a vast collection of flash designs to choose from if you prefer. Speaking of which, while you're perusing our online galleries, please be respectful of the rights of others to have original, one-of-a-kind tattoo work. These photos are meant to give you an idea of what we're capable of, only an A**hole would download these pics and take them to another tattooist and ask him to duplicate them; besides, any self-respecting tattooist would refuse to do that anyway. I know, you're cool, and wouldn't ever do that, but we had to say it for those 'other' people!

Artists Bios, click on the artists name to learn more:

Joey Vernon • David Ballard • Matt Terry
- Nathan Fish • Tom Michael • Hayley Lakeman all coming soon! -

Joey Vernon, Manager/Tattooist
As you can imagine my previous career as a diesel mechanic did not exactly allow my artistic tendencies to be expressed to their fullest potential. On my travels getting bad tattoos, I was fortunate enough to meet a really good tattooer with bad habits that liked my art and thought I should explore a career in tattooing. In 1992 my burgeoning tattoo career began, which leads us to where we are now. I still don’t have much sense, I cuss like a sailor and aspire to be the world’s oldest living teenager, but I make a nice tattoo. I enjoy the Japanese style of tattooing, but welcome the challenge of any genre of art.Out of all the things I’ve seen and done, my heart now belongs to tattooing and all it has given me over the years. Come get some!!

http://www.myspace.com/fustattoos_joey

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David Ballard, Manager/Tattooist
The story of my passion for art starts early, as you might imagine. At a pretty young age, I found out that art was my absolute best weapon against boredom; and with the countless and agonizing hours I was compelled to spend at a christian church, I was most certainly on a first-name-basis with boredom. Of course, then I decided drawing was more fun than schoolwork too, so, over time, my grades suffered, and I finally decided to give the school system the old single-digit salute.

Which, naturally......led to a lot of horrible, unfulfilling jobs. I don't recommend it. After big chunk of my days were spent grinding my knuckles to bone as a forklift mechanic, I caught a break and was offered a tattoo apprenticeship with an old friend. This was a golden opportunity that came about through blind, dumb luck; so if this all sounds a lot like your current career plan, much like me, you're an idiot.

After a lengthy apprenticeship, I was finally allowed to quit my day job and work full-time as a tattooist in '99, and have been giving it my all ever since. As with any career, it's not all rose petals and champagne, but what is? I think it all boils down to this question: "If you won the lottery, and no longer needed to work for a living, would you still tattoo?".

The honest answer?

Hell yes.

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Matt Terry, Tattooist
It all started with my first concept for a tattoo design almost seven years ago. While I had drawn my whole life, I had never paid much attention to the art of tattoo. I was in the process of exploring several mediums of art and working in Graphic Design for a comic book related publisher. An acquaintance, who had done my wife’s and my first tattoos, was opening a local shop in upstate New York. He had seen some of my art and knew my interest in learning more about tattooing; so when he walked into my place of work one day and offered me an apprenticeship, I immediately jumped at the chance to try something completely different. I had great expectations for this new endeavor and I was thrilled that he had enough faith in my work to take a chance on teaching me. I have always tried to be the anti-thesis of what popular culture believes a tattoo artist should be; so when the experience at this particular shop came to a sudden halt, I was very disillusioned with what I though the Tattoo industry was, or had become. I was determined to diversify my portfolio and explore other avenues.

I worked as a freelance artist for several months, when I realized how much I missed the creative energy, constant feedback, and personal satisfaction that comes from tattooing. While visiting friends in Charlotte, and considering a move to the area, I met Hans, an artist who had recently opened a shop in the Uptown area. From the moment I saw the shop for the first time, I knew I wanted to be a part of the Tattoo environment again and that this is where I belonged. Working at this shop was an incredible source of personal growth and forced me to improve my skills to produce a new, higher quality of art on the skin. All things I had been missing from my previous experience at a tattoo shop.

When ownership of Fu’s changed, I was thrust into a new dynamic in the shop, one that proved to be just as beneficial to the direction I was taking as an artist. Over the last year, I have moved closer my goal of combining all prior influences into one solid style, and I have been encouraged to keep a balance with my other interests, including freelance illustration, tee-shirt designs, and personal artwork. I have also had the opportunity to work at a shop with like-minded peers who are committed to an environment that puts the customer and personal growth above the almighty dollar, and reafirms my faith in the future of this sacred art.

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