Well I first got interested in tattoo's when I was only 3 years of age my father had one on each forearm and as a child I would sit upon his knee for ages just staring in awe at them asking question after question about them.
It was then some years later when I had just left school that my interest started again,drawing designs trying to find out even just where you could find a tattoo studio in those days was a task in itself!
It was then just by chance I met a tattooist who would give me a start in his studio.
So after about 6 months of sweeping floors,watching him work,running to the shops,watching him work,making tea,drawing stencils,etc,etc,etc,he then said
"Well robert i've gotta go out now,you have seen enough to know how to do it. . "And left me with a studio full of customers!(talk about in at the deep end).
So to you Rob Barrow ,CHEERS!

I worked there for some months until Rob decided to close the studio, from then I decided to give tattooing my all I neither could afford to or really had the knowledge at that time to open my own studio so for a while worked from home(shock horror).Later I met another tattooist who ran a studio in Seaham Harbour (funnily enough called Rob also),I would give him a hand whenever he needed it and it was then that I decided it was time to open my own establishment and in September 1987 I opened Derwentsides 1st ever registered tattoo studio.I ran this studio in Southmoor Stanley for a couple of years before I moved to Sunderland for a while.Not long after that I met up once again with my old mate Rob Barrow and in June 1991 we opened "Bob n Rob's tattoo studio" in Stockton on tees.After great sucess here it was decided that we should go our own ways and opened separate studios, once again I returned to Sunderland for a couple of years or so.It was during this period that I first started to do the convention circuit Colchester,Belfast,Birmingham to name a few.However in April 1995 I returned to Stanley and opened the Station road studio,which I worked from for over 7 years during which time I had several other artists along side me, and when in July 2002 Irelocated to the present Front st studio there were no less than 4 artists registered at this address.