Adrian Guajardo was laying out some new merchandise in his tattoo parlor in the Village of Oak Creek. He owns the shop and said that things have been going well. Recently, he said he was able to acquire some more square-footage for the parlor, allowing him to move beyond solely creating tattoos.

Guajardo is originally from Delaware. He opened the store seven years ago. He’s been tattooing people for 15 years. He said he chose the location due the high flow of traffic on nearby State Route 179, which brings tourists in as well as locals.

“I’ve always been into graphic design and fine arts and I just started tattooing part-time — nights and weekends — and just fell into doing it full time,” he said.

He took training as an apprentice for two years working as a “flash” artist. Oftentimes in a parlor, the walls are lined with several common designs people often ask for. He would transcribe those designs onto the skin. Though more simple than drawing up his own design, he said it helped him practice the art, getting used to the variations tattooing different parts of the body.

To read the full story, see the Friday, Sept. 26, edition of the Sedona Red Rock News.