Few Canadian skaters at the top of their game command as much respect as the Ottawa-transplanted, Toronto-based Dave Nolan. Not one to be easily labelled, Dave is a team rider to brands like Element and Emerica, a wealth of knowledge to many an up-and-coming skater, and an ambassador for skateboarding in general as he travels the world demo-ing and stacking footy. Dave has never been one to follow the grain with a standard skate story, and over the years of killing it he's amassed the ink to help tell it. Here he picks some of his favourites, and gives us the low-down on what they mean to him.
Tattoo #1: Left Forearm
The Playground
"This tattoo is of the playground that was down the street from the house I grew up in. We used to hang out there a lot when I was very young, and it was a creepy place, especially in the fall when the big tree was dead of leaves. All the toys were rusty and busted up, and it was right beside the railway tracks. There was just one swing set and a see-saw. The park looks much better now, but it's still similar. I think they installed some new equipment, but the tree is still there... It's located in Belleville, Ontario. My tattoo of the playground portrays the park the way I imagined it as a child: very eerie and dark. It's by Paul Flintoff in Ottawa."
3 Flip, Hippie Jump. Harry Gils sequence.
Tattoo # 2: Left Shoulder
The Train
"It seemed only fitting to get a train tattoo, seeing as my father was an engineer for 35 years and I grew up around the railway tracks. I used to play on the tracks all the time, putting rocks, pennies and dead animals on them to be hit by the next train. It was also very common to walk from place to place by taking the tracks. I had a lot of time on my hands as a youngster. As I grew older my love for trains did not fade, and I was always impressed and interested in the steel monsters. The train on my shoulder is an old steam train with a massive stack blowing creepy smoke, and a huge cow catcher on the front. The train is coming out of a tunnel full of steam through darkness. It's by Jimmy Gobeil at Five Cents in Ottawa."
Tattoo # 3: Left Leg
The Scarecrow
"I have always had a fascination with disturbing and sinister stuff, and most of my tattoos are just that: Skulls, dead trees, religious imagery... all of which I have on me permanently. The scarecrow on my leg fits right in. This was a guest model board graphic for Top of the World skate shop in Ottawa which I thought up and Paul Flintoff designed. The original board graphic had the scarecrow wearing a pumpkin for a head and my last name on the skull, but for the tattoo I thought it might by spookier to have the rice bag head like a real scarecrow. It is still in progress and will be getting much more added soon... It has also sparked many new ideas."
Tattoo # 4: Left Ankle
The Drunk Tattoo
"Yup, it happens... a little too much booze, a sharp object, and some ink. I thought it would be a good idea to get a pentagram and an upside down cross riding a skateboard tattooed on my ankle. My friend Jimmy and I took a compass point and some ink and created fine art. The pentagram got fully infected and half fell out, but the cross and board came out great! This is not the first time this has happened and probably won't be the last. I actually don't regret them at all. In fact, I kinda like em'."
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