Brave New World

You have to respect the purists in our midst. One reason politicians are despised is they will straddle an issue like it's a gymnastic event. A senator says he loves forests. In fact, he's proposing a bill that will allow a logging company to bring a little of the great outdoors inside with hardwood flooring. Pop singers who act and orange juice with calcium. The best of both worlds is usually mediocre.

Eric Cox and his crew at Brave New World tattoo studio will have none of it. Having just opened the new shop with fellow artists Eric Brannon and Josh Hughbanks (Go-Go's tattoo artist of the year), Cox is intent about keeping the emphasis on original work.

"This is going to be a purely custom shop, no flash," Cox said. "I believe that with tattooing, the only way it's going to survive is if people use it as a form of self expression." Striving to distinguish his studio, Cox is doing away with many of the sidelines found at other tattoo shops. With his hefty earlobe plugs, Cox is fine with piercing, just not at Brave New World. "You can make a fuckload of money off it, but it ain't worth it to me," he said. Merchandising is also eschewed at the shop overlooking the intersection of 14th Street and Tremont downtown. "Here," Cox stated, "tattooing is fundamental." Housed in the Independence Building, Cox chose the space for both practical and personal reasons. An elevated location, as opposed to a street-level storefront, helps cut down on idle browsing. The vintage digs also have a venerability that is nonexistent in newer facilities. The reception room, painted in a slick, lurid red with black trim, features prints of traditional Japanese horimono tattoo work and Indonesian masks. The actual work stations are found separate rooms rather than on an open floor.

"Here it's cool because you can just shut the world off and it's just you and the client. It makes people feel more comfortable; it's a lot more relaxing," Cox continued, saying the location is reminiscent of the renowned San Francisco tattoo scene. "That's why I chose this place, because of the rooms and the charm of the building. I dig it, man."

Cox, who had split his time between Denver and San Diego, moved back to Colorado with the birth of his son but didn't want to work for any existing shops. Deciding to open his own custom studio, he was able to enlist the talent of Hughbanks and Brannon. "It's exactly what I wanted," Hughbanks said of Brave New World, "to do big, custom work." Guest artists will also work for terms at the shop starting in the summer.

Not one to specify a favored style, Cox prefers to emphasize the original nature of his portfolio work. "You bring your stuff in, or we draw it for you," he said. Brave New World and its staff have a singular focus, which is a real asset when you're deal-ing in pain, art and indelible ink. --Andrew Wells

Brave New World is located at 331 14th St., #202, or call 720-946-0801.

photos by Jeff