The cast of TLC's
LA Ink recently headed to Calgary in Alberta, Canada to serve as guest stars in the city's annual Tattoo Arts Festival. The event was held at Westin Hotel in Calgary and featured numerous seminars, as well as live sessions with the
LA Ink cast and other guest tattoo artists.
"I love the Calgary show, this is really the only convention I'll do -- Calgary is so welcoming,” series star
Kat Von D told the
Calgary Sun. “At some of the other conventions there can be a lot of negative feedback, the tattoo world is full of egos and not everyone in the business thinks it's great that I have my own show.”
Her show,
LA Ink, is the spin-off of TLC's other tattoo-centered reality series,
Miami Ink. Von D was part of the regular cast of
Miami Ink, but after clashing with shop co-owner
Ami James several times during the second season, she packed her bags and moved back to Los Angeles. Once there, she opened up her own tattoo parlor, which eventually became the center of
LA Ink.
"My experience in Miami was a really sad one," Kat Von D told the
Calgary Sun. "A lot of the stuff that happened that they wouldn't show on TV -- in real life that experience was a million times more painful than they showed on TV."
LA Ink, which airs on TLC every Tuesday night at 10/9c, recently wrapped up filming its first season. Von D is hoping many young women will be inspired by her show, which features a cast dominated by strong female figures.
"I don't want little girls to go out there and become tattooists -- if I had a daughter I wouldn't want her to do it," Von D said. "It can still be a seedy business. But, when girls watch my show, I want them to see a showcasing of a strong team of empowered, independent, women."
Meanwhile,
LA Ink's other tattoo artists,
Kim Saigh and
Hannah Aitchison, are expected to appear at Montreal's annual tattoo convention, which will run from September 14-16. Von D was also scheduled to appear, but had to cancel due to scheduling conflicts.
-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Calgary Sun, www.calgarytattoos.com
(Image Courtesy of TLC)