This week's Someone 2 Know is a native Nevadan... After growing up in Gardnerville/Minden, he went to art school in Seattle and returned in 2003 to begin working in Reno.
Now, a successful artist and business owner, Mark McKinnon employs other creators. And together they share their skills with the community.
We meet up with him at Marked Studios on a calm summer morning. The professional tattoo shop is quite; no tell-tell buzzing of a tattoo gun.
"This is a power supply,” Mark point so a small black box, “Which you would plug into your machine normally - and now, this (showing a new tattoo gun) this is everything - absolutely everything".
The cordless, hand held object just hums lightly.
It's all state of the art equipment for Marked Studios in Reno. McKinnon opened the business eight years ago on West Moana Lane, as an outlet for his creativity;
"I started seeing some of these realism artists, which is my specialty, and what they were producing in skin was mind-blowing"
It's the same way many people feel about McKinnon’s work now. Marked Studios is in demand; always booked out several months in advance.
On this day Mark is working on this lion head; it was first a photograph of the animal, taken by a friend, then a turned into a stencil and ultimately a tattoo by Mark.
He says his work has come a long way since his teen years;
"In high school, I used to tattoo, but it was not (he pauses) …legal (he laughs) not good"
Decades later, McKinnon employs a full staff at Marked Studios, and once a year the team gives back in a big way to local veterans.
"By the time I get here at 6:00 in the morning, the line is all the way down the building and there's hundreds of people out there"
The artists at Marked Studios spend the entire day giving veterans free, unique and customized - tattoos.
"Each person does about 30 to 40 designs, each artist - and then we put them out front and as soon as one of the vets picks that piece, it's gone". No two veterans get the same tattoo.
Mark says sadly they may not be able to offer the service this year because of covid-19 restrictions. Until then, creativity will lead the way;
"(We’ll) just continue to evolve and change and do something cool"
