To continue our “Wayde Dunn Appreication day” them, my friend Timothy sent in this great multimedia experience.
Make sure to click through for the rest of the story/video!

Last night I got my scarification done by Wayde Dunn.

Three years ago I got a scarification piece on my left side, done by Brian Decker. I was in New York for a concert and was staying with Brian’s girlfriend, and was just hanging around Pure Body Arts. Brian asked me if I wanted something done, so I thought about it (briefly) and decided to get scarred, and to get a tree. Brian drew it up and we did it that day or the next day. It was a pretty spontaneous decision. Brian did an amazing job and I absolutely love that scar.

This time, my appointment was planned out well in advance, which was a lot different for me. There was way more anticipation. I sent Wayde some reference photos, letting him know the size and placement, and made the appointment. Then I just had to wait.

Last night, I met up with Wayde and he showed me the sketch. This tree has leaves, whereas my other tree has none. I wasn’t sure at first whether or not I wanted the leaves, but once I saw his sketch I knew I wanted them. They looked really cool the way he drew them and it makes for a bit of a repeating pattern. So he started tracing it onto the transfer paper and I got set up with my camera.

He got set up and we played with the placement a bit until it was good to go. Some parts didn’t quite transfer so he freehanded in the rest. I put on some music to take my mind off the initial pain and we got started.

The first bit is the most challenging. He has to cut the outline of everything before any anaesthetic can be rubbed into the skin. So the first bit, yeah, not too pleasant but it’s not too bad either. I just had to remind myself to keep breathing and not hold my breath. For some reason, I just kept holding my breath, which totally made it hurt more. When I focused myself and did some nice deep breathing, focusing on my dantium and just trying to ignore the blade it was much easier and less painful. I was pretty silent for this part and Wayde just quickly worked through it.

Wayde had started at the bottom and was working his way to the top. As he finished a section, he’d rub in the anaesthetic and cover it with clingfilm to keep it in there. By the time he got to the top of the tree, the rest of it was totally numb. So when he got back to the bottom to start really cutting, I couldn’t feel anything. That was a bit of relief, and I breathed easier and started talking.

We had a good chat for the rest of the appointment while he worked away and the whole thing was finished up in about two and a half hours, just as Wayde had predicted. The man works fast!

Afterwards he cleaned me up, we took some photos and then wrapped the wound. He had brought me one of his books, and I gotta tell you they are beautiful, really well printed. I got book #12.

I thanked Wayde and was on my way home. I got a cab so I could get home as quickly as possible. I passed out eventually, but it was hard because I normally sleep on my right side, which is where I got cut. I woke up a couple times in the night and had rolled onto that side so I kept forcing myself to roll back onto my left side.

In the morning, my shirt was bloodied and a few spots on the sheets but nothing serious. I’m about to shower, and I’m not really looking forward to it!

Josh lifted me up- literally and figuratively, when I needed him the most. His compassion fits his stature.
I ran into him at Troy’s Philadelphia Tattoo Convention a few months ago, and over the space of an hour or two watched Brian Decker realize Josh’s dream cuttings.

I’ll give the floor to Josh….

as above, so below

“i had a dream a while back. in it, i met myself. the me that i met greeted the dream me in a way that i often greet people, with hands raised together as if in prayer, a sign of coming in peace. in this dream, the other me had scars shaped like arrows on the heels of his hands. one pointing up, one pointing down. i woke from the dream with this image burned into my mind. over time, the symbolism became clear to me, and i decided that it was time for a new scarification project.

as above, so below. the sacred and the profane. heaven and earth. good and evil. black and white. brain and body. what goes up, must come down. there are a million examples and ways to describe the idea, but it all comes back to balance. none of these things would exist without the other. they may occupy opposite ends of a spectrum, but they are inextricably linked to each other. my goal is to maintain that balance in my life. to have one foot in each world. these scars will remind me of that.

(more after the break- including healing progression)

i was searching for the right person to perform this procedure for me, and the right technique. i pored through hundreds and hundreds of pictures in portfolios online, and had it narrowed down to a couple of choices. i was online one day a couple of months ago, flipping back and forth between a couple of artists, and i got an IM from Brian Decker announcing that he would be taking appointments for the Philly tattoo convention. he was one of the artists that i was debating between. his work is beautiful, and i remember meeting him at Keith’s memorial service and that connection just struck a chord in me. this was the sign that i needed, and i made up my mind. i scheduled an appointment, and we decided that skin removal was the way to achieve the best possible results. now all i had to do was wait a few weeks.

the day of the convention came. i drove up with my friend Dave, and we got there right as the convention was getting started. i found Brian’s booth, and we talked a bit about what was going to happen, then he measured and drew and prepared while i chatted with Rachel and the others at the BME booth.

the procedure took about an hour and a half. Brian was very skilled with the scalpel, and very concerned with my well being the entire time. i stuck with my breathing exercises and refused any other pain control, which surprised just about everyone there. for me, the process is just as important as the result, and i want to experience every second of it unencumbered by anything. Brian cut out the outlines, then began to peel and cut the skin away. i have been cut, branded several different ways, pierced, stretched, tattooed, and any number of other things, but this was certainly a new experience. i could feel the tension of him pulling the skin back and each small cut to free it from my hand. i truly felt every little cut. it was intense, but didn’t really push my limits too much, save for a couple of spots. there was blood, but not an inordinate amount.

i could not be happier with the results. i covered the wounds with some tegaderm like substance for a few hours, then cleaned them with soap and warm water. since then, they have been exposed to the air. no bleeding or oozing or seeping so far. the cold air on them is a bit of a shock to the system, and i’m already tired of explaining why i can’t shake hands with people (in my line of work, it comes up a lot), but other than that everything is great.
my friend Dave (13th hour photography) shot all of the pics”- Josh

Special thanks to Dave at 13th Hour Photography for taking the pics!