_____________________________________________________________________________ APRIL 25, 2008: I got back from the Philadelphia tattoo convention a few days ago, where i was part of a live painting event called Visionary Primitive, and it was a blast. Thank you to everyone who came and watched or said hi or offered encouragement and critique. It was an honor to be onstage painting next to the likes of Alex Grey, Allyson Grey, Guy Aitchison, Michele Wortman, Jon Clue, Corey Kruger, and Nikko Hurtado. The painting I completed at the event, titled "Grasping," can now be seen in my 'canvas' gallery. My "plastic" print sets are now all sold out! Thank you to everyone who bought one. I will try to get the entire written contents of the accompanying 'zine posted to the 'thought' section of this site in the next few months. Painting booklets are still available, and as a reminder, I will be teaching my oil painting seminar again at Hell City Tattoo Festival coming up in a few weeks, May 16-18 in Columbus, OH. Check out www.hellcity.com for details. FEBRUARY 2008: Finally, my BRAND NEW FINE ART PRINT IS AVAILABLE! I just finished putting together all the materials for this print, 'zine, and poster package which you can see above. This is the culmination of a multimedia project began this past fall meant to combine the painting image with written material corresponding to its symbolism and the issues it addresses. The 'zine features an essay I wrote as well as an extensive collection of writings by a variety of people who responded to an invitation sent out in my website newsletter, and was hand assembled with individually stenciled covers by some of my close friends and I over the past month. Also included is a great poster on the topic designed by the masterminds at crimethInc.com. I spared no expense in producing the highest quality reproduction of this painting--flying to Dallas, Texas to personally oversee the printing process at one of the best fine art repro companies in the business. You can buy this print package from me in person at Transcend Tattoo, or mailorder one by sending an $80 money order (made out to me), to the shop address below. PLEASE EMAIL OR CALL FIRST TO MAKE SURE IT'S NOT SOLD OUT! And allow a few weeks for delivery. Transcend Tattoo 906 W. Main St. Branford CT 06405 USA. 203-481-9372 Another big improvement to the website this month. The 'Pixel' gallery has been overhauled to be a place for my occasional digital fine art projects, rather than logo and graphic design, which I have gotten away from in recent years. This is part of my continuing effort to keep the site not only up to date, but relevant to my current artistic tastes, projects, and aspirations. While I don't feel that all of the new Pixel gallery content is representative of my strongest or most compelling work, it's been a fun outlet for me to dabble in over the last several years and is something I hope to continue doing more of. JANUARY 2008: Just in time to start the new year is a huge website improvement: the "thought" section has been completely revamped and expanded for all you nerdy types' reading and learning pleasure. You can now learn much more about me, Nick Baxter, as a person, as well as more about what influences my art, tattooing and life. It will be updated more in the coming months, and hopefully much more regularly, thanks to Gabe from tattoonow's hard work behind the scenes to make it more user-friendly for me. Much of the material is presented in the spirit of education and inspiration, as an effort to show the world, through my website, a more complete and accurate picture of myself as human being, not simply as 'successful tattooer' or 'artist.' So please enjoy, learn, or lurk, and feel free to ask any questions or address any topics and issues in my forum. I will do my best to respond as time allows. I am pleased to be a part of an exciting fine art show happening in Texas at University of Houston-Clear Lake, featuring many prominent tattooers of today. See the above postcard and contact Karen Fiscus, asst. gallery director (281-823-3311) for info. Show runs from 1/31 to 3/14. If you're in that area of the country please check it out, you will not be disappointed with the work on display. I am now selling my instructional oil-painting booklet through mailorder to anyone who wants one. To get a copy, simply mail a $25 money order (made out to me) to: Transcend Tattoo 906 W. Main St. Branford CT 06405 USA. And/or send me an email to let me know you're sending money, and please allow a few weeks for shipping. I am working the Hell City Tattoo Festival in Columbus OH in May 2008 and the Paradise Tattoo Gathering in Massachusetts in October, but I am not accepting any appointments right now. Most likely spots will be given when each show opens, on a first come, first served basis. Stay tuned for seminar updates for each show. My collaborative flash set with Jeff Ensminger, which has been available through www.pulseflash.com, has been an opportunity for me to donate money to various causes that are working toward the welfare of animals, people, and the earth. Every so often, when I get enough money back from its sales, I figure out a place to send that money. Previous donations have been made to animal rights groups, but the latest donation made just this week through the nonprofit www.carbonfund.org, will end up supporting reforestation efforts throughout the world, to try to offset global warming. We also sold the completed original drawings for the flash set recently, and my half of the sale was split between 2 causes. One of them is the local environmental group CT Fund For the Environment, and the other is an organization my friend and tattoo client helps with, called Jungle Friends. This group cares for rescued primates, which includes monkeys saved from testing labs and the ‘entertainment’ industry (www.junglefriends.org). Lastly, the F.A.Q. section of my website has been updated and revamped to reflect my evolving tattoo appointment policies and difficult scheduling situation. You can get to this part of the site by clicking on the question mark that’s in the lower left corner of every page. Another reminder: I have a mailing list sign-up in the 'Community' section, for anyone who wants to receive occasional updates about new happenings involving my art and tattooing, including travel appearances. Thanks for the interest and enjoy. All artwork and images on this site are property of Nick Baxter or their respective owners. Please ask permission if you'd like to use them in any way. Thanks.

Don't forget about the fine-art oriented flash set, the result of 7 months of collaboration with friend and fellow tattooer Jeff Ensminger. It is being sold exclusively by the very nice people at Pulseflash.com, so please contact them to order a set for yourself. I plan on donating a good portion of my personal profit from the sales of this flash to various worthy radical causes and progressive organizations, so you can feel good about some of your money ending up in the hands of people who are working to make this world a better, healthier place for all. As of March 2007, 2 donations have already been made to deserving causes, the SHAC7 defense fund (www.shac7.com), and Farm Sanctuary (www.farmsanctuary.org). The advertisement for this project can now be viewed in the "commodity" section of this site, which has finally been updated. You cannot order directly from that page however. You still need to contact the appropriate parties mentioned with each product. Thank you to everyone who has bought the flash set, the collaborative print, or my oil painting booklet!