We received some sad news this week about an icon in the Tattoo world. His name was John Millhouse. John was 52, originally of Appleton, Wisconsin and more recently from Scottsdale, Arizona. He passed unexpectedly on May 17, 2008, in Sedona, Arizona.

We met John at the Laughlin River Run Tattoo Convention where he chatted with us about his amazing “body of work”.

John was internationally known for his picture perfect ink, a full body suit tattooed by Rick Harnowski taking John 5-1/2 years to complete and 413 hours of ink time. Tattoo admirers photographed him throughout his travels, including photos in over 50 national magazines, and a cover for Tattoo Art Australia. A 2004 photo of John won the Best of Photojournalism award for “Sturgis Tattooed Biker” and was featured at a show for Harley Davidson at the Milwaukee Art Center.

Speed and agility were a passion for John who personally owned over 50 new cars, motorcycles and boats. He enjoyed making custom designed sound systems, and accessories for them as well as maintaining and polishing their steel and chrome.

John was a Vietnam era veteran in the Army from 1974-76 in where he worked as a vehicle mechanic. He was an expert in grenades, a M-16 sharpshooter and awarded a national defense service medal before being honorably discharged due to a medical disability, which caused chronic migraine, partial loss of vision lasting from 2 hours to 2 days. John then returned to his hometown of Appleton to work for Behm Motors, Lappin-Hickey Steel and Kimberly-Clark Corporation.

Thanks John, for too few but precious minutes of joy and friendship. We would have liked to get to know you better.

Images and text in this post were provided by Rick Harnowski at Skin Illustrations, Tattoos by Rick and are © copyright Rick Harnowski. Used by permission.

From Gary Glass at Iwata-Medea…

Good news! I just spoke with Pam; she says the doctors agreed that Donn would be best served at this point to recover at home. His skull is cracked but won’t require surgery; it should just heal in place. So Donn is going home today with Pam. Unfortunately Donn has some severe restrictions regarding do’s and dont’s during the next few weeks. So Pam will NOT be attending the Bike Week or East Coast Air Affair she had previously planned to attend. At this point I’m not certain of her participation in Chicago for the Art Methods Show, but keep in touch for updates as they happen.

Flowers and get well cards can be sent to their address at home:

Donn Shanteau
13810 Co. Rd. 4-1
Swanton, OH 43558

Pam and Donn wanted me to pass on her sincere thanks for everyone’s thoughts and prayers during this time. She feels that this has helped her greatly in coping with the situation. Donn’s a tough guy and he’s determined to make a full recovery!

This week Donn “Too Tall” Shanteau, husband of airbrush artist and instructor Pamela Shanteau, was involved in a motorcycle accident while riding his custom Harley, The Dragon Stomper.

Apparently, Donn was following a truck pulling a small boat on a trailer. The truck was stopping and the trailer had no tail lights or brake lights. Donn, in his attempt to avoid collision with the trailer, ended up flying of the road, and both he and bike went airborne. Donn was lifelined to the hospital. This happened a couple days ago and Donn is now in the hospital, in ICU, with a cracked skull, and no shortage of bruises. He also had some fluid or blood build up on his brain, but they have it under control. Thankfully, no other broken bones though, and in time Donn should heal. In the interim, Pamela apologizes to any students scheduled for her upcoming appearance at the forthcoming ASET Air Affair East this May 30th-31st at Williams, PA, as she’ll be keeping Donn humble for a while. Knowing Donn, he’ll be riding before we all know he was down.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Donn for a speedy recovery, and for Pam’s strength through the healing process.

Stay tuned to AirbrushTour for updates.

Recently, while at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, we caught up with our ol’ friend Jack Sparrow. It’s a pirate’s life for me.

What is Art? A commentary worth the watch…

3/1/7/08 - Birthday wishes go out today to our buddy Bob Spina. This photo was taken on the award winning HBHC bike 2007.

Have a great one Bob!

Here in Las Vegas, we know how to party like rock stars. Last week, we helped celebrate the nuptials of Gareth Davies, bassist for Funeral for a Friend and his new bride Mary Ellis at The Griffin. Spins provided by Rex Dart.

Emily Ellis and a friend.

Bartender hard at fun.

Our friend Rome Seagull and our model Denise Fuleihan.

Gareth signing autographs.

Natalie Cowart from The Studio N. was the official fotog. She took a moment to be photographed with the gorgeous new bride Mary Ellis.

Congratulations Gareth and Mary, thanks for sharing your special day with us!

A bit of A.D. Cook nostalgia for you…

Way back in the early ’80’s, A.D. Cook designed a logo for the Phoenix, AZ-based heavy metal band called “Surgical Steel”. A.D was recently interviewed by blogger David Cotner about them and their logo. Check it out, then go watch a bit of history - the YouTube video of Surgical Steel in all their ’80’s glory.

http://pictograms.blogspot.com/

Here are some other logos A.D. has designed over the years.

It’s fun to reminisce.

How To Instantly Turn your Computer into a Super TV

Today - YOU may be the Millionth visitor to AirbrushTour.com. That’s right - it is bound to happen today, but because we don’t sit in front of our stats page and count each visitor as they hit - the best we can do is narrow it down to a day and that day is TODAY.

Congratulations to you and to AirbrushTour.com - We’ve now passed a major milestone and headed for glory. Thanks for joining us on the “Tour”.

This is just a shout out to our friends from the Napa Valley who endured a crazy night of fabulous food, wine, cigars and entertainment Las Vegas Style with us. Bill and Liz Gresham really know how to cut loose, and KA, the Cirque du Soleil Show at the MGM Grand is one the most amazing spectacles that you’ll ever experience.

Next time you find yourself in Vegas - treat yourself to this show, and if you can take a dear friend or two all the better - you’ll be glad you did.

Just a quick post to wish you all a Happy New Year! We hope that 2008 is your best year yet and look forward to staying in touch with you this coming year.

Thanks to all who visit AirbrushTour.com

Season’s Greetings from A.D. and Kathryn Cook at AirbrushTour.com

On October 26 and 27, a special kind of ball took place in San Francisco, CA. Our buddy Charlie Brechtel was there pleasing crowds, and this video immortalized the event for all time. Enjoy!

Visit Sturgis Rider Live for more on Charlie and his band.

Wild Bill Hichok and Jack McCall hold A.D. Cook at gunpoint… or so the story goes anyway. The incident happened at Old Style Saloon # 10 in Deadwood on our recent trip to Sturgis, South Dakota, where we ham it up with local talent who do a regular skit at the saloon.

Actors D. Boone May (left) plays Mr. Hickok, while Matt Kosher (right) plays Jack McCall, Wild Bill’s notorious killer. Sponsored by Historic Preservation Funds, the skit was entertaining, to say the least, and our own Doug Hash was an acting co-star (pics to follow). The #10 is a great stop if you’re in the area, and it’s a fun way to learn a little American history and enjoy a icy cold brew or a shot of whiskey.

Check our previos post Six-Days-In-Sturgis for more.

Photo above courtesy of Doug Hash