Masterworks of Body Art May 15, 2010

World renowned Southern California body artists will display their work on live canvases at Oceanside Museum of Art Saturday, May 15th at 6:00 p.m. Masterworks of Body Art is an opportunity to bring the art world and the tattoo world together through a breathtaking live display of tattoo artistry. Featuring the work of artists Bill Canales, voted the best tattoo artist in Southern California, Fip Buchanan of Avalon Tattoo, Rob Benavides of Flying Panther Tattoo, Roy “Loy-Loy” Leyva of Classic Traditions Art Company, Opie Ortiz of World Famous Tattooing in Long Beach, and Louis Perez II of Will Rise Tattoo in Hollywood. Reservations are $25, and $20 for OMA members and include the live tattoo runway show, live music by Evan Robinson with War Stories, entrance to four exhibitions, wine, beer and appetizers with the models. Call 760.435.3720 for reservations.

Chris Winn, owner of La Jolla Tattoo, returns to the museum to guest curate the second Masterworks of Body Art exhibit (the first was in 2008.) Known for his traditional and Japanese-inspired designs Winn hand selects each model based on the quality and design of the artistry. Over 45 models will feature the work of approximately ten body artists. Master of Ceremonies Jade Winn will discuss the cultural and symbolic history behind specific tattoo imagery. The runway show will end with refreshments amongst the models, allowing visitors to view the artwork at close range. Four art exhibitions will be on view during the event: Painting World War II: The California Watercolor Style Artists and Plastic Fantastic: Allison Renshaw.

For more information about Masterworks of Body Art call 760-435-3720. OMA is located at 704 Pier View Way in downtown Oceanside, within walking distance from the Oceanside Transit Center with Amtrak, Sprinter, Coaster and Metrolink stops. The museum Website offers photo galleries of recent exhibitions as well as a calendar of coming events, www.oma-online.org.