Saturday, October 22nd was an historic day at the San Jose Tattoo Convention, put on by State of Grace (Horitaka), in San Jose, California. Not only was it a well-organized and exciting gathering of artists, it was also the backdrop for a group of artists to collaborate for the first time together on a one-day/one-backpiece project, dubbed "Four Women, One Lucky Guy."

      Cecelia Altamirano and Bling Bling Roxx (both of Braindrops, San Francisco), Leslie Mah (Diving Swallow, Oakland), and Tex (Body Manipulations, San Francisco) collaborated on the design as well as the execution of the Barong (Balinese-style mask), at times tattooing three up! It was tight, but it got done in a little over 5 & 1/2 hours, and the patient (Josh) survived with mild shock, and a brand-new backpiece! Many thanks to all the artists involved, to Josh (for being a good sport and not passing out), and to Braindrops, for hosting us in their booth.