Brian Decker (purebodyarts.com) is currently guesting in Columbus, Ohio — and I should mention still has some spots left if you’d like work done — and doing his typically amazing work. Check out this intense example of geometric skin removal over blackwork… A piece that really makes me want to make an over-used and asinine comment about what a sore leg Jack is going to have!!! [Edit: I mean arm!]

Before Columbus Brian did some time in California, where he did a stylistically similar and equally impressive geometric skin removal, this mandala which at first glance I thought was centred by an Obama re-election logo (but then I came to my senses). I also wanted to showcase a beautiful anchor that he incised into Yvette’s back — a piece that is easy to predict will be beautiful healed, with both precise linework and detail, but at a scale that almost guarantees it will stay striking as it mellows with healing.

It seems like just yesterday, Shawn was asking me if I had heard of “this Brian Decker guy in NY”. I hadn’t. Shawn told me Brian was some piercer getting into doing heavy mod work.  We both assumed that, like most all other,piercers getting into heavier mod work at the time, he had to be a hack. Needless to say he did a helluva job proving us both wrong and is now one of the biggest and most respected names in piercing/ body modification.

For his heavy mod work, his contributions to the evolution of body piercing, his work with ROP and his ability to survive off nothing more than pop tarts for extended periods of time he deserves a big fat Happy Birthday from myself, all the fine folks at BME as well as the modified community at large.

So happy freaking birthday, you delightfully bitter old fart!