Passion by the skinful

By Katarina Mucic
PAKENHAM tattoo artist Rob Stanway is a colourful character.
Although he says he was not originally “into” tattoos, things have clearly changed.
In his own words he has “so many tattoos he’s lost count and he’s not finished yet”.
The tattoo expert has been in the industry for about 30 years, but says he wasn’t really interested until he got his first tattoo done.
He then ventured into the world of tattoos and fondly recalls the first one he ever created. “It was on a big, Maori friend of mine and it was a little blue bird,” he muses.
That experience was enough to keep him hooked.
The artist has won several awards for his artistic endeavours.
“I love the artistic creativity of it,” he says. “I enjoy fixing old ones, doing coverups and creating new ones.”
Stanway says that job satisfaction is also very important to him and he enjoys seeing his customers walk out of his parlour with a smile.
His tattoo passion has even extended to writing, and he has written several pieces for a tattoo magazine.
“I only really make enough money to pay the rent and a little bit more so I really do it because I have such a passion for it,” Stanway said.
Stanway has recently reopened his Outlaw tattoo parlour off James Street and says he particularly enjoys freehand creations, realistic work and portraits.
Although he’s a veteran of the tattoo industry, he still has plenty of ink left.