The next day I went to Black Chapel Tattoo to see if I could sketch inside. Quite honestly it is difficult to find as it sits on top of a sandwich shop and the only access is by an unmarked wooden staircase. I went in the early afternoon but business was slow and the receptionist suggested I come back at night. I returned later that night and walked in. I introduced myself and both the artist, Ric DaSilva, and the patron didn’t mind me sitting down and sketching.
This young girl remained calm and motionless for the duration of the work. She tended to stare apathetically at a point in space. I was told by Ric that he would be finished within the hour so I started putting lines down fast. The girls boyfriend was seated just off the page to the right. I guess he was there for moral support. Once and a while he and the girl would talk and laugh. When the tattoo was finished Ric wiped it down and showed it to the girl for the first time. It read: “Live and Let Live” in a decorative banner. She loved it. Then came the bandaging and an explanation of how to take care of it for the next few days. I kept applying watercolor washes to the sketch after the girl and her boyfriend left.
I asked Fish, one of the artists why they did not have the Hearse parked up front of the new shop and I was told that the city of Orlando wanted to charge them extra taxes in order to park the car up front. The city claimed the car was a billboard and thus must be taxed accordingly. Fish said he usually doesn’t mind greasing some palms in order to do business, but these taxes were just to steep. So for now the Hearse sits guard in front of a deserted building in Winter Park.