One of my colleagues at Columbia College Chicago, writer and adjunct faculty member Bobby Biedrzycki, has an eye-catching tattoo on his arm (shown above). It's such a work of art that I wanted immediately to find out who it depicted. Then I thought I would interview him about it. Q: Let's start with a question that I bet you've never heard before. Did the tattoo hurt? A: Haha. The shading made the skin a bit more tender than other tats I've had, but pain is a subjective thing, right? What hurts me might feel like a massage to someone else. Q: Describe the tattoo for us. A: It's a black and gray portrait of the writer Hubert Selby Jr, my idol. It's based on a photograph I found of him that I liked very much (and heard that he liked also). He is smiling, and has a small parakeet on his shoulder. Q: Why did you choose this particular image? A: Well, I knew I wanted something of him in his later years. He wasn't a very happy person early in his life, but...
Artist Philip Hartigan talks about art, interviews other artists, and more