Mark Mahoney

Mark Mahoney is an American tattoo artist, considered the "founding father" of black and grey art with a single needle.

Many in the business consider Mahoney a living legend.  He currently owns and is the principal artist at the Shamrock Social Club on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, CA.   Mahoney started his work as a tattoo artist in Boston in 1977 (when tattooing there was illegal), where he was in the midst of the 1970s punk scene.  He has stayed relevant and influential in the tattoo world ever since.  He was a pivotal force during the 1980s black and grey movement, and has tattooed some of Hollywood's biggest names.

Mahoney has said he knew what he "wanted to do" with his life when he was fourteen and hanging around with this "little greaser gang" and stepped into Buddy Mott's Tattoo Spot in Newport, Rhode Island.  He said he has always been attracted to the idea that tattoos are "art for the people", art for the everyday man or woman. His early inspirations included cars, choppers, and religious artifacts.  He is most known for his black and grey work, and more specifically images of religious icons, old school collages, girls, bombs, and guns.

When Mahoney first became interested in tattoo art, it was during a time period "when you had to be an outlaw, or you had to be a real brave soul to get a tattoo."  With today's ease of tattoo removal and creams to make the process less painful, some of that appeal is gone, he said.

Many artists have showed appreciation for Mark, one of them being singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey who has worked with the tattoo artist on two of her music videos.

Notable Clients
A self professed people person, Mark creates a laid back atmosphere in his shop that celebrities appreciate. Here is a list of some of his celebrity clients:
Steve Jones
Lana Del Rey
Johnny Hallyday
Jared Leto
Shannon Leto 
Janina Richter
Mickey Rourke
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie 
Johnny Depp 
Tim Gonzo Ryan 
The Notorious B.I.G.
Cher
Heather Locklear
Britney Spears
David Beckham
Brooklyn Beckham
Maya Lake
Zoe Saldana
Nicole Richie
Robert LaSardo
Rihanna
Fearne Cotton
Redman
Fred Durst
Mike Dirnt
Cheryl Cole
Russell Brand
Lady Gaga
Danny Trejo
Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Liam Payne
Anne Hathaway
Kaan Berke Kalkan
Lapo Elkann
Marilyn Manson
John Hendricks
Jack Osbourne
Ali Mahir Aksu
Bob Wentworth
James Tarrant
Shemar Moore

Featured in
Unplanned America (Netflix documentary series: Season 2 Episode 4 "Marked Men")
Inked (A&E TV series)
Vanity Fair
Swindle Magazine
Skin and Ink Magazine
GQ
Flash
Garage
Best tattoo parlors in Los Angeles
Lana Del Rey's music video of "West Coast"
Lana Del Rey's music video of "Shades of Cool"
Sunset Strip (2012 documentary film)
Blood Ties (2013 film)
Black Mass (2015 film)

Children's clothing line
Mahoney also designs for a clothing line for children called babyeggi.  This company has a charitable component, donating 20% of their net proceeds to "grassroots non-profit organizations dedicated to making the lives of children better, and to pass on the important principle of giving back to the community. "

References

External links 
video of Mark Mahoney in the Shamrock Social Club "Where the elite and the underworld meet."
Mark's artwork
Mark's tattooed Zoe Sladana's Tattoos

Category:Living people
Category:American tattoo artists
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)