Four Peoria tattoo artists are continuing their late-mentor’s work in the ever-changing world of tattooing with their own shop located downtown.
In March, tattoo artists Zach Dole, Sam Lott, Terry Lessard and Ezra Coates departed downtown’s Freedom Ink on S.W. Washington St. They now have their own shop: Brass Eagle located close-by at 718 S.W. Adams St.
The move came a couple years after the death of 45-year-old Tim Beck, Freedom Ink’s owner and mentor to many artists.
“We thought it was time for us to just do our thing, time for us to spread our roots [and] start our own chapter here in Peoria,” said Dole, owner of and tattooer at Brass Eagle. “It was not an easy decision to make but something we had to do, too.”
Brass Eagle has only been open for about a month, but business has exceeded their expectations, with a lot of walk-in traffic and bookings in-person and through the website. Dole said probably about 75% have been existing clients and 25% new customers.
"It's been very good, and we're very thankful for it," Dole said.
Carrying a legacy forward
The four artists worked under Beck for anywhere from two years to over a decade, with Dole being alongside him the longest at a cumulative 15 years.
Beck’s tattoo work was renowned not only in Peoria but around the world. He was featured in multiple magazines, attended top national conventions, received multiple awards for his work and even designed one of the most popular logos for the popular band Fallout Boy.
When Dole first saw Beck’s work, he was impressed by Beck’s “3-D look.” Beck’s tattoos had dimension, where most tattoos he had seen were quite flat.
“So, it was just kind of a different style than I was used to seeing in-person, especially locally,” Dole said. “All that type of stuff you would see in the magazines but not around here. You would probably have to travel to Chicago or St. Louis to go find a shop like that.”
Dole described Beck’s tattoos as infused with the American Traditional, which is a style usually defined as simple with bold, black lines and narrow but radiant use of color.
Beck’s work was certainly bright and bold, and he excelled at portraits, Dole said. Dole also stressed, however, that even seemingly simple tattoos can be difficult.
"Sometimes people see things like that, the American Traditional style, and think it's a little bit more on the cartoony side, which I get," Dole said. "But it's also very technical, too. For a lot of people, it's very hard for somebody to simplify something down to the point where it's bare-bones, and there's no room for error. It has to be clean lines. It has to be bold colors, and if it's not done right, it's noticed."
Beck did three tattoos for friend Jonathan Byler Dann. A shoulder tattoo from Beck blew Dann’s mind with how well it fit the curves of his arm. Dann also spoke to Beck’s strong breadth of knowledge and his strengths as a collaborator.
Andrew Turney got three tattoos from Beck over 13 or so years. Turney was impressed by Beck’s speed, efficiency, line work and his ability to take an idea and put an artistic spin on it. Beck also mentored well. Even if Beck did not directly train people, he helped them, because merely being around talent allows people to pick up on stuff, Turney said.
Dole and others’ admiration for Beck goes beyond tattoo work, Dole saying Beck was also a good human being, family man, Christian and someone you wanted as a mentor.
Beck and his artists would often hang out outside of work, which allowed the group to know each other better and be more themselves. Dole and his team brought that practice to Brass Eagle with frequent bowling outings or game nights with the Rivermen or the Peoria Chiefs.
The team’s comradery at the shop extends past the tattoo floor and into the parlor’s side rooms where they not only design together but share laughs as they unwind playing a video game featuring a squirrel wielding guns and causing havoc.
“They’re hard workers all filled with completely different gifts and talent in what they do, and we’re just a big family,” Dole said. “Everybody ends up going their own path at some point, but I hope to keep them with me as long as I possibly can. Because I love having them here, and I love getting to work with them.”
What's in a name?
Dole has collected brass eagle house plaques for years. He did not know until he was forming his own shop that they symbolized strength, freedom, wisdom, power and leadership. He found a connection with this meaning that did not go away.
“I think the biggest thing is the strength and the freedom,” Dole said. “Just having the freedom to artistically be able to do what we want and not have any type of restriction to that stuff. I think that’s a very powerful thing….”
Dole wanted the shop to be open, bright and comfortable. He likes the large space as it gives each artist the room to work and allows the option to add more tattooers in the future.
Since getting a tattoo can be stressful and “a lot,” Dole also thought it important for the business to be relaxing, which he and the team accomplished through plants, the smell of incense and plenty of natural lighting pouring in the back of the shop.
“A tattoo shop isn’t just a small business, like a boutique or something,” Dann said. “It’s a home. It’s where artists work. It’s art.”
Tattoos can range in meaning and purpose. Some merely look cool. Others have deep emotional connections, like a man Dole worked on who got tattoos to remember his wife who died during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Seeing that client cry because of the tattoos’ personal significance touched Dole and made him feel like he did his job right.
“Sometimes it’s not about you,” Dole said. “It’s about them [and] knowing that, whatever the tattoo is, [it] is super meaningful to them, and that’s the reward in doing it.”
While Dole and Coates trained under Beck and Lott and Lessard apprenticed elsewhere, they all studied American Traditional tattooing. But they also all have different styles within that.
“Even if somebody came in and picked the same rose off the wall and every single one of us drew it, it would all be a different rose, and I think that’s the beauty of it, too,” Dole said.
No matter their style and interests, every tattooer should be well-rounded and “able to do anything and everything that walks in the door,” Dole said. That is how Dole and his team were taught.
If an artist does not feel comfortable doing what the client wants, another artist can takeover. But sometimes, the original artist, despite their discomfort, just needs to try it, too, said Dole. If a client wants a tattoo the team thinks is outside their wheelhouse, they will suggest an artist at another shop.
Brass Eagle has two apprentices in their pipeline. Lilly Carmack is Lessard’s apprentice and has recently been practicing on friends and family. Meanwhile, Dole's apprentice Andrew Terrell will probably start tattooing friends and family in the shop in the fall or winter with him opening up to public clients at a later date.
“I think each individual has their own style to tattooing,” Dole said. “I’ve taken what I’ve learned from [Beck] and just tried to expand what I can do and try to just be as technically sound as possible as a tattooer and try to still be open to whatever new ways there are in tattooing, because everything’s constantly changing: Machines, equipment, all that stuff.”
Freedom Ink's last hoorah
Brass Eagle and Freedom Ink are a few minutes’ walk away from each other, but Dole is not worried about the proximity of that or the other nearby tattoo parlors.
“I think every tattoo shop brings something different to the table,” Dole said. “Tattoo shops are everywhere. I think it’s one of those things where they’re going to continue to pop up and come and go. It’s just how it’s always been. [There’s] definitely [been] a lot more now over the last few years, but I don’t think our business and their business will be affected.”
In a social media post announcing Dole, Coates, Lessard and Lott's departures from Freedom Ink, the shop initially wished them success and said it's "building the next chapter."
The shop has since made the decision to close, hosing a "last hoorah" raising money for Beck's family during a closing party and auction taking place May 15-17.
Oliver Peck, an industry icon of the American Traditional style who previously was a judge for the reality television show Ink Master, is scheduled to guest at the shop those days, as well as Greg Christian, Jacob Young, Joe Cumbee, Jimmy Pearlman, Sam Hambrick and Chad Ramsey.
Around the corner at Brass Eagle, Dole has simple objectives: Create an enjoyable atmosphere for him and everyone else. Despite all having their own style, the four artists share a common love for tattooing and creating art. They work well together and enjoy bouncing ideas off each other, and Dole wants a space where they can keep growing.
“Goals are just continue to be a powerhouse in tattooing here in Peoria until we can’t do it any longer," Dole said.
Brass Eagle is open from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday. Those interested in a tattoo can make appointments by visiting the shop, calling it at 309-271-5102 or by emailing brasseagletattoo@gmail.com. More information can also be found at brasseagletattoopeoria.com.
