Southport Magazine

Alley Cat Joe creates works of art
Story & Photos by Carla Edstrom
I really do have a lot to reflect on and be thankful for this year. We often take for granted the gift of living a long life as youth is always so treasured in our culture. I was born in 1968, to celebrate my milestone birthday and my life journey thus far, I decided to get a tattoo.

It may seem cliché to some, but as a lifelong artist and vocalist, it feels like a natural thing for me. I have spent years thinking about it and searching for the right picture. Most of my childhood was spent outside catching bugs, searching for treasures and chasing dandelion seeds in the wind. I have very fond childhood memories, so getting a tattoo to represent that part of my life was my perfect choice. So after I figured out my tat, I had to find the right artist. After all this is a going to be on my body forever and I want it to be perfect.
Brunswick County Tattoo artist Kevin J. Fashouer, Jr. aka Alley Cat Joe, knows that getting a tattoo is personal and a forever commitment. Owner of Alley Cat Joe’s Tattoo Studio in Supply, Fashouer encourages everyone to put a lot of thought into the design before they schedule that appointment. “I’m very big on thinking out your tattoos and I push that to everyone,” he said. “Tattoos are a lifetime thing and shouldn’t be taken as lightly as they are these days. We want you to know what YOU want, not just something the stranger you just met at the tattoo shop pushed you into for a quick buck,” he said. “Always look at an artist portfolio to see if they do the style you like, and make sure their reviews are good to match the work,” said Fashouer. “You also want to look at their recent work to make sure the quality offered is consistent,” he said. “If they don’t clean the lobby you can bet the same approach is taken with the tattoo room/process.” Fashouer said that he uses disposable tools like tubes, needles and ink caps at his studio and equipment and work area is cleaned daily with a medical grade disinfectant.
Being a professional tattoo artist for 4 years now, he and his wife Rachel run their Supply studio. Fashouer’s skills were largely self-taught, so being a very creative person who loves to draw, learning the tattoo craft came naturally to him. “I tattooed friends and family from 2010-2013 when I got a job at a shop. It wasn’t the greatest, but it was my in,” he explained. “I worked there for a year and a half before going to Florida and working at (a studio) where I really grew as an artist,” he said. His advice for aspiring tattoo artists is to try to work under someone as an apprenticeship. “Get a collection of drawings together showing your strengths and weaknesses and go to the shop and ask if they would be interested in working with you,” he advised.
Fashouer’s artistic talent is obvious in the pictures of his drawings and tattoo work he has displayed on the walls of his studio and on his Facebook page. He was very knowledgeable about how my tattoo would hold up over time and he explained every step in detail. Since I got mine, many friends asked if it was painful and honestly I felt no pain on my forearm. It just felt like scratching. I followed all the aftercare directions I was given to a T, and mine healed up perfectly. And now I have this perfect little piece of art that reminds me that even while life is fragile and unpredictable, I should always live with the heart of a child chasing dandelions in the wind.
Fashouer lives in Supply with his wife Rachel and their children. You can reach him by phone 910-269-5390 or email at jfashink@gmail.com,
Or through his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/AlleyCatJoe86/