Artist draws first blood
Australian artist Dr Rev, who paints with his own blood and sells self-portraits to raise money towards blood cancer charity, has shown his work at the International Tattoo Expo in Hamilton.
The macabre sight of 10 self-portraits drawn in blood greeted visitors to the Hamilton International Tattoo Expo last weekend.
Sydney-based tattoo artist Rev Mayers, also known as Dr Rev, said he was one of three people in the world to create artwork using his own blood.
In the Tron to participate in the expo, Dr Rev, 38, described himself as a blood painter who raises money for a blood cancer charity.
Paint brush, airbrush, canvas and blood are Dr Rev’s main tools.
His “inside and out” series consists of 10 blood-drawn self-portrait images, with the profit from sales goes to the Leukaemia Foundation.
“I used CT scans, X-rays, and photos as well as medical journals to bring together images of myself inside and out,” Dr Rev said.
The set of 10 images on display cost $100, with each buyer going in a competition to win an original $2000 painting.
Christopher Woe, 28, Dr Rev’s photographer, said they were not sure how much money they had raised on the first day of the expo, but thought it might be around a couple of hundred dollar range.
Woe said “Rev does this [his paintings] because he likes to get reactions out of people.”
Dr Rev said the worst reaction would be people saying “you could have donated that blood”.
He said he’s covered in tattoos, and his blood would not be accepted. However, he does donate money.
Dr Rev used about 20ml of his blood for his painting at the Hamilton Tattoo Expo.
A life-sized mouse in a painting titled Anxiety cost him 40ml of blood – but that is nothing compared to the three litres of blood he used for a 2.1 metre canvas painting.
Dr Rev has a 15 years’ experience as a tattoo artist, and now works on all his art from home.
Photographer Woe laughed: “His garage smells like corpses”
