Daemon Rowanchilde began tattooing in 1983 before attending and completing a program in Experimental and Fine Art at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto. Daemon studied Experimental Art, sculpture and jewelry design to loosen up his creativity and stimulate his imagination, and Fine Art to learn discipline and how to portray the human form in various media. It was during his time at OCA that Daemon developed the idea of tattooing as body design. He was fascinated by the dynamics of the human body in motion and how these dynamics could be enhanced creatively by a skillfully placed and well-executed design. In his final year, Daemon did an independent study on tattooing as art and design for the body, which was highlighted on CityTV news.
At the time, it was a radical concept -- but exploring the various art forms helped develop the foundation that he continues to expand on. Today, Daemon's art and body design explore universal energy patterns perceived by shamans and reflected in the art and healing rituals of diverse cultures across time and space.

During the years that followed, Daemon became increasingly aware of the ability of body design to transform both his experiences as an artist and those of his clients. His clients' experiences ranged from simple euphoria that lasted for several weeks, to full-blown cathartic releases that shifted people into a more empowered conception of self. At this time, Daemon turned his attention to the factors that contributed to these experiences.

In addition to understanding and contributing to the experiences of his clients, Daemon continued to explore his own personal transformation through his tattooing and other art forms. Daemon describes two critical factors in this shared experience. Inspired by Timothy Leary's "set" and "setting" as preparation for a guided journey. Set, from a tattooing perspective, represents the mind-set of the client and the artist during the tattoo process (i.e. consultation, tattooing and aftercare). The intent of both the client and the artist-as-guide is the important factor here. Setting represents the environment in which the tattoo process takes place. These two elements must be both present and in balance to allow a full transformational experience to take place. Daemon encourages his clients who want a full experience to follow their intuition and frame their focus by asking and answering personal questions about intent of the experience.

Daemon calls his most dominant signature style Daemonic Energy Wave. This style represents a synthesis of Daemon's different design expressions. It uses black work and gray shading interwoven with highly detailed patterning which is multi-layered to enhance the contours of the body and transform the living canvas. Daemon's patterns draw from Islamic mosque designs, Persian, Indian and medieval art and architecture to create a dizzying, yet visually coherent sense of ordered chaos. It is his most moving and spiritual work to date -- both in representation and process. In addition, Daemon has received several prestigious awards and his work has appeared in books and high-profile films. Additional information on Daemon's designs and awards has been posted in the section titled "Awards & Recognition".

Daemon is presently devoting more time to painting and other creative avenues to further explore influences and directions that will shape and guide his tattooing and his life. Always interested in expanding his knowledge and understanding of the healing power of the human body, Daemon is exploring Iyengar yoga, meditation and other healing arts.

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bodyart@urbanprimitive.com