Skin's the canvas at festival

It was the annual event's 16th year, attracting experts from across the country and visitors from around the Bay Area.

It was held at Santa Rosa's Flamingo

hotel.

But from the minute you walked in the door, you knew it wasn't the usual business convention.

Young women showed off flower designs on their shoulders with halter-tops that plunged low in the back.

Other people leaned on hotel banquet chairs while the artists' work came to life on their skin.

It was Tattoos and Blues, a weekend gathering for devotees and practitioners of body art.

At one booth, Jessica Cornejo, 26, was getting an elaborate "sleeve" based on the silly stories that her grandfather used to tell her when she was a child.

"There was a satellite dish on the street we lived on, and my grandpa told me it was Godzilla's cereal bowl," she said.

Tattoo artist Jody Wells drew a monster eating cereal from a satellite dish, first in permanent marker, then with a needle.

Cornejo said if her grandfather were still alive, he probably wouldn't approve of her tattoos, but "if you're gonna get one, you gotta get it big."

The convention, which continues today, showcases large pieces and detailed work in daily competitions.

Veteran artists attend seminars on the history of tattooing and health and safety training sessions.

Tattoo artists came from as far away as Syracuse, N.Y., and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to exhibit their designs in "flash sheets," photos of clients and in the flesh.

"It's surprising that a little town like this would hold this much ink," said Chuck "Cherokee" Shaffer, a tattoo artist who travels to Santa Rosa from Wisconsin to see friends and meet new clients.

Sonoma County residents, both tattooed and uninked, said tattoos are becoming more acceptable, at least the small kind.

Santa Rosan Lori DeMarco, 46, paid $60 to get a pair of red cherries on the top of her foot.

"That's cheap," she said. "When I started getting tattoos, there were only two shops in town. Now they're all over."

Jimmy Rock, 37, of Willits displayed a bucolic North Coast scene on his leg, complete with redwoods and forest animals.

"I've got 33 acres of redwoods so I call this my front yard," he said. "But I left out the marijuana plants."

Rock said his tattoo has been taking shape for many weeks.

"Every Wednesday at noon I go to see Randy at the Emerald Dragon," he said. "It's like seeing a therapist. I go in for a couple hours and come out feeling better about myself."

Tattoos and Blues runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. today. Admission is $25.