Dave Koenig is a prolific painter and tattooist currently living and working in Omaha, Nebraska. His art has been exhibited at tattoo conventions, festivals and art galleries throughout the world including Into the Woods Fine Art Gallery in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as The New BLK, In Common and Bemis Underground in Omaha, Nebraska.
After attending five years of fine arts at The University of Nebraska Omaha where he also studied Anthropology and Native American Studies, Dave then proceeded to teach art at Pact Center School in Council Bluffs, Iowa for a year followed by another year of teaching art at The St. Augustine School , located on the Winnebago Reservation. It was then that he began pursuing his career as a tattoo artist.
Dave has been tattooing, both locally and internationally, since 2001. His home base is currently at Liquid Courage Custom Tattoos in Omaha where he continues to work with his mentor, Devin Ferguson. Other professional studios Dave has worked at include Sailor’s Grave, Iron Brush Tattoo, Studio XIII, True Love, and Arctic Tattoo in Tromso, Norway.
Working with a wide range of mediums from Ink and water color to large scale acrylic, Dave maintains a controlled looseness of line work and a delicate treatment of color. Although heavily influenced by Japan’s historic culture and use of patterns, his work also reflects the imagery and antiquity of both Traditional Americana and Art Nouveau.
Dave has worked as curator for several art shows featuring fellow tattoo artists. His imagery and art have appeared on skateboards and t-shirts for several companies as well as several album covers, concert posters and mixed martial arts event posters. He is now expanding his work in to new territories of commercial art, painting custom guitars for Soapbox Guitars (of which he is co-owner) to illustrating a variety of liquor labels.
“As for the future, I intend to roll with whatever life delivers, push forward and take my art beyond limits.” – Dave Koenig
Tres Johnson:
Mostly self taught artist. I say mostly, because along the way, I have been fortunate enough to catch some classes at major universities across the United States. A lot of my self taught education with art, came from being able to sit for hours at the St. Louis art museum. I moved around the country a lot, and doing so I was able to soak in different cultures of different people, than what was common to me. Along the way I was developing two unique styles. On one hand I was in the studio, smearing oils on canvas, and scraping it all off. On the other hand I was looking at graffiti, and the early forms of street art, as letters were turning into characters. Anytime I painted “in the wild”, it was usually something political or punk rock related. Around 1996 I lived in Telluride, Colorado, where I, along with an artist friend would go into the mountains, and create metal/wood/bone sculptures. Since 1989 I have been in a few group shows in St. Louis, Scottsdale, and Omaha. It was when I moved to Omaha that the street combined with the studio art, to get me to the point I am at right now.
From the show “far gone and out”at Howlin’ Hounds Coffee
was common to me. Along the way I was developing two unique styles. On one hand I was in the studio, smearing oils on canvas, and scraping it all off. On the other hand I was looking at graffiti, and the early forms of street art, as letters were turning into characters. Anytime I painted “in the wild”, it was usually something political or punk rock related. Around 1996 I lived in Telluride, Colorado, where I, along with an artist friend would go into the mountains, and create metal/wood/bone sculptures. Since 1989 I have been in a few group shows in St. Louis, Scottsdale, and Omaha. It was when I moved to Omaha that the street combined with the studio art, to get me to the point I am at right now.
