Wheeler cuts against the grain a bit by being only lightly tattooed. One is a pin-up of his wife, Lori, on his leg. Another is similarly conceived out of family ties. It is typifed after a tattoo his father got, a slice of Americana inked by Tramp: a horseshoe and the word “luck” with a four-leaf clover. “Dad got his in the Marines in the Korean War time. He got it done in San Diego, I think, some sailor shop down there.”
Wheeler’s left arm, the body part with the most visible coverage, has gotten the most attention lately. He once had dragons and skulls there, acquired early in his tattoo career. Five years of laser removal treatments have all but removed it. “It’s a very intense experience. You put on these blue goggles and you see blue, and you feel this intense pain and you smell your skin. But, I recommend people doing it. It opens the doors to something that you want rather than settling for something that will just cover a pre-existing tattoo.”
It must have something to do with the searing of the flesh. The laser removals mark a metaphysical break with the past for Wheeler: “All my tattoos now are very positive and represent something in my life. I’m glad to get rid of these [old tattoos], not that they were bad but tend to have negative connotations.” Contrast that with the big arrow on his chest. “I can look in the mirror every morning and see it points up and see it represents an up lifting day or attitude.”
It’s all part of a more deliberate way of life for Wheeler at home and on the job. “In the past, I used to work-work-work. That tends to keep things fresh and very serious for me. I really value my freedom and time spent at home, with my wife and our cats. When somebody comes in to get worked on, they get my full attention.”
