Cursed World tattoo artists give bikers memories that last beyond Motorcycle Week

WEIRS BEACH — Artists from Cursed World Tattoo & Body Piercing, based in Meredith, returned this year to set up shop on the top floor of the High Octane Saloon, during the 103rd Laconia Motorcycle Week.

Rock music blasts from speakers down below at the bar, as prospective customers browse the rows of tattoo options last Wednesday. Stations for six artists line the walls, inking customers from noon to midnight everyday for a week. Two months of preparation goes into the pop-up shop, from working on the logistics to contacting artists, some traveling from different states to work during Motorcycle Week.

Patrick Couturier, a tattoo artist and piercer at Cursed World, is a rally tattoo veteran. This is his fifth year tattooing at High Octane Saloon.

“I owned a shop in the Weirs for two years, I had an apprenticeship in the Weirs. I’ve done like every Bike Week besides one for the past 11 years, something like that,” Couturier said.

Cursed World attracts customers with their artwork, as well as flash sales. Artists complete custom pieces, and bring hefty books of their work for customer selection.

“Basically, we try to have something for anyone. I feel my flash book here has something for everyone. Even if you didn’t want a tattoo, you’d be like, 'Oh, that’s cute,' you know?” Couturier said, flipping through his book of work.

So far, over a span of five days, Couturier has done 25 tattoos at High Octane. For the artists, Laconia Motorcycle Week is a marathon, not a sprint. Couturier arrives at the pop-up at 10:30 a.m. for set-up, and tattoos until midnight.

“I like doing it for the week, and then it makes you appreciate your normal work, you know what I mean?”

On a regular day at the shop, he could be tattooing clients until 5 p.m., or not go in at all, if he doesn’t have appointments booked. Quite a difference from the 14-hour days he works every year in June.

“Coming here, it’s like, 'OK, this is rush time.' And then you get to go home, like, 'Dude, it’s vacation,'” Couturier said, smiling.

The rally is a highly anticipated event bringing together a huge community of bikers. Within this community, tattoos tie people together.

“This kid I literally met last year, and I tattooed both of his sleeves over the year, and now he’s one of my best friends. And now he’s doing photography for the shop,” Couturier said. “It’s amazing the kind of relationships you are being filled with here.”

Couturier views tattoos as incredibly intimate pieces of work.

“People always describe tattoos in therapy, you know? And when you’re meeting someone for the first time, and you’re like, 'We already have a common ground of excitement about this tattoo,'” Couturier said. “You get that going, and then it’s just, 'Oh, what do you do for work?' And you end up becoming best friends.”

Although Couturier’s week is based around making money at High Octane, he rides his Harley in to work everyday.

“Save myself 20 bucks a day on parking, so the Harley is slowly paying itself off,” Couturier joked.

Despite the chaos and extensive hours he puts in every year at Motorcycle Week, the art he creates and the relationships he forms, with artists and clients alike, make it all worthwhile.

“I don’t plan on stopping soon.”