Meet “morbid” Mark Dalton | Artist, Studio Owner and Full-time Student

We had the good fortune of connecting with “morbid” Mark Dalton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi “Morbid” Mark, how do you think about risk?
I think that there is no reward without risk; nothing relevant anyway. No one ever did anything meaningful in life without compounded risk. Even getting into the tattoo business originally was a risk, it has been a consistent risk staying in the art world and it is even a greater risk reupping my formal education currently in the Fine Arts scene. From the way I see it, we can’t take any of it with us, so we might as well roll the dice on the long shot while we have the shot.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Coming up in the world of art I would meet various artists I greatly admired or looked up to and I would ask the annoying questions of “How did you get so good?” or “What can I do to mimic your success?” and they would always give me the same old cliche answer of “Just keep practicing.” It took me years to realize what they were trying to tell me. In hindsight, it was staring me in the face the whole time. ‘Practicing’ was meant by not only sacrificing the hours to my craft but sacrificing so much more in studying the business itself, learning to talk to people, presentation, networking and social endeavors. All of it requires practice, patience and perseverance. Also, just when you think you’ve made it. it’s time to change gears and practice something new, less you lose the passion of it all. Never stop practicing because the joy in creation is only a breath away from stagnation. There is always new joy to be found in the prowess of fabrication if you dare to keep looking.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Some of our favorite places to dine include: a little hole-in-the-wall Italian place called Portofino’s Pasta in Parker (family owned and operated), Perry’s steakhouse in Lone Tree, and Eddie V’s Prime Seafood in Greenwood Village. ANY of the various escape rooms in Denver! They’re all good: Escape Works, Escapology, The Wreck Room, etc. you cant go wrong. Chatfield reservoir, Cherry Creek Reservoir and Bingham Lake are some of my favorite fishing spots in the city or if you like hiking Bear Creek Trail is amazing.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Big shout-out to all those that have supported me on my journey thus far; my mom who managed to keep me alive until adulthood (still baffled about that) and encouraged me to follow my ambitions. My wife who tolerates and maintains composure throughout my shenanigans all the while offing unconditional love and support. All of my clients who do more than pay my bills and remain trustworthy friends. Credit also goes out to the numerus mentors in art I’ve had over the years that now include the entire faculty of the RMCAD campus.

Website: https://scurvydogtattoo.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morbidmarkd/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.dalton.12382923