Blaque Owl Tattoo

first of all, let me say that Scott Fieldhouse is VERY talented. The shop is clean, and comfortable, and I'm sure that anyone that gets a tattoo by him would be satisfied.

However, that is IF you can get your tattoo done by Scott. I found Scott personally to be very unprofessional and unreliable. I have no experience with any of the other artists, so this review is only regarding my experience with Scott.

Here's the full story:

I was encouraged by someone who'd had most or all of his tattoos (one of which was very complicated, and took several consults to design) done by Scott, to go to him. My friend raved about the shop, and the talent. The tattoo I wanted done was complicated, personal and important to me and I wanted to consult with Scott about it, and be part of the design. I live out of the area, but was in Missoula about every month, so I called to set up an initial consult. The receptionist was very professional and kind and told me to email a detailed description of what I wanted, the more detail the better, including any images I might have that could help. I did that. I never heard back, so I emailed to ask for confirmation that Scott received the email with my document attached. He had. Within a day or so he called me, and we chatted about the tattoo I wanted, and he said, "Yeah, that sounds totally do-able, just come in when you're in town in a few weeks and I'll have some sketches for you."

The first weekend in May (a week and a half after our phone conversation) and after a six hour drive, I stopped by and Scott looked at me blankly, and I reminded him about the tattoo I was wanting, and he said "I'm sorry...I don't have any sketches for you today. I'm finishing up some projects this week so I should have more time. When will you be back in town?" I said a month later (first weekend in June) and he said he'd have some sketches for me then. We talked more about my design and he said, "I'm really excited to do this, it's got all the stuff I like to work on!" He encouraged me to make an appointment to get the ink because he was booked a few months out. So I paid $100 deposit and booked an appointment for the end June, two months away. I figured this would be plenty of time to work on designing this tattoo. Despite being disappointed that I didn't get to see any sketches that day, I was determined to feel positive - he's THAT good, he has so many clients and I'll be lucky to get him to do this one for me. My friend that referred him agreed, saying, "Scott's just like that...he's a bit of a flake, but it's worth it."

Two weeks out from our scheduled consult, I was advised by my friend to email Scott to remind him. I did, and sent another a week later. Short emails, simply saying, "Hey, Sorry to bug you, please don't forget about me."

Three days before our trip to Missoula I received an email that said, "Hi, Scott wanted me to let you know that he'll have some drawings for you when you come by on June 1."

I was excited.

In the car, the day before we were to meet and half way to Missoula, I received another email, "Hello, Scott wanted me to tell you that he has too many projects right now to take this one on. He's sorry, and appreciates all the work you put in to it."

I don't believe that. I think he FINALLY got around to looking at my document/info and decided he didn't want to do it. He'd told me already he was going to have time, that he was excited about it, and took my money. I think if he looked at the information back in APRIL, he could have refused to do it then rather than waste my time and energy. I went in and the receptionist was again, very kind and professional, and returned my deposit.

Meanwhile, my friend is very embarrassed, and agrees I was treated unprofessionally and unfairly. Scott may not know it, but he's lost a faithful client.

Let me be clear, I am FINE with Scott refusing to do my tattoo. That's his right, to choose what art he creates and who he takes on. What I'm NOT fine with is how I was treated, led on for two months, and promised things that were never delivered. Communication could have been so much more consistent, and he should NEVER promise anything he can't follow through on.

So in conclusion, if you can get a tattoo from Scott, or anyone at Blaque Owl, go for it. But don't expect them to be reliable.

Got tattooed by Ian on Friday. I couldn't of asked for a better experience! He's friendly and doesn't make you feel awkward or unwanted. He made a custom design for me and killed it! Keep doing your thing Ian I'll be back soon!

This is probably the newest shop in town and it is located in downtown Missoula. The shop also doubles as an art gallery to showcase the work of the in house artists. I personally go to Scott Fieldhouse and I love his work. The atmosphere is good with some good music in the background while you're getting work done on you. They are blowing up so don't expect to get an appointment right away! I booked mine 2 weeks in advance. Well worth the wait because I love my tattoos. Check out there facebook fan page as well!

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