By: John Barthlow
Resident Grassland Tattoo artist A.J. Cruise cleans his station after completing a tattoo appointment, Denver, Co. Wednesday Aug 26, 2026. (Radio 1190/John Barthlow)
Grassland is a tattoo shop and “art collective” in Denver, Co. that threw an opening event on Saturday Aug. 22, 2026. Of the many things Grassland is, a regular tattoo shop is not one of them. “It’s not often you get to go to work and see cars being crushed, and people operating forklifts,” said Chance, a resident tattoo artist at Grassland. I concur, it’s not often something you see if you don’t work in a junkyard or are getting a tattoo.
To many of those who attended the event, Grassland is “more than just a tattoo shop,” and was the culmination of 8 years’ worth of communication, according to Fabian, one of the DJs at the event. One of Grasslands’ visions is to be a communal space for artists. Artists of all kinds attended the event, from DJ’s to painters and other tattoo artists from similar collectives, like “Website” and “safehouse.” One of the resident artists, A.J., said that he likes “to have a space where everyone can move forward in what they are doing, everything from signs to t-shirts and music is from the community,” and that the collective was “lighting a fire in the new generation of tattoo artists.” One of Grasslands’ goals is to create a more professional tattoo shop, and as one artist put it, to “pay taxes,” but they still wanted to maintain the underground collective vibe to be “less rigid than other businesses,” Chance said. Considering the contents of the event and the location of the shop, the “underground collective vibe” was (in my opinion) definitely achieved.
Upon arrival at the event location, I spotted a tire painted bright green with an arrow pointing towards a junkyard entrance with the word “tattoo” written on it. Once I walked into the entrance, the first things I saw were destroyed cars, a mechanical bull, a taco stand, and a group of tattooed people conversing happily with one another. Some moments later, I found myself speaking with Max (who at the time, had a half-shaved head), one of the three resident tattoo artists at the collective; the other two, Chance and A.J., were working diligently inside. Max offered to show me around the shop and gave me a quick run-down of what was going on. Inside was a “dance floor” accompanied by a DJ booth, a table with sign-up sheets for flash tattoos (all of which were $100), miscellaneous food and drinks, a lounge area with couches and a tv and a cloth to draw on that was tucked into a side room by the bathroom.
Seating area with wall art done by resident tattoo artists inside of the Grassland tattoo shop, Denver, Co. Wednesday Aug. 26, 2026. (Radio 1190/John Barthlow)
Though the inside was interesting (the conversations even more so), the mechanical bull was on my mind. I wanted to go back outside to learn more about it. I didn’t really have any intentions to ride it, but once I returned to the bull, a man named Eduardo asked me to try it out. I obliged and surprised myself with how long I stayed on. I suppose I surprised the operator too, as they mentioned that the bull was “professional.” I later found that Eduardo was working out of the same building as Grassland, and was the owner of Zafiro’s tires, where he specialized in tire installation and balancing, tire repairs and sold new and second-use tires on Vasquez and 52nd St. The operator of the Bull turned out to be the landlord of the Junkyard, an ex-master electrician, event thrower, mechanic and author of the book “Chile Makes Us Brave.” His experience in event throwing was apparent, seeing as both the taco stand “Tacos Nico” and the mechanical bull were found through him (the tacos were free and delicious, I might add).
Amongst the many things at the event, there were, of course, tattoos. The predominant style of tattoos done at grassland are considered “scratchers” by many in the industry. The style generally goes against the grain of “old school” tattooing and attributes a great deal of its popularity to social media. Resident tattoo artist Chance considered the tattoo style to be a part of the counterculture movement, one that is supposedly hard to find in Denver. “Kids are craving a counterculture” and “looking for a space where they feel welcome, especially those a part of alternative communities,” he said. Grassland is said to be a place for ‘artistic’ experimentation, a place for doing things in your own style and going “against the grain,” as Chance put it. He also had some words of advice for artists and budding tattooers: “just create to create, and show the world you are creating,” and for those just starting to tattoo “just do it, do your research, especially in person research.”
To be honest, at the Grassland opening event, I got so enveloped in the festivities that I forgot I was a journalist. It also seemed that many working during the event were simply just having a good time and taking in their accomplishment. In my opinion, the shop and all of the working parts, from small businesses to smaller groups of friends and artists alike, each created a tangible air of community, expression, and celebration. I am honored to have been a part of that world for an afternoon.
Doodling cloth for those who attended the Grassland opening event, Denver, Co. Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (Radio 1190/John Barthlow)