embrace of art
After his years of service in the Navy, Collins settled in Honolulu, Hawaii and began working as a tattoo artist. In 1942 he opened his first tattoo shop, and with the attack on Pearl Harbor only months before, the island was alive with men preparing to deploy. Soldiers flocked to the shop on Hotel St. looking for momentos and reminders of home before they were sent to fight; anchors, eagles, hearts, and pin-ups adorned the men who fought in the Pacific.
Despite the glaring conflict of national interest, Collins worked with masters of the Japanese style that had begun to influence his art while we was enlisted. The Sailor Jerry life on the island reached beyond the art of tattooing. He captained a small sail boat and gave tours of the islands, he dabbled in jazz and electrical work, as well as hot rods and motorcycles, not to mention he voiced his own radio show.
As the turn of the decade surfaced, the tattoo shop on Hotel St. was shut down (due to what the good sailor believed to be the government meddling in his affairs).
