Shawn cowart/ Warcot:  

Hey all (who care to read this)? Wha? I started at Moreno Valley High School in Jan of 75 getting back from Japan (like most of us at that time my dad was in the airforce,so we moved nearly every 3 yrs.)and living in the "HEIGHTS" and graduated in summer of "78"WOW! ...Anyways after graduating high school I got the boot, seriously like the next day, what was I gonna do? I had no real clue as how the world works. So I bummed around MoVal for a few day stayin at friends houses (Thanx to those who helped) And camping out by some rocks off of Allesandro Blvd for a few nights ,and fighting off coyotes to boot ! MI Vida Loca had begun, I made my way to San Diego for a while staying with some friends I knew in Japan (who till this day we remain friends) we thought we were gonna become comic book artist, till I realized I had a long ways, skill wize, to go and a lot of doors shut in our faces whew tough biz! Sooooo I worked at a surf shop prepping and painting board during the day and worked as a janitor at night and squeezed in beach time and drawing in the mix.all that wasn't easy and my mother was asking me to come back to beeee-utiful sunnymead and go to college, came back in time to start a partial sem. at R. C. C. and worked as a helper/ 2nd painter /then painter in so many body shops in and out of the auto center for about 5 years. I opened my own paint shop in riverside in 1984 with help from my grandfather, thanx to him I wouldn't be were IM at now if not for his help (always help and pay it forward!) the shop was called "Cal Custom Paint and Body" and was on the corner of 3rd. and market behind the Kawasaki dealer, there's now a parking structure there! progres!yeaaah! During that time I was married for the first time ...mistake .then divorced!yeaaaah! Then as I was seriously loosing interest in body and paint work another opportunity rose its ugly head I was offered an apprenticeship to Tattoo! tattoos were something I was always amazed by . I tried getting into a few shops at the age of 18 (And I thought comics was a hard biz to get into at least they have some tack when there tellin ya to get out, tattoo's shops were a whole different animal back then) doors were slammed, I was litterly kicked out and the 1st wife was havin a fit and it was her friend's trin to get me in ...go figure.. IM glad it didn't happen at that time and I got in when I did. it was rite at the beginning of a BIG change in the tattoo industry, more artsy guys and not just bikers, professor and weirdo types (not that IM not a weirdo )! I was going thru the breakup of the first marriage at th...Expand for more