Body artist Dr. Wiz gets things in full swing at PYNK Salon

DOWNTOWN—Last First Friday in Chinatown was in full swing this past Friday at 10:30 p.m. with a throng of revelers crowding Hotel Street, and scores of people waiting to get into its handful of place-to-be venues. An unlikely venue began to shine Friday: PYNK Salon at 40 N Hotel St. Filled with style-conscious scenesters enjoying cocktails and witnessing style gurus work their magic.

Simon Carignan sits in the stylist Kalae’s chair, ready for a new look. He’s clearly confident in Kalae’s prodigious abilities and offers only one request, “Just not too short, please.” A half-hour later, Carignan admires his forward swept, spiked coif with a sheepish grin that says, “yeah, that’s tight.”

As DJ Freedom Fighter spun a fine mix of house and hip hop, body artist Dr. Wiz was painting rich tribal designs on the torso of a ticklish model, with a series of expert strokes of his brush. The tribal design was impromptu, although the finished product showed no hesitation or indications that the artist was “winging it.” With long, thick tendrils connecting floral motifs, the piece was clearly informed by a graffiti sensibility.

“I started out as a graffiti artist,” says Dr. Wiz. “I’ve been doing the body art for about a year.” Considering the expertise and confidence with which he applied the paint, that short tenure as a body artist is a little hard to believe. He’s experimented with materials, and after some trial and error has settled with working in a nontoxic acrylic paint. He works mainly in black, but also has a brilliant eye for vibrant color. His work has been noticed by style honchos in Honolulu, as he’s worked with Russell Tanouye, Valerie Joseph, and Micah Banks.

PYNK owner Shelley has grown fond of the artist’s work. “He’s so talented, I know,” she says. Shelley plans to bring Dr. Wiz back for other events, something that he is more than willing to do. He has known and worked with Shelley for 10 years.

“Oh, yeah, I’ll be happy to come back,” he says, organizing the tools of his art at a makeshift work station (the chairs in the salon are filled with giddy hair clients). “I want to paint the town black!”