The Fine Art of Tattoo

Peter Bogdanov brings his artistic mastery to the ‘Burg with Legend Ink

BY MARCIA BIGGS

The past year has been a labor of love for the Bogdanov family. How clan head Peter, wife Donna and two grown children landed in St. Pete after nearly three decades of running tattoo shops in California, Hawaii and Oregon, seems to be kismet anchored by a good dose of determination, optimism and sweat.

It’s a steamy day in mid-June and we are meeting at the nearly complete BOGDANOV Legend Ink tattoo studio in the heart of downtown. Atop the small storefront, a large bold sign says BOGDANOV – Orchestrating Wonder with a mysterious logo of a winged eyeball topped by a royal crown.

Wonder is apropos, as I wonder what it all means.

I was about to find out.

BOGDANOV is Peter Bogdanov, something of a renaissance man in his jeans, tatts and black BOGDANOV t-shirt, part artistic juggernaut and part businessman. He is an entrepreneur, a family man and a chaser of the American Dream. He is a fine artist who can tattoo stunning masterpieces on a back or arm or leg, or paint a mural with themes that range from dark fantasy to sunflowers.

Bad Petrovich surfboards with designs by Bogdanov.

In 2013, he created Bad Petrovich, a brand of handmade surfboards featuring his custom designs. While they are made for surfing, collectors use them as fine art for offices and home interiors. As creative director of Bogdanov graphic design, he offers brand management, website development and marketing services, all of which he does pretty much single handedly. “ I have the Da Vinci syndrome, I don’t do just one thing,” he jokes. “But I do so many things that from day one I knew I had to be prolific.”

The Bogdanovs - Donna, Natalia, Isaiah and Peter

Photos/Bogdanov

The Bogdanovs moved here from the West Coast just a year ago, part of the great exodus.

“We had run successful shops in three states, but just before COVID we decided we wanted to be a small family business again,” Bogdanov explains. “It’s hard to beat Hawaii, where do you go after living there? We wanted the warm weather and the water, so we traveled all over Florida scouting a location that would be a good fit not only for the business but as a home. We fell in love with St. Pete.

“I liked the idea that St. Petersburg was founded by a Russian railroad magnate and we are Russian (he smiles). And I like the arts scene here. The Dali Museum. The arts districts. It’s really inspiring. We wanted to be downtown and it was high risk deciding to build during COVID, but we believed in what we were doing. “

Legend Ink Lobby

Legend Ink is where the Bogdanov planet will be spinning now. (The winged logo belongs to the Bad Petrovich surfboard brand, I later learn, and the eyeball is a Bogdanov signature). Starting with a completely gutted storefront interior, nearly everything in the space has been designed, built and installed by the family over the past 10 months. The gleaming white marble epoxy floor, track and LED lighting, counters, signage and even bathroom were all a team effort. Computers and big LED screens are up and running. Paint bottles are neatly arranged on their shelves. Sleek black leather furnishings, including two brand new tattoo beds, await customers.

One can’t help feeling as though they have entered a fine art gallery, not a tattoo studio. Walls are adorned with eyepopping paintings — Peter Bogdanov’s, of course. They are colorful, complex, almost Dali-esqe in imagery. Mounted along the hallway, a row of glossy colorful surfboards dazzles the eyes, each unique in theme with intricate designs. Facing them on the opposite wall, a collection of hand-painted skateboards made by son Isaiah competes for attention.

Some may call this a high-end tattoo parlor, but Peter Bogdanov begs to differ. “We are more of a gallery than a parlor,” Bogdanov explains. “I like to think of it as an operating room rather than a mechanics shop, like some are.”

And rightly so. His complex, illustrative body art is the kind that drops jaws and mesmerizes children. Thirty years of experience has led him to specialize in paramedical tattooing. The practice of concealing scars, stretch marks, birthmarks, discolorations or using ink to create anatomic impressions on the body requires a high degree of skill and knowledge in color and anatomy.

Bogdanov is an expert in the process, which can take many sessions and run up to $20,000 or more depending on the complexity. He has worked with clients across the country, turning scars into flying dragons or cascading waterfalls.

“It takes a lot of knowledge about the human anatomy and how the colors react to various skin surfaces,” he explains. “For example, burn tissue has a very rough texture, the pigment will react different than on a smooth surface. It takes a lot of experience to know the technique, and how the skin will age, and how a tattoo outline will change form in 10 or 20 years.

“I studied anatomy which helped me understand not just skin, but what’s underneath, the bones and muscles, and these are very important things to know when you are working on paramedical tattoos.”

Who will be the BOGDANOV client? Walk-ins are welcome, of course, and no job is too small. Surfers and board collectors may want to stop by to check out his collection, too. But Bogdanov figures “Most people who want a custom tattoo are 35 and older and successful in their career,” he says. “Successful because the tattoos can run from $1,200 to $10,000.”

The Bogdanovs finally announced a July 9 grand opening. It’s about three months later than they had targeted, but the family is excited. With Donna as office manager and assistant, and Isaiah painting skateboards and focusing on the smaller tatts, BOGDANOV is ready to take tattoo art in St. Pete to a new level.

BOGDANOV GRAND OPENING

Meet Peter Bogdanov at the grand opening of BOGDANOV set for 6pm Friday, July 9 at 140 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg FL. To learn more, go to BOGDANOV.com or call (727) 317-8308.

Extensive burn tissue is covered in colorful paramedical tattooing by Peter Bogdanov.