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Firefighter tattoo artist is leaving an indelible mark
Local firefighter Donnie Wedding creates art for the Fredericksburg Fire DepartmentDate published: 3/18/2008 BY JONAS BEALS The first thing you notice about firefighter Donnie Wedding is his art. It's hard not to. Nearly every visible patch of his skin is covered with it. His fingers, hands, forearms and neck all sport intricate color tattoos--some of them fire-themed--that he designed himself. When it comes to his profession and his passion, Wedding wears them both as his sleeves. In fire-fighting circles, Wedding is a bit of a celebrity. He has created countless T-shirts and patches for a number of local fire companies, and his murals adorn the walls of three local firehouses. Walk into a station in Spotsylvania, Stafford, or Fredericksburg and ask if anyone knows Donnie Wedding. You will likely be greeted by a fair number of rolled-up shirtsleeves exposing custom-designed tattoos. Wedding considers himself lucky to have a career that provides an outlet for his creative abilities. "The fire department is a profession where people are proud of what they do," he said, "And they like to show it off." A mural in the hallway at Company 1 in Fredericksburg is his latest work, featuring the department seal on a background of flames. It is the fourth firehouse mural he's painted. Falmouth Volunteer Fire Department has one, and Chancellor Volunteer Fire Department's Company 5 has two. "I was approached by the department to do it," Wedding said of his newest mural. "I drew up a few designs, but they liked the first one I came up with, so that's the one I did. It seems to work that way most of the time. I usually get a pretty clear idea of the design right away." Approximately 5 feet square, the wall art took Wedding about 30 hours to complete. One gets the feeling that those 30 hours would have been spent on art, mural or not. Two of Wedding's ink line drawings are framed and hanging on the wall below the mural. Similar drawings are on display at Chancellor's Company 5 firehouse. "You can't go anywhere around here without seeing something from Donnie," Chancellor Lieutenant Steve Cooper said. "He's a great character, and he loves his job." Wedding was an avid art student in high school, and considered going to art school after graduation. But by that time he had been a volunteer firefighter for a few years, and his career path was already set. People in similar situations often have to give up their passion or put their creativity on hold in favor of a steady paycheck. Not Wedding, who carved out his own niche. "It's good to know the department would give me the opportunity," he said. To reach Jonas Beals: 540/368-5036
Read more stories about Spotsylvania Date published: 3/18/2008
A True Artist
(posted by
crazyb
, Mar. 18, 2008 10:51 pm)
In more ways than one.! Not only is his artwork impressive you should see him behind his drum kit with his band Wicked Stick
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