Joshua Carlton has been a tattoo artist full time for nearly 30 years. His father was an artist and he grew up with an appreciation for art and photography. Joshua has been a part of our World Famous family and a friend to many in the industry. He is an incredibly generous person and has shared his knowledge to help countless artists over the years. Joshua Carlton has recently been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and we want to do what we can to help him and his family during this difficult time. Being self-employed, like many tattoo artists, Joshua does unfortunately not have health insurance.
Our goal is to raise $25,000 to help support Joshua, his wife Nicole and their two children in their fight. World Famous and the Body Art Alliance will MATCH that $25,000, bringing the total donation to $50,000!
More About Joshua:
Joshua has produced multiple videos on his techniques as well as written a best selling book ‘Advanced Tattooing Techniques; A Guide to Realism’. He also developed a passion for playing guitar and oil painting, which has shaped his skills for impeccable detail in his realism tattoos. He played guitar is his band Chiaroscuro from 2008-2011, then joined This Patch of Sky after he moved to Oregon in 2011. He has been with his wife Nichole for 19 years and together they have two children, Penelope who is 16 and Elliot who is 11.
Joshua will be undergoing six weeks of chemo and radiation as well as a major surgery, called an esophagectomy, eight weeks after the treatments. The surgery consists of removing two-thirds of his esophagus as well as a third of his stomach then constructing a new esophagus with part of his remaining stomach. The expected recovery from the surgery is another 8 weeks. Joshua will not be able to work through treatment and recovery, as his immune system will be too compromised for the close contact that tattooing requires, and it causes extreme lethargy. Although it is a long road ahead, Joshua is determined to persevere. We want to wrap this up with Joshua’s personal motto ‘A Rising Tide Raises All Ships.’
Please join us in helping Joshua, his wife Nichole and their two children by donating and sharing his story.