Goodtime Charlie Cartwright
Tattoo Sage & Grandfather of Black & Grey
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  Charlie
Cartwright was
born on May 2nd 1940 in Pasadena, Texas, his father was a
Pentecostal preacher. Tattoos were not very common or admired
generally
in his early youth but once he saw a full body suit as a young lad, his
interest was unkindled. From his home in Wichita
Kansas, Charlie began tattooing by the hand method at the age of 15. He
started tattooing out of the back seat of his 1946 Chevy sedan and
pursued that form of tattooing until
he was 20 years old. He spent that time practicing and mastering the
skill and art of hand poking, because he didnt know anything about
professional
tattooing or electric tattoo machines. Charlie wasnt aware of, or how to
use
stencils, he drew designs directly on the skin, always creating one of a kind
and individualized tattoos, which is one of Charlie's trademarks.
Charlie enlistied in the Navy in
the early 60s and was
stationed in San Diego, where he often visited tattoo parlors. Tahiti
Felix Lynch did Charlies first professional tattoo and he went on to be
tattooed by Painless Nell and her sister Jo, one outlining, the other
shading. Charlie eventually drifted up to the Pike in Long
Their style was innovative and widely popular, as noticed by their peers. With the popularity of b&g style, artists from all over were trying to emulate it. Many artists would visit the shop regularly to study, taking what they learned back to their own shops, creating more forms or variations of using this fine line technique. Charlie welcomed the other artists and he shared his knowledge freely.
Charlie was determined to create something new and successful, that reflected the life he wanted to lead. Unfortunately the space opened in the dead of winter. Timing is every thing as they say, in life and business, and Charlie just coming off of the demanding environment and fast pace of The Pike and East Los Angeles, could not imagine that it wouldn't work. But this new community at this particular time, did not see things the same way. Charlie struggled to keep the doors open, and after much praying he decided to close up shop. Charlie re-entered the tattoo world in 1980, another instance where he was the only shop around. He named the shop "Good Time Charlie's End of the Trail," and operated alone. All three of his children eventually took to entering the field, and turned "End of the Trail" into a family run shop.
In
1987,
Charlie and his wife, Olivia relocated to Modesto CA.
He re-opened "Good Time Charlie's End of the Trail" where three
generations
of artists
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Beach. It
was here that Charlie began to form the path to his future. The Pike
was a bustling, hustling and fascinating place to him and he started in
earnest to chase his dream of Tattooing on his terms. Charlie
wasn’t so fond of color tattoos nor shops that offered only
cartoon-like tattoos on their wall. He resolved to open up a tattoo
shop one day that would encouraged clients to come in with their own
tattoo designs and ideas. In
the meantime he spent this time getting to know the artists and getting
tattooed. The tattoo business was booming at the Pike due to the
caliber of tattooers there. Charlie was getting tattooed by the likes
of Lou Lewis, Bert Grimm, Owen Jensen and Bob Hayman, but they were
tight lipped and he was getting nowhere. In 1973, he met Jimbo Laporte
co-owner of West Coast Tattoo. Jimbo could sense Charlie had talent and
ambition, and set up an audition, suggesting, "Why don't you take some
skin down to 5th and Main and we'll see what you got."
Charlie, who lived in Whittier, CA at the
time, took his
neighbor Tony to West Coast Tattoo in Los Angeles, CA. When they
arrived, Zeke Owen greeted him, and loaned Charlie his own tattoo gear.
Zeke left the shop and left Charlie and Tony there alone. It was the
very
first time Charlie used a professional tattoo machine and it was the
first time he used color in a tattoo. Zeke was impressed with Charlie's
work, stating "guys who have been tattooing 10-15 years, don't tattoo
like that." After spending a few months in the Los Angeles location,
Charlie was transferred to West Coast's shop at The Pike, where he
spent the next few years working and learning the business. It was here
during his early years at the Pike that he became known as "Good Time
Charlie."
The Pike was eclipsing, the hayday was
beginning to fade
and Good Time Charlie still had a dream of owning his own shop. Living
in Whittier, he thought of East Los Angeles, where, at the time, there
were no shops. He felt he knew the neighborhood and there was a demand
for tattoos and, for him, the freedom to explore deeper artistic
pursuit, personal expression. He had met Jack Rudy at the Pike a couple
of years before and they had struck up a friendship, Charlie saw a lot
of himself in Jack. Rudy was, at first, using homemade machines and
though it was not like handpoking, it allowed Jack to begin to develope
his style. Jack was still in the Marine Corp. then, but Charlie
promised to teach him when he got out and in 1975, Charlie opened his
first venture in East Los Angeles, "Good Time Charlie's".
Jack
Rudy
returned from the Marines and the two began building the tradition and
legend. Charlie created a team of artists forming the first
professional tattoo shop to develop a "joint-style" technique, now
recognized as the birth of the fine line black & grey style and
realistic style. This technique took tattooing from 3-6 needles
down to just one, using black as the foundation of artwork, mimicking
and refining a style that was developing in the Hispanic community
and within the Los Angeles prison system.
East
Los
Angeles was a whirlwind, the shop was busy,
often not
closing until past dawn. As long as their were customers, the doors
stayed open and the artists continued working. East LA at this time was
undergoing major cultural shifts and with the rebellion of gang life
and the uprising of the Chicano Civil Rights Movement. ELA was in the
midst of major changes. Tattoos were a popular art form for the Mexican
American population and the culture in general, an intimate, symbolic
representation of this turbulent time.
In 1977
Charlie began a
renewal of his spiritual
journey. He
sold Good Time Charlie's Tattoo Parlor to San Francisco tattoo artist
Ed Hardy, and moved back to Wichita, Kansas to get back in touch with
his priorities. He opened up a multi-discipline art studio named
"Creations for Christ," a Christian creative cooperative work space
dedicated to reinforcing his priorities, 
Family,
Love, Honor, Ethics,
and God. The studio incorporated many different art forms, with the
idea of providing a place where the town's creative souls could be
given the space and materials to work. Charlie himself began
experimenting with wood, leather, paints, etc., expanding his artistic
boundaries beyond tattooing.
Charlie
had partially retired, leaving the daily work to
his
son Nick and grandson Alex. The shop was home to a tattoo flash museum
of sorts, with hundreds of examples of styles, designs and artistic
evolution from World War I to present, 
spanning
all cultures of the
world. Tattoo artists from all over the globe have made the pilgrimage
to this shop, in hopes of catching Charlie to seek advice, find
inspiration, hear stories of how the business used to be. Charlie and
Olivia have finally closed down the iconic End of the Trail as of
February 2020. There continues to be flash and GTC memoribilia
available at Charlies website 
