By Alison Burdo

Tattoos wind their way down his arms and up his neck, visible even when he is wearing long-sleeves. At 155 pounds and 5-foot 8-inches tall, Paul Marino is not your typical model.

“I have that ‘50’s style haircut,” Marino said. “I’m not very muscular.”

But Pinups for Pitbulls founder Deirdre “Little Darling” Franklin selected the 27-year-old tattoo artist to be one of the three men featured it its 2015 calendar – a first for the nonprofit that focused exclusively on females in its previous eight calendars.

“The guys are just as dedicated to the cause as the ladies,” said Franklin, who founded Pinups for Pitbulls in 2005 to educate people about pit bull-type dogs.

 

This weekend, downtown Asheville is turning into a tattoo parlor. It’s the 3rd annual Tattoo and Arts Expo at the Renaissance Hotel.

Deirdre Franklin of Pinups for Pitbulls and Promoter J.R. Yarnall shared what you can expect at this year’s expo. They say the expo, formerly known as the Asheville Tattoo Fest, is bigger and better this year. There’s everything from tattooing, to music, art shows, pin ups, and face painting contests. This year the show expands beyond the hotel. The Masonic Temple on Broadway will be the site of the Food Truck Showdown, the pop up art gallery featuring work by fine artists and attending tattoo artists and the live music Saturday night.