LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Louisville Tattoo Expo is back after several years on hiatus. Artists from across the country ventured to Kentucky to show off their skills.

“First time in Kentucky,” said Raul Wesche, an artist from Houston.

Wesche spends time finishing a back on a client.

“So we’re working. We’re starting a full back piece, and we’re starting with the center point of it, which is this big, big mandala piece. We’re going to have some, like, overlaying patterns underneath on some later sessions, but we’re just trying to focus on, getting this finished today,” Wesche said.

The tattoo artist made the long journey from Texas.

“14-hour drive yesterday, and then another 14-hour drive on Monday,” Wesche said.

He said he wants to support smaller conventions.

“The guy who organized and said I met him at a convention back in Florida. So we were at the same convention in Saint Petersburg about a year ago and, you know, we just met over there hanging out, and he invited me over here,” Wesche said.

The expo takes place this weekend at the North Healthcare Sports and Learning Center. Sadiqa Reynolds, president of the center, said this event helps blend cultures.

“It was one of those things that if we built it, the people would come and what you see here with this tattoo convention is a blending of so many different types of people. The people in this community that predominantly make up the community, people from outside, all different races, all different cultures, all different socioeconomic statues and that’s what we really see every time we open the doors of this facility and this tattoo convention is showing us even more why we needed this,” Reynolds said.

The Louisville Tattoo Expo continues Saturday and Sunday starting at 11 a.m.