Duncan Polson
Photographer : Julia Loglisci
I
f this guy isn’t on stage making his audience laugh, you’ll either catch him
drawing, writing or getting another tattoo. Duncan’s fascination with tattoos
and the artistry that accompanies them started ever since he got his first tattoo
at the legal age of 18.
Born in Ontario, Duncan Polson moved to Victoria with his family when he was
six years old. This young artist’s roots map back to both sides of his family; he
has had the artistic blood flowing through him ever since he was born!
His first tattoo expresses the unity he has with his family. “Our family has always
been close,” says Duncan. “We have to be because it’s so big! My first tattoo is
of my family motto. I had the words, Manu Forti written on my forearm, meaning
‘with a strong hand’ in Latin.”
After receiving his first tattoo, Duncan quickly began to cover himself in artwork.
Like most tattoos, his reflect life experiences.
For such a young age, he’s sure seen his fair share of heartbreak. After a failed
engagement, Duncan pretty much dedicated his whole left arm to reflect his
personal self. The half sleeve that now covers his left arm was designed at Painted Lotus Studio in Victoria. The colourful tattoo portrays a restless ocean with
waves crashing against a broken pirate ship; suspended from the ship hangs an
anchor, which symbolizes stability. “It keeps me grounded” says Duncan. “It’s
like I’m able to stay on the right path even though it can be hard.”
From the bad experiences in Duncan’s life came some good, and within a short
period of time, it took a turn in the right direction. Not only can this guy make you
laugh and look good while doing it, he can also write, draw and act!
Duncan was always the shy guy in high school. Even though he stretches far
over 6 feet tall, he managed to only be seen when he wanted. It wasn’t until
Duncan moved to L.A., California, just after high school, that he realized he
wanted to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight.
At 18, Duncan was living in L.A. and attending comedy
school. He was accepted into the Groundlings Theater
School, and was actually the youngest student in history to
be enrolled. He excelled in both writing and acting; when
school finished he decided to take his jokes to the streets
and give stand up a real try.
Even at such a young age, Duncan let nothing stand in the
way of his dreams. Soon enough, Duncan was bar hopping
around the streets of Korea Town giving stand up performances in each and every bar. “Stand up is you by yourself,” says Duncan. “You don’t have to rely on anyone else;
it’s like instant gratification!”
It was only a matter of time though, before he was caught
as a minor in the U.S. bar scene; Duncan packed up his
California life and moved back home to Victoria to give his
comedy a try here.
Since returning home, Duncan has proved to be quite the
funny guy. He has performed and opened for many acts at
different bars around Victoria such as The Temple Restaurant & Lounge, and Heckler’s Pub. Duncan says his acting
career has blown up since moving back home and has
even landed him a few rolls in small local feature films; one
of which got him a spot in the Whistler Film Festival. If
that’s not enough, his amazing sketches and doodles have
caught the eye of many local artists. Duncan told us he
hopes to one day be a tattoo artist himself.
For his best friends birthdays, Duncan had to think
of a last minute gift idea. Tattoo their initials on his
chest?! Why not...
A bright and successful future is within reach for Duncan
Polson. He says he hopes to soon move to Australia and
cannot wait to smother himself in the tattoo and acting industry there.
Issue 1 | West Coast Ink | 17