Greg Votaw and his daughter, Clowie, balance on wood posts while visiting Crystal Beach near Galveston, Texas. Votaw, a Lodi native, was living in Texas when Hurricane Ike destroyed his home and tattoo shop. (Courtesy photograph)

Lodi native starting over after hurricane

Life was good for Greg Votaw.

After tattooing for more than seven years, the Lodi native had a growing base of clients and a steady income to support himself and his 5-year-old daughter.

They lived near the beach in Texas, where his daughter, Clowie, had just started Kindergarten.

Then Hurricane Ike swept through town.

Votaw and his daughter evacuated three weeks ago, before the storm struck, and came back to Lodi to see friends and family.

But Votaw couldn't take his home and business with him, and they were all but destroyed. Five feet of water flowed into his Texas home.

"I lost everything in the bottom story of my house," he said. "Everything that wasn't hanging up on my walls is gone."

For a tattoo artist, the ink is just the final step — designing a tattoo is a large part of the process, and artists keep sketches and photos of their work. The work that Votaw couldn't take with him is gone.

The work that survived is also ruined by damage from salt water.

Greg Votaw, 31, sits with his five year old daughter Clowie as they enjoy a family barbecue in Lodi on Saturday. Votaw, a tattoo artist who was born and raised in Lodi, will return to Galveston, Texas, today where his home and shop were destroyed by Hurricane Ike. (Dan Evans/News-Sentinel)

Votaw, 31, has spent the last few weeks in Lodi. He was born at Lodi Memorial Hospital, attended local schools and graduated from Lodi High School, where he played football.

Three years ago, Votaw moved to Texas so he and his daughter could start a new life, he said.

He was doing well and owned his own shop, Galveston Tattoo Corner. He did a lot of traveling to tattoo conventions, taking Clowie with him.

His clients included a fire chief and a police sergeant, who told him that evacuation orders were coming. So he and Clowie left town a day early.

Votaw had insurance on the shop, but didn't have flood protection. Even though wind caused the flood, his insurance isn't paying to fix the place.

After spending the last three weeks in Lodi, where he's managed to make some money with his tattooing skills, Votaw is heading back to Texas today.

Clowie's school resumes on Oct. 15, so Votaw has a little more than a week to resume life in Galveston.

"I've got to find a place to live, and start over," he said.

Contact reporter Layla Bohm at layla@lodinews.com.