Deep Ellum's Oliver Peck has become a star of the tattoo world, serving as a judge on TVs "Ink Master" and once holding the record for most tattoos done in 24 hours.

Dallas tattoo artist Oliver Peck has been a fixture for years on the television show Ink Master, but no more hes gone after photos of Peck in blackface surfaced and launched a cyber storm on the internet.

The producers and I have decided its best to part ways, Peck said in a statement, which was quoted by USA Today. The offensive photos of me which recently surfaced from many years ago can only be a distraction to the amazing show I have loved being a part of and its many talented artists.

Peck had served as a judge on Ink Master alongside musician Dave Navarro and tattoo artist Chris Nunez since the show launched in 2012. But in his hometown of Dallas, Peck is best known for Elm Street Tattoo, the popular shop hes anchored in Deep Ellum since 1996.

The blackface photos, which quickly went viral, stunned not only the internet but also Dallas tattoo subculture. The person who answered a call to Elm Street Tattoo said they would provide a statement at a later time.

The website popculture.com describes the photos as follows:

The photos, which apparently were taken from his old MySpace account, show [Peck] wearing dark makeup all over his face and body while dressed as a basketball player and a superhero with a racist logo for Halloween. TMZ also reported Peck dressed as a Playboy bunny while wearing blackface.

After the explosion on social media, TMZ upped the ante, noting that Peck donned blackface on multiple occasions for various Halloween costumes. In one, notes the article in USA Today, Peck appears to wear dark face paint, a wig and the letter 'N' on his chest."

Peck apologized on Instagram.

I want to profusely apologize for my completely inappropriate, insensitive, and immature behavior. I look at those photos and its hard for me to believe that I could have been so clueless, insensitive and dumb. I hope that Ive matured a great deal since then and Im deeply sorry for everyone Ive offended.

He continued, I was 100% wrong to depict myself this way and I take full responsibility for my immature, misguided perspective, total lapse of judgment and sensitivity.

He concluded by thanking his supporters.

Those of you that know my heart, I am grateful to my friends, family, colleagues, clients and fans who have allowed me to apologize and learn from this mistake, he wrote. I can only hope that those of you that I dont know, and anyone I have offended, can also find it in your hearts to accept my sincere apology.

Its unclear when the photos were taken.

The website for Elm Street Tattoo describes Peck as an artist whose life revolves around tattooing. He began tattooing when he was a teenager in his hometown of Dallas and has, according to USA Today, perfected his precise and traditional tattooing style making him one of the best and well-known old school American style artists.

In 2008, Peck tattooed his way into the Guinness Book of World Records when he completed 415 tattoos of the number 13 in a consecutive 24-hour period. He has taken his tattooing talents to England, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Sweden and Norway and in the Far East, including Japan and Thailand.

A 2013 story in The Dallas Morning News read, In the colorful world of tattooing, hes a revered figure. Peck oversaw a music and tattoo festival that brought 50 tattoo artists from around the world to Deep Ellum, all handpicked by a guy whos come a long way since he started inking himself and his friends in his garage at age 17.

As a youngster growing up in the punk-rock scene, he always wanted tattoos. And he got them, to the point that parts of his body became so thick with ink, it was hard to make out the designs. It started with a moon and anchor that he did himself at age 17.

In a quote that appears as part of a video posted by the show, Peck says: I feel like Ive always been an overwhelmingly positive person. I was like that as a kid, but as an adult, Ive adopted it as a philosophy, whether its been jail, drugs, car crashes, father dying. Positive mental attitude has got me through everything.

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Dallas tattoo legend Oliver Peck removed from national television in the wake of blackface photos - The Dallas Morning News