Cassi Lopez - 20 Years of Piercing
Disclaimer: Before you watch this interview it’s very important you understand we had technical issues with our mics and had to make do with our external audio! We did what we could to save the audio and apologise for the echo! I hope you still enjoy the interview, the transcript is also available below.
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Jay: Thank you for doing this.
Cassi: Of course, thank you for wanting to do this. Do you want me to move this? Is it in your way or?
*Beep*
I’ll spit my gum out so i’m not chewing in your ear.
*Beep*
Is there anything in my teeth?
*Beep*
Cassi: My name is Cassi Lopez, and I am the owner of So Gold Studios in Brooklyn, New York.
Jay: Were you born and raised in Brooklyn?
Cassi: I was born and raised in Long Island, my Mother lived in Long Island, my Father lived in Bed Stuy Brooklyn.
Jay: Okay
Cassi: So I have a tonne of family in Brooklyn, I spent a lot of time in Brooklyn growing up. But, I was raised in the suburbs.
Jay: Your Dad helped you build your first studio?
Cassi: My Stepfather, my biological Father was the one who lived in Brooklyn. But my Stepfather, my biological Father past away when I was young, my Stepfather helped me build the first So Gold. And then this new So Gold it was just me and Lynda putting things together and Vicki and Taylor putting things together, and then I paid contractors to do all the big stuff.
Jay: That’s great, you need contractors.
Cassi: It’s a big move.
Jay: Is he proud of it? Does he approve?
Cassi: Very. It's funny, he actually painted the bathroom and did all that studs because he felt like it was the only thing he could really do.
Jay: He’s helping!
Cassi: Yeah! And he’s very cute, he’s very much like a typical little Puerto Rican old Dad.
Jay: I love that
Cassi: He just wants to help all the time.
Jay: That’s what everyone wants isn’t it?
Cassi: It’s very cute.
Jay: You have been piercing since 2003 which makes it 20 years this year.
Cassi: Yeah
Jay: Does it feel like 20 years?
Cassi: Yeah! It feels like 40 years! It does, I’m exhausted.
Jay: Have you felt that within the industry, obviously it's changed, 20 years is a long time things are going to change. Do you feel like the progression within your career has been a reflection on the whole industry? Do you feel like we still have a long way to go?
Cassi: There’s always, well the best thing about piercing is that it always changes. Everything is constantly evolving. That’s my favourite part which is what I love about working as a piercer, constantly learning new things, constantly doing new things. I’m not the kind of person who can like stay stationary for too long, I need to be on the move with everything. So piercing allows me to do that and it’s been great because the industry as a whole is also constantly moving forward. That’s what’s so good about teaching, I get to teach classes all over the world now.
Jay: That’s so cool.
Cassi: I get to do all sorts of fun stuff and I mean the industry has changed so much over the past 20 years, especially now because piercing is so popular. And it’s like, it’s become a whole new thing. It’s truly wild.
Jay: Because when I think about when I was young, and like my ear was pierced, it was done with like a gun, at the back of a barbers shop. That’s what I would think of when I hear piercing but then now this is what I think of, which it’s not even in a tattoo shop, it’s completely unrelated and its own thing which is super cool.
Cassi: Piercing has separated itself from tattooing a lot, which I’m sure you’ve noticed as a tattooer.
Jay: Yeah, it’s cool because I think,
Cassi: It’s so different,
Jay: It’s really different! And it’s not, I’m not shitting on tattoo shops that have piercing studios, because there’s a lot of shops that do that really really well, and they have amazing piercers there aswell. But it’s really nice to come into a space like this and it’s less intimidating. I feel like tattooing has also gotten less intimidating.
*A FEW MOMENTS LATER*
Jay: Okay! So piercing has changed, we love that it’s changes,
Cassi: Yes it’s great! It’s the best part.
Jay: How long do you think it took you to find your style and direction in piercing?
Cassi: It took a few years, it was when I started working at New York Adorned that I really discovered how much I loved gold because when I started working there I was a silver baby.
Jay: Really?!
Cassi: Oh yeah, I had all crap jewellery, I had, you know, I didn’t realise how much I loved gold and it started with rose gold. It was like my intro to gold.
Jay: That’s cool, I like that. I feel like a lot of people do that.
Cassi: Very much so.
Jay: I feel like they’re one or the other,
Cassi: Yeah,
Jay: I find it very impressive when people can mix metals, like i’m not that person.
Cassi: Me neither. Taylor mixes metals really well *looks at Taylor in the distance*
Jay: Yeah, I think it looks amazing on so many people, I just,
Cassi: And like, I don’t know how to do it on myself. I feel like I can’t. Like I can’t bring myself to.
Jay: Okay so, ear styling. Styling has become a huge thing, it’s a huge part of what you do here. Do you think that’s always been a thing? Do you think it’s more recently became a surge that people are paying. more attention to?
Cassi: It’s always been an aspect of what we do.
Jay: Right,
Cassi: When someone comes in for a piercing, we have to look at their anatomy, we have to make sure they have the anatomy. Which to me is some degree of styling to an extent. Helping people pick our jewellery, all that stuff is some degree of styling. So to me it's kind of just been there but it’s in the last couple of years become a whole big, like a reason that people want piercings.
Jay: Yeah for sure,
Cassi: The fact that anyone wants piercings, is insane to me. I never thought i’d have a career that people aspired to have.
Jay: Really?
Cassi: Yeah, I don’t know it’s wild to me.
Jay: It’s funny because I think people view um, i’m friends with a lot of piercers, like i’m around it a lot so I don’t really think about it and obviously when you learn tattooing things are obviously very close together, like our worlds mix. But it is a whole jewellery section of its own, its a whole division of jewellery which I think is interesting to see different brands like BVLA and other brands like that who solely do this kind of jewellery are now high end jewellery. It’s not, no diss to titanium, titanium is very important but like it's not a multicoloured titanium bar in your navel. You have all of these other things now, you can be pierced with you can just keep in which is super cool.
Cassi: That’s the beauty of it all.
Jay: You’re part of APP, what is APP?
Cassi: So the APP is an international non profit organisation, that basically is a health and safety organisation. So we help disseminate bad piercing information, make sure that the studios that obtain APP memberships are using good quality jewellery, are using, safe piercing practices. And then we hold conferences every year, so that way piercers can essentially just keep up with their education.
Jay: So you mentioned that you teach, do you teach solely through APP?
Cassi: Yes, yeah, I teach solely through APP. There’s a lot of piercers that will teach outside of the APP, they will hold their own courses and stuff like that. I don’t have time so I do everything through that.
Jay: You’re very busy!
Cassi: Everything that I do is with the organisation. So I teach at conferences every year, and i’ll be teaching in Brazil this summer, there’s a, almost like the Brazilian piercing organisation, GEP. So i’ll be there, teaching there. I’m really excited.
Jay: What made you decide to open your own studio?
Cassi: OOh, so, I spent years being really really sick. Um, and then when I went into remission, I went to my doctors appointment, found out I was in remission and I was like, I leerily left that hospital and I said to my dad, I said “I think i’m going to open a studio” and he was like “do it.” And that was kind of it. It was just like the Spurr of the moment like, I finally had the ability to do whatever I wanted. For so many years I didn’t know what would happen, I didn’t know whether I was going to be okay so I had to play it safe, i’m like i’ve got nothing to loose now.
Jay: That’s so cool,
Cassi: Yeah, just dove right in.
Jay: Do you think it changed a lot? Just for people who don’t know Cassi has Brain surgery
Cassi: Yeah, I had a few.
Jay: So do you think it changed your view, obviously for the studio It did, do you think it changed your view on how you approach a lot of things?
Cassi: It changed my entire life. My entire life was flipped upside down. Um I don’t take things for granted, I don’t wait, I don’t wait around for anything.
Jay: I don’t think you really waited before!
Cassi: In my head! In my head, I felt myself like waiting for things. Waiting for life to happen. I don’t wait anymore. I don’t have time.
Jay: That’s fair.
Cassi: There is no time. There’s no time, go big or go home. So that’s what I’m doing everyday, I’m going big everyday.
Jay: Why Is the studio called So Gold?
Cassi: Um, to be perfectly honest, it was initially suppose to be a play off of my social media presence which s Cassisoclassy, which if anybody know me, they know that it’s just a joke because I am a gross human. Um, but, originally I wanted to call it so studios, as like, to just be, so it could be anything. I didn’t want it to just be considered a piercing studio, because I have grand ideas of what I want my life to be. So I wanted to have the ability to make this place whatever I wanted it to be, but my lawyer was like there’s already a so studios so you can’t do that we have to think of something. And I had to think of it kind of on the fly because I had just found my original location and I was getting ready to sign the lease and I had to get all of my paperwork aligned.
Jay: Business licensing and everything,
Cassi: Yeah, and so my lawyer was like “call me in an hour with a name” and I was like SHIT, so i’m like panicking, and I’m like what do I love, what do I love? I love gold, So Gold. it was literally that, I was like “ah, So Gold”
Jay: The first location it was just you right?
Cassi: mmhm, me by myself for the first year and a half.
Jay: Do you feel like when you moved to this location that you really needed other people? did you need to be around other people?
Cassi: Well what happened was, when we came out of covid, I was already booked all the time, and it just got so out of control. I was just swamped, I was taking clients early morning and staying super late. I was exhausted. And I was like I need to hire someone, and im very perticular about who I work with.
Jay: That’s good, that’s a good thing to have.
Cassi: So i had worked with Taylor for a couple years, at New York Adorned, and Taylor was looking for a studio, so I was like *hand movements towards body*
Jay: The jewellery that you pick, do you hand pick everything yourselves?
Cassi: Everything.
Jay: That’s so cool.
Cassi: There’s not a single piece in this case that I wouldn’t ware. Even if it’s not in the gold colour that I would wear it in, there’s nothing in here that I wouldn’t ware, I couldn't sell jewellery to someone that I didn’t like.
Jay: For sure.
Cassi: I’m not, I’m not a good liar.
Jay: You guys do custom stuff too right?
Cassi: Yeah
Jay: How does that work?
Cassi: Lynda, she handles all, she’ll like bust out her procreate and her, what is it her app? Photoshop! And she will whip up like, pieces for people with different stone colours just so they can like get a visual. it’s incredible.
Jay: How does it work? How does the process work from like that, does she talk to, is it done with the company who originally makes the jewellery?
Cassi: Yeah, so basically it’s mostly done with BVLA, they have the most selection, they have the most options in terms of stones. Um so she will sit down with them and BVLA will custom make things too. If someone has a piece in mind that’s not made, BVLA can make it. we just have to come up with a doodle, and they’ll make it.
Jay: That’s so cool.
Cassi: Yeah, it’s pretty awesome. So it’s a lot easier to customise things specifically with them. Um, and Lynda is just like amazing with everything but she’s really good at that kind of stuff.
Jay: It’s crazy because I’ve been getting BVLA and gold jewellery, and as we realised today we’ve actually known each other for a long time. I’ve known you a long time, and I’ve known Sophie a long time, and it’s crazy to think about what you would think piercing jewellery is vs what it actually is now. The fact you can even customise something like that I mean.
Cassi: its night and day,
Jay: it’s just really lovely, its super cool.
Cassi: it’s the best!
Jay: Do you think that the industry is going to keep going more like this, more like private piercing studios?
Cassi: Absolutely. Especially post covid. It’s funny because we always worked like this, pre covid, I always functioned as a private studio. And then once Covid hit everyone started to adapt to what we do.
A conversation with Jay Rose, new interviews every Monday.
Chrome 6 is your lovechild, it is the epitome of you as a person and so carefully curated. I was the first artist to come and guest when you opened (thank you), watching it develop as more artists come to work with you has been so wonderful to see. What's been the biggest learning curve/ the best thing about being able to curate your own space?
Well my studio is where I spent most of my time, - literally, sometimes up to 14 hours a day -so I wanted to make sure its a place I feel most comfortable at- not only for me but make it a special idea-nurturing place for everyone who works or visits. This sounds pathetic, but really, I wouldn’t want to work in a busy machinery soulless Ikea world. It really took me time to grow into this responsibility and find the balance between enthusiastic thriving and allowing onseself healthy and important breaks and slowdowns.
Your work is so identifiably yours. The mix of scientific illustration and motives in the way you draw them create a really interesting composition. You have a unique collection of reference books, some of which I remember your father giving you. What are your favourite books within your collection?
You remember right, amongst those classic tattooers library victorian books I own a few historic anatomy books my Dad found at the fleamarket, with hilarious doctor tips and methods from 1899. They’re like a little treasure, a greeting from the past reminding me how lucky I am actually living in this century. But I dont really use them to build collages. I actually am quite more interested in modern artists and Google image search :D- and bringing together the different epoches. I love the portrait/nature collages by John Stezaker for example.
Do you think your interest in scientific illustration and old German folk tales stem from childhood? Which is your favorite tale?
I’ve defintely always been a fan of tales in general, like the brothers Grimms or Struwwelpeter, but I guess it was more that I was forced to draw more graphically when I started tattooing, so I kind of re-discovered those stories but payed a lot more attention to the illustrations that time. If I had to name a favorite it would be red riding hood or ‚Rotkäppchen‘ in german.
Most, if not all, of your tattoos have fig.001 on them. Have you done them 1-current for flash or are they linked to specific references/drawings?
I’d like to be the mysterious idiot here and have people find out when they get tattooed hehe
You went to school for illustration (correct me here if that's wrong) do you find that your background in art helped your transition into tattooing?
I actually got my bachelor in fashion-design but started to work as an illustrator being at university. And Yes yes yes, as people often ask me how to become a tattoo artist - I think the best and most profound thing you could do is have any kind of artistic education beforehand. May it be goldsmithery, graphic or set design - you need to be equiped with a basic knowledge about form, proportion, colour, contrast and also learn how to be inspired but still create your own artistic identity. Its a lesson for life that can be useful for so many things. And I’m not only talking about official education, some of the most interesting tattooers I know did graffiti their whole life - so have spent years dealing with art before. Learning the handcraft of tattoing is one thing, but elevating to an artist is something that takes much longer.
If you weren’t tattooing now do you think you would still be illustrating in a similar way? Was this something that developed through tattooing or a style you had already evolved?
The illustrations I did actually were a complete different thing compared to what people associate with my tattooing style. Not intentionally but funnily I think my tattooing style slowly changes to my illustration style nowadays, maybe as I am more and more capaple of doing with the needle now what I used to do with pen.
Obviously Covid-19 threw a gear in the works in regards to forcing all of us to take time off we didn’t want to take. How did you find it affected you creatively? Did you try to take the time as a break or work on new things for when you were able to work again?
Ahh I mean I wish, looking back I had 9 weeks off and you’d think you’d be in creative beast mode finally doing all the things you’d always wanted to try out or whatever.. in reality I had to deal with being in hospital, turning 30 and all the mixed emotions about the whole situation really left me paralyzed. All I could think of was cooking, sleeping and Tiger King. ( of course ) I guess I need pressure or at least a reason, a goal to be creative, so things were on fire as soon as we’re allowed to open again.
Do you have any projects you are looking forward to starting/ finishing?
I started doing more bigger or complex projects like backpieces or head-pieces, so this is definitely a challenge. As frustrating I find it to not finish in one session, the bigger is the excitement, when you finally do.
A conversation with Jay Rose, new interviews every Monday.
A true welsh sweetheart in the heart of Los Angeles. You learnt to Tattoo in LA, did you have a traditional style apprenticeship? What made you want to get into the industry?
Yes, I had a traditional style apprenticeship. I apprenticed under @rockydarkroads at a street-shop in West Hollywood, Los Angeles called Golden Daggers.
The reason for wanting to get into the industry is incredibly layered, but I think the initial spark began with music. As a teenager - growing up in a small town in Wales, UK - all I cared about was music and art. I would watch music videos on MTV2 and buy magazines like Kerrang, and see people I’d never seen before - covered in tattoos, expressing themselves creatively and not giving a fuck about societies expectations. That was very powerful for me to witness. I wanted to be like them!
I was a slow burner and didn’t begin my apprenticeship until I was 29 years old. By that point in my life, I’d been getting tattooed for over 10 years but it wasn’t enough for me just to be a tattooed person. I started thinking of the possibility of me becoming a tattooer, but I really struggled with self-confidence and never thought I was good enough. My circumstances changed when I relocated from London to California with an ex. Whilst waiting for my green card to be approved, I had a lot of time to really think about what I wanted to do with my life and so I started to make this idea my reality. It’s like everything slowly but surely just fell into place. It wasn’t easy by any means, but it just felt and still feels so right and obvious that I should be doing this.
The way you draw is unique to you, black and grey with a magical witchy vibe. I personally adore your style of tattooing and know obviously your clients to do! Did you find your style of drawing changed when you learnt to tattoo or is this something thats always been with you?
Thank you! Yes it’s changed big time! Or developed shall we say. I’ve been drawing since I was a kid, but I studied fashion illustration at university so upon graduating, my style was very loose and expressive. When I began putting together a portfolio to obtain my apprenticeship I adapted my style to be more precise. I began by referencing classic American traditional style imagery as a foundation to understanding tattoo design. Over the years I’ve built upon this and figured out a style that is my own and true to me and my interests. As my technical ability progressed over the years, my style adapted too.
I found your work because you used to make amazing little stitch works, and not so little ones like your flash sheet you stitched. Lately over the past few years you’ve been creating amazing ceramics (that you can now buy everybody, get on that). How did you get into ceramics?
I’ve always had a soft-spot for pottery - the smoothness of the glaze contrasting with the rougher texture of the raw ceramics, the weight of the piece in your hand, the tiny natural details of the speckles in the clay etc etc. That stuff really excites me! I think I’m just a very tactile person. I love how you can create practical objects - a bowl for example - that can completely transform a mundane moment into something that feels elevated. I started pottery because I wanted a slice of that action! I also have a bit of an issue with creating mass-produced merchandise - ethical reasons / environmental impact etc. For me, creating something completely by hand is so much more special and feels like an honest extension of me and my intention. I’m also a bit of an introvert, so making ceramics lets me be creative alone and helps me to re-charge from the energy exchange of tattooing clients.
Do you find in your down time you edge towards one medium over another e.g ceramics rather than painting?
It’s a balancing act that I’m still trying to figure out to be honest! I’ve definitely neglected painting of late - relying on my iPad and the Procreate app too much....
You recently finished a beautiful back piece which had been ongoing for some time. Do you have any bigger projects at the moment you’re looking forward to starting/finishing?
Yes! I have a handful of larger projects I’m in the process of and some new one’s I’ll be starting soon. They all involve snakes!
Tattooing is an extremely emotional experience for a lot of people, whats been the most emotional experience you’ve had as a tattoo artist? Or even as a client?
They sure can be! Most appointments are pretty straight forward and don’t involve tears, but there definitely are some that stand out in my memory for being a bit more emotional. Wether it’s a tattoo that’s in remembrance of a loved one who has passed, helping a client reclaim their body through a cover-up, or simply tattooing to help them feel happier about their outward appearance and to feel more like the person they want to be. Seeing their smile when they look in the mirror at the end of their appointment is my favorite part : ) Difficult to witness that moment now as we have to wear masks all the time.... : (
What/Who do you think are your main influences in your work these days?
The tattoo artists I look up to the most are Jenna Bouma and Nathan Kostechko. Then in terms of what inspires me, I’d say nature, folklore and death.
You hold a lot of heavy blackwork on your own body, are there any artists you’re still really wanting to get work by?
So many!! But I really dislike getting tattooed so that’s a bit of a problem! Haha!
Last but certainly not least, how is phoebe? Is she loving the extra time with you throughout Covid-19?
Haha at first I think she was getting a bit frustrated with me being home all the time! Like she was thinking ‘go to work mom! I need my alone time!’ but I think she’s got used to it now!
A conversation with Jay Rose, new interviews every Monday.
When I think of you the word whimsical comes to mind, you’re the most delicate little creature that holds such power in the way you work. You project the feminine Devine and embrace nature within yourself and your work. Obviously tattooing used to be a very male dominated industry and we have been part of the movement in which this has started to change, I personally feel that being a woman allows me to connect more with my younger female clients to make them feel at ease.
How do you think being a woman within tattooing, who has obviously been tattooed yourself for many years, has effected the way you work?
Thank you so much Jay! This is something I think about a lot. I know my work is informed by me as a person; and being a woman is a huge part of who I am, so it makes sense that being a woman informs my work too. I'm still figuring it out to be honest! Most of my clients are women, and lots of them say they feel connected and comfortable being tattooed by another woman. The exchange of energy and trust between women can be very special, empowering and healing, and I believe that happens quite often in the tattoo process, and I believe me being a woman can help facilitate this experience for my clients. It's hard to put into words!
What has been the most comforting thing another artists has done for you whilst you’ve been getting tattooed? I think mine was being fed biscuits and a brew during my first tattoo!
Ohhh, same here, a supply of tea is always the one. Also just making sure I’m warm enough, comfy enough, all of that stuff really helps. Also, positive affirmations!! I love it if a tattooist is like “you can do this!” if you’re feeling a bit nervous or flakey, positive encouragement goes a long way.
There is a delicacy within your work that I think separates you from other artists that use similar pattern work in a heavier way. You hold a lot of the same patterns on your own body (as do i) and I wondered if the use of this within your own work stemmed from the interest in adorning your own body with such pieces?
Definitely! I remember being a kid and loving looking at patterns and pictures of all kinds of things, like mosaics, beautiful wallpapers and textiles, tiles, the repetition of forms in nature - just absorbing it. So I’ve loved ornamental imagery for a long time but it took me a few years into tattooing to be confident enough in my own work to start exploring patterns, repetition and ornament in a way that felt natural to me. I feel like there is infinite beauty and possibility in the repetition of patterns, small motifs, leaves, lines, crosses, dots, etc. Getting this kind of work tattooed on myself definitely affirmed that it was a style I wanted to make as well. In the “limits” of symmetry and repetition you can do so much, you can take each idea in so many directions, big or small. It feels timeless and beautiful, it flows on every single body, every time. It feels ancient too, with deep roots in early art and traditional tattooing. My eyes soak it up, I absolutely love it.
The pattern work on yourself is really beautiful, do you have a vision for the direction you want your tattoos to go in as a whole or are you just planning to keep adding bits as you travel/collect from other artists?
Oh yeah, there’s no vision haha! I keep changing my mind, it’s definitely a work in progress, so I think I’ll just keep adding bits. I know I want to embark on my back piece but I haven’t decided whether to go for large scale patterns or natural imagery yet. For my front I’m really enjoying piecing together smaller single needle pieces with more grey tones. I love your recent chest piece from Jess Chen! Holy fuck it looks so beautiful, the flow of it, and the glimmers of colour. I love the idea of incorporating more layers. Your collection is gorgeous too!
Your tattoos combine more traditional pattern work with plant based subject matter these days, as you mock up larger concepts you can really see the way these patterns move with the figures bodies. Are you wanting to move in the direction of more large scale work going forward?
I’d love to work on more large scale projects, especially botanical and ornamental pieces. Being trusted with someone’s back piece for example is always such a huge honour and I have really enjoyed each one I’ve made so far. I’d love to work on larger pieces that flow with the shape of the body. I do really enjoy making smaller pieces too but yes, large scale work is always welcome! It’s very challenging and pushes me to grow.
Obviously you draw a lot of inspiration from nature, it’s something I think a lot of us take for granted. I know I grew up running around the woods and finding new plants and flowers I’d never seen before, and I think in all honesty that excitable kid in me never grew up from discovering these things. Do you find nature is where you go when you need to re fuel creatively?
One thousand percent, nature is my solace. It’s where I need to go to refuel in every aspect, especially mentally and emotionally, and certainly creatively too. I grew up around the woods too and I still feel permanently pulled back to nature. For me the cycles and seasons of nature really help to reassure and ground me, which helps with my anxiety, which is no doubt helpful for my creativity too. Thank you, earth.
We started to tattoo about the same time, I remember seeing your earlier work and now I can really see how much you’ve evolved as an artist. Do you think experimenting with different mediums like linocutting has really allowed you to find your own identity as an artist?
Aw, thanks dude. I’d say for sure, for all the ways this year has been so hard, it’s been a gift to have more time on my hands to work with other mediums and I’m so grateful to have found lino cutting as a new outlet; I’m going to try and maintain more time for my art practice outside of tattooing going forwards. Doing things like painting, sketching, observational drawing, whatever, it’s time consuming and I definitely don’t do it enough, but it’s all so valuable and educational, and it helps us develop our identity/artistic voice and it definitely helps with generating ideas.
Did you find when you were learning to tattoo your drawings translated well into tattoos or that you had to re learn what would work on the new medium (skin)?
Generally speaking, in the style of tattooing we do, the line work is very important, you want the lines to be strong and clear. I found the sureness of it, the commitment to one line, really scary at first, my drawings are naturally much looser and sketchier. So I had to learn to be more precise. In terms of the ideas I was having, most of my drawings were of plants or people, so they translated quite well!
It took me a while to get to grips with drawing for skin, obviously it’s a 3D malleable surface, and I definitely didn’t consider things like movement or stretch at first, because you just don't when you’re drawing on paper. But then you start imagining your work on the body and how it will fit and move, and that informs your work more as you progress. But really, I think so much is possible in terms of what can work on skin, and there are so many different ways of tattooing, so I can only speak about my experience and style!
Other than tattooing what other creative outlets are you enjoying at the moment?
I love music a lot, I play the piano here and there and it really relaxes me, I like noodling around and writing little melodies. And I’ve been getting back into mixing through lockdown, I used to DJ and do local radio (hell yes), I love putting mixes together and I really miss it. So yeah music is a really huge outlet for me!
Also, learning about plants, which feels like a mix of science and intuition and creativity all in one, has become a really exciting new thing for me and it makes me just excited to learn more and more.
Thanks for your lovely questions Jay!
A conversation with Jay Rose, new interviews every Monday.
You describe your tattooing as bold folk art, I’ve watched you draw and a lot of it feels like the imagery is just stored in different folders in your brain. How do you feel your style of tattooing has evolved over the years?
I do try to use my brain as a reference filing system! Its useless for remembering anything else haha when i started drawing for tattoos the designs were very loose, it took some help from experienced tattooist friends of mine to tighten them up so they still had the wobbly charm but made nice read able tattoos. When i was an apprentice i was a sponge for the history of it, looking at old flash constantly, I feel like ive met in the middle now and I’m very happy with how my work looks now, its where i always wanted it to be :)
You’ve had some amazing conversations with some of the older school tattooers, you obviously hold such respect from where tattooing originated from and have a strong desire to keep learning more about their processes then and now. You must have heard some amazing stories from ‘back in the day’, is there a part of you that wishes you learnt to tattoo 20-30 years ago?
Yeah definitely, I think i can only get an impression of it from old photos and stories from these pioneers, I think id have thrived in that era haha I always say to Rosie that I want to be the tattooist above the joke shop. Id have love to have been tattooing in the 50/60’s it had such a charm to it. I’m reliving it through these legends and I feel very lucky to be able to call some of them friends.
Who do you think were the most influential and important people in allowing tattooing to move more into the mainstream? And do you think they really realised what they were doing at the time?
From talking to people now in their 70’s and 80’s who did traditional for most of their career the change all seems to come with Ed Hardy. I think its hard to imagine modern day tattooing as we know it today without him. He completely revolutionized tattooing. I think he knew that his forward thinking mindset would effect it, for sure, maybe not to the scale it did though! There are definitely other things in play that brought tattooing to the mainstream though, tv shows and football players. The black and grey cherubs and angels sleeve is such a massive thing now and that comes from football! The early tv shows, miami ink etc gave people a window into something that they may previously have considered outsider.
Last year you did a big tour around the UK with your beautiful fiancé (and incredible tattooer) Rosie, how was that? Do you find you get a lot of inspiration from other artists when you do long legs of guest spots like that? I know a lot of the time it’s just like being at school and getting to hang out with your friends again.
I get a lot of inspiration from Rosie, shes so talented and really helps focus my scatty brain haha we really enjoyed that trip, it was nice to see our friends and you definitely get inspired from going into other shops and seeing what people are up to. I think guest spots in general are great, you meet new people, get to tattoo customers that might not be able to travel to where you usually work and get to see a new place all at once!
I know we’ve spoken about this before but as tattooing changes and evolves within younger cultures do you feel like it’s losing its value from where it originated from?
I think tattooing has room to move in different directions, there are still plenty of people carrying torches for styles that have been prevalent in tattooing for decades and that will always be the case. It’s exciting now when you see someone doing something new that you havent seen before! I think they can co exist in harmony :)
How do you feel about these more experimental styles that are becoming more popular now tattooing has really integrated itself into society?
Whilst i think its great to push tattooing in new directions I think it has its limits. I don’t think tattooing is for everyone, Its a sacred thing that should be honoured and cared for, I think some people get into it for the wrong reasons.
You are by far one of the most joyous people I’ve ever worked alongside, you’re full of banter and can brighten anybody’s day. You’re almost always painting flash (or drinking coffee, or both) when you’re not tattooing. Do you think working in a big shop surrounded by artists makes you more productive or is it just the caffeine?
Haha thank you! I think a lot of that comes from working alongside people you enjoy, I like working in a big shop I’d get bored rattling around on my own. Without people to bounce off my personality would look like a excited puppy chasing its tail.
That being said, what do you find you do when you’re not really feeling creative and inspired?
I think its really important to have interests outside of your main focus. I’ve always played in bands, that for me is a completely different part of creativity and definitely works as a form of therapy. I basically run around shouting for 30 minutes and after I feel ready to paint flash again.
You’ve been a big activist for mental health and have done flash days to raise awareness for these issues which is amazing. Do you feel like the stigma around mental health is becoming less of an issue within the art industry? Did your want to help and raise awareness stem from your own battles with mental health?
I try to do all I can with Mental Health Awareness, it’s definitely a subject close to my heart because of my own struggles with it. I want to offer people a way of getting a tattoo that empowers them and in times of struggle provides an anchor. It’s definitely come on a long way even since i was a kid, every discussion is helping. I just finished a new sheet which I will be working from 12th-14th October giving the money to Frank Bruno Foundation. I will always tattoo those designs though any time, they mean a lot to me and its an honour to tattoo them for people.
A conversation with Jay Rose, new interviews every Monday.
During Covid-19 you did drawing club live on instagram weekly which was such an amazing way to engage with people online during such a scary time. Is this something you’re wanting to continue with now work schedules are going back? Was it something you’d considered doing for some time before covid happened?
Oh my god I loved it so much. It was such a grounding tool for me over lockdown and absolutely made me feel connected to everyone. Initially I was going to end them when I returned to work but I missed the session so much that now I do them once a month but now over Zoom. This is actually better for me as I can see everyone and interact with everyone far more easily.
I’d never thought of doing something like this before lockdown happened. I had the idea when leaving the studio for the last time. I usually tattoo three to four people a day and one of my most favourite things about this job is the interaction I have with my customers. The thought of not having that for an unspecified amount of time quite scary to me so I wanted to do something that would keep that connection going.
Do you feel like the time off during covid helped your creativity? Spending time with your family and taking the time to re-charge did you find yourself wanting to start any new projects you’d previously put on hold or did you just try to really focus on the time off with your loved ones?
Yes absolutely, I really feel like this time helped with my creativity. Because of the art sessions I was drawing so much. However, as I was teaching people how to draw, it made me totally reassess my work. I felt like my own work improved because of it. I had to break down every image into sections and this made me rethink my methods in a way I don’t think would have happened otherwise.
Also, through these classes, I was asked to do them with schools and an addiction charity every week. They have given me opportunity to reach a new audience that I wouldn’t have met just through tattooing.
The time I had with my daughter was absolutely incredible too. I was in a highly privileged position in the fact that I wasn’t working so was able to spend so much time with her. We did some art projects together too and this creativity has continued after lockdown. I think we will also make art together now in some for or another.
You’re known for your botanical and wildlife tattoos, was this always the direction your work leaned towards?
Natural history has always been my jam. Ever since I was younger than my daughter I was obsessed. I actually still have my drawings from back then, there are a lot of skulls! Initially, when I first started tattooing, I would draw a lot more dinosaur bones and fossils but as I continued I notified I was drawing flowers more and more. I just find flowers fucking amazing. There are so many botanical artists out there but everyone has their own stamp on it. They’re so versatile.
Looking back at the earlier years in your career, what's something you wish someone had told you when you were starting out?
Not to listen if other artists don’t like your work. Who cares? If you and your customers are happy then that’s all that matters. We are artists and we grow and develop, that’s an exciting thing.
Who were your main influences when you were learning to tattoo/who are they now?
When I first started tattooing Sarah Schor was my idol. AND NOW SHES MY FRIEND. Sorry (not sorry). I also loved and still very much do, Scott Move, Dan Morris and. Mostly black work artists, which nearly ten years ago, wasn’t as common as it is now. These artists gave me the confidence to keep tattooing the way I was in a world that, at the time, was very much colour traditional. I’m also lolling at the fact that I’ve made all these people be my friends now.
These days my feed is awash with inspiration. Yourself included, there are so many wonderful botanical artists absolutely killing it. So many women too. Artists I implore you to check out are Butter Stinker, Ashley Tyson and Adam Ruff. Three completely different artists but all completely killing it at what they do.
As a mother you naturally have such a maternal touch, which is extremely comforting when getting tattooed. Especially given a lot of your clients are younger girls and women, how do you feel tattooers can continue to have an open dialog and express the issues regarding the misconduct in the industry in order to keep our clients safe?
Oh Jay! That’s so sweet of you, thank you.
It’s our moral obligation to ensure the safety and comfort of our clients. Tattoos are fucking painful and can be scary so we need to create a space where they can relax and feel in control. When I hear about the things coming out of the industry i am sickened. The absolute abuse of power is wretched and I hope every single one of them gets exposed.
We, as artists, need to feel that we can call out behaviour safely and properly. There are a couple of Instagram accounts doing this at the moment. Also, Angelique Houtcamp and Fidjit have been two artists I’ve noticed being incredibly vocal about abusers in tattooing. I’d like to see more men involved with this too. All artists should be standing together against abusers.
Tattooing is such an intimate experience, within moments you are touching another person's skin. For a lot of people getting tattooed is a release and links to personal stories/memories. Have there been any experiences you really treasure with your clients/stories that stand out to you still?
Jay the amount of times I have cried with a customer... you’re absolutely right, it’s such an intimate experience. It’s an honour to be part of that moment.
I think it’s hard not get emotionally entangled in it when the person you’re tattooing is sharing something with you. Your creation is helping them heal in many respects.
I’m always blown away by people’s strength. Many times the customer hasn’t said why they’re getting the piece and they talk about it during the session. I’m always very thankful and grateful if they do.
One of the most memorable moments for me when when I was contacted by a woman who’s daughter I had tattooed. She was reaching out because her daughter had passed away and she wanted to get tattooed by the same artists she had. This woman’s strength was unbelievable, she was so incredible. I’m not going to go into anymore detail but I will never forget them both.
You recently released a book (congratulations) tiny tattoos, how did this come to be? Was a book something you’d really aimed to do within your career?
Ah thank you! I’d always wanted there to be something for everyone. I’m aware that some tattooists hate the idea of small tattoos but i think everyone should get what they want (within reason). I tattoo a lot of first timers and sometimes people just want a small tattoo. It’s like a stepping stone into body art.
The publishers actually contacted me with a slightly different idea so I took the opportunity to do something I wanted to do and they were into it! It’s wild when I stop and thinking about it actually. My mum cried.
What are we going to do when David Attenborough dies?
Have him tattooed on my side to mirror Stephen Fry.
A conversation with Jay Rose, new interviews every Monday.
Your approach to tattooing is all about the human form and how your tattoos can emphasise and work with the body. Naturally, plants and depictions of nature are your chosen subject matter presumably due to the free form and potential to enhance the body’s natural curves. Have you always tattooed in this way?
When I first started tattooing, I was very focused on simply translating my drawings onto the skin, with lesser regards to placement. I suppose you could call it a "sticker style" type of arrangement.
Nowadays my absolute priority is to create pieces which compliment the individual; their specific curves and body type in mind. This apparent shift resulted from the growth to larger designs, which ultimately forced the placement of pieces to the forefront of my attention. Being able to work with the human form, a 3D canvas that is in constant change and motion is easily one of my favourite aspects of tattooing.
The larger scale work that you do is beautiful, your work is a mixture of bold lines and simplicity often for the full body projects. What’s your process in designing larger scale work with clients?
Typically I request for my client to send a photo of their desired placement via email, which I use to brainstorm and mock up ideas on. However, I would say most of the designing actually happens on the day of the appointment, where I am able to freehand on the body directly. It's significantly easier for me to create a concept of flow when I have the form in front of me.
The way you draw and the colours you use are child like in a way (I mean this in the best way your drawings are beautiful), its a playful approach to tattooing in the use of colour. I know when I was learning to tattoo it was clear that everything should have a black outline, where as now we are seeing more and more tattooers taking their own approach to contemporary tattooing. Did you find it difficult at the beginning for people to accept your approach to tattooing?
In terms of the industry, yes, which is completely understandable. I still believe that in terms of longevity, black outlines to surround colour is ideal. However that being said, I've learned that there are exceptions. When I first started to play with colour in the context of tattooing, I experimented with a vast range of techniques and styles. Soon after seeing my pieces healed, it was obvious that some techniques simply did not work or required more testing. I believe these "failed" experiments forced myself to understand the limitations of coloured ink, which led to developing strategic ways to overcome these limits. Ultimately it's made me a much more versatile tattooer.
You mentioned to me you were taught by a Korean artist, do you think their approach to teaching lead you into the direction of smaller more detailed tattoos?
My mentor, Khan Jung the owner of Tattoo People in Toronto, specializes in large scale japanese tattoos, so I never got to see him do anything smaller than a full sleeve. However most of the artists that I watched and learned from as an apprentice, were korean artists who specialized in smaller detailed tattoos. The first needle I used was a 3RL, which is quite fine compared to most apprentices. I only decided to do so because everyone else at our shop was using a 3RL or a single needle.
You studied at OCAD, do you think this helped you in moving into the direction of tattooing? Was tattooing a career you were thinking about when you were studying?
Surprisingly, not at all. I never ever thought about tattooing as a career when I was at OCAD. I was so determined to be a painter and only that. However, I do believe that my background as a painter allowed for me to transition a lot quicker to tattooing, as I had already developed my fundamental drawing and painting skills. Falling into tattooing has easily been one of the best opportunities I could have ever asked for. It has given me so much passion in my work and life.
I know from my own experience personally, my fine art degree work and my tattoo work are extremely different. Did you find your work translated well into tattooing or did you keep the mediums completely separate?
I would say in general my fine art is quite difficult to translate into tattooing, as I mostly work with coloured lines or shading via pencil crayons or paint. I don't typically draw with a black outline. Going back to my previous answer, it took a lot of time and experimenting to understand how this transition can happen successfully. Over the past few years, I'm beginning to learn what designs I would like to exist solely on paper or canvas vs immediately putting it out as a tattoo flash. I can better identify what I can or cannot properly tattoo, in regards to longevity and proper healing.
The work you wear on your own body is beautiful, your back especially. I know we’ve spoken about this and how frustrating it can be to have one of your favourite pieces on your back for everyone else to see but you! Who did your back? Did you approach them with a concept or give the artist free rein?
My back piece is done by one of my favourite artists, Victor J Webster from East River Tattoo. Prior to this back piece, I already worked with Victor when he created my right sleeve. When I approached Victor about my back, I had no expectations or requirements, and told him he had complete rein over the design. Even when I got to my appointment he started freehanding on my back and I still had no idea what I was getting. It was a wonderful experience to let go of control and trust my artist completely. I could not be more happy with the results!
That being said, you work mostly from flash. Do you prefer for clients to choose pre drawn ideas and pieces from you opposed to custom?
I need a good balance of both custom and flash. Custom pieces allow for me to connect to my clients further in bringing their concepts to life. In addition, it allows for me to work on my own problem solving and technical skills.
Flash gives me the opportunity to push my creativity in what I see the future of tattooing looks like to me. It also requires a different process as there are no prompts or suggestions. Just working from a completely blank canvas which can sometimes be liberating or hindering.
Ceramics is something we are seeing more of from you. It feels as though you give 100% to every thing you do, ceramics being no exception to this. It looks so therapeutic! Was this something you’ve recently learnt or a medium you’ve used for some time now?
I started working with ceramics around a year ago and I have fallen in love with every aspect of it. It can encompass so many different types of techniques: drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, and even a bit of chemistry. The experimentation side has been so exhilarating as there are infinite combinations of glazes, clay bodies, tools, and techniques available. I am still very much a beginner! For anyone looking to start I would recommend taking a 8 week throwing course and going down a pottery youtube hole.
As you extend your practice through different mediums do you find when you’re creating outside of tattooing you’re edging towards one over the other at the moment? E.g ceramics over painting etc
As of right now, ceramics is my priority outside of tattooing. However I'm always itching to do something different and new. At this moment, I am so curious about animation in 8bit form and also looking into some game design...but just thinking out loud here :)
What can we look forward to seeing more of from you for the rest of 2020?
I've been working closely with KOTN recently, and we are working on some really cool collaborations for the near future. Other than that hopefully some good quality tattoos and more explorations in clay <3
A conversation with Jay Rose, new interviews every Monday.
Tattooing in London feels like its own world, how do you feel learning to tattoo in traditional shops helped you navigate the ever changing London tattoo scene?
I couldn't agree more, London seems to always be its own world in all aspects. Tattooing is no different. I feel really fortunate that I apprenticed and spent my early years of tattooing in street shops. It forced me to try absolutely all styles and pick up different tips and tricks and put that into my work now. I feel like it’s super important for tattooers in the beginning of the journey to focus on craft not style. But that’s just my opinion I guess.
Do you think private studios are the future for tattooing? How do you feel about that?
I Actually really hope they are the way forward. I love tattooing in walk in shops and it does mean you get to meet more people and build a client base easier. However, from a totally selfish point of view, I love the chilled vibe of private studios. It’s so nice to know exactly what you're going to be tattooing, focus on your client, really have the day about them and just get in the zone. That’s not to any I still wouldn’t tattoo a live laugh love on the ribs any day of the week!
You work in a space that is predominantly women, do you feel as though this is a more positive environment for tattooing?
Oh tattooing has always been a total boys club, so it’s absolutely amazing now that women are so front and center in so many studios. I think it’s all about balance and as long as everyone who works at a shop is amazing that’s what matters. It is lovely though not always being the only girl in a shop anymore!
Social media is definitely a huge tool for creatives but ironically can be extremely damaging to mental health and self esteem. You are the first to point out how this has affected you personally and project a body/mind positive feed. How do you handle the growing pressures of keeping up with social media? Are there things you’ve changed/challenged as you’ve gotten older and more confident within yourself?
Oh this is a great question! So I feel like social media can be the best thing and the worse thing and it's often both at the same time. I feel like Instagram especially has just been the greatest gift for tattooers since mag needles. We have free advertisement for all over the world. I literally get all of my work through my social media and it’s amazing. Now that being said, fuckkkkk me ( I hope I’m allowed to swear) it can be rough. It was hard enough comparing yourself to tattooers you knew of or saw in magazines, now you are constantly comparing yourself to EVERYONE. Not only that, comparing yourself to a perfectly lit, composed and sometimes edited photo. You are also putting your art out there that has a piece of your soul poured into it, for the world to judge. That’s scary and really overwhelming. Granted not billions of people are looking at it but you get the idea. From a personal point of view, it's a nightmare. Don’t even get me started on how damaging filters are for young people’s self esteem. Back to the question, I just now try and take it all with a pinch of salt. It’s not real. Compare myself only to myself, try and be as authentic as possible and just not cry too much that my nose isn’t as tiny as those fucking filters make it. Also follow mainly pet meme pages, that shit soothes the soul.
You give your own style to traditional tattooing that really sets you apart from other tattooers. Did you find it took you awhile to work out what direction you wanted to go in when you started out tattooing or did it come more naturally?
Oh it was so hard to know what to do. I started tattooing in Essex when everyone just wanted sleeves of black and grey clouds and Rihanna stars. It was hard to be creative and develop a style I wanted to do. That being said, I’m so glad I spent the first few years really learning a range. It just took me a while to figure it all out. It was like maybe three years in and I knew that my personal favourite type of tattoos were bold as hell trad ones and I thought ok fuck it, lets get a lighter on those liners and give this a whirl. I feel like weirdly enough though I’m doing a full circle and really enjoying developing my black and grey. Who wants a sleeve of clouds?
Spider Sinclair left you some single needles that I saw you tried, the tattoos were beautiful! Do you think this is something you want to do more of?
Oh my love you are too kind. Single needles are not for the faint hearted and Spider is just a level 10 tat wizard. I am really enjoying doing some finer line bits now and feel super inspired but I think it's 3 liners for me. What a cop out right?
Going forward, what are you focusing most on for the rest of 2020?
Well other then praying travel restrictions are lifted so I can see you again! I’m just focusing on enjoying tattooing as much as possible. Doing the best I can possibly do, and surrounding myself with excellent people. I would like another cat too. Yes 2020 another cat please. And to do a flash day of only live laugh love tats for charity. As a write this I’m like yeah what a total vibe that would be
Lockdown seemed to really help you mentally and creatively, you were producing a lot of smaller paintings. How did you find your perspective changed coming out of quarantine?
Lockdown was wild right? Dude I don’t even know if my mind has fully comprehended those few months. It was a weird one though because if I’m super honest, just before lockdown, I was planning on stopping tattooing. I had got so fed up of the entire industry and felt in such a rut with it all. So at first I thought it was great, could be a natural end for my career. So I focussed on painting cute little watercolours and just creating art for fun. Then like six weeks in I really missed it. Like missing Cadbury’s in those first few months of being vegan. I ached. I just fell back in love with it as cringe as that sounds. I pulled my socks up and realised with 666 tattooed on my face there was no other path and I needed to buckle down. I cut my days down, concentrate on doing new styles and stuff I really want to do and try and get that work life balance a bit better. I feel way more positive and productive then I have felt in years.
A conversation with Jay Rose, new interviews every Monday.
How would you describe your style of tattooing?
I don't know how to describe my tattooing style. But I have heard and read that people describe it often as simplistic, contemporary, illustrative, and some people think it is childlike. :D
When we met in 2017 there weren’t too many people doing this simplistic illustrative style of tattooing to your degree. Your little boxes with figures heads inside them and chairs are what I distinctly remember! Even then you were mainly tattooing from flash, has this always been the way you’ve worked?
Can't believe it has already been three years! You are right that there weren't many other artists who tattooed the little boxes. I was an Animation student at university at that time. The boxed tattoos started with me bringing my storyboarding homework to a tattoo flash day. I have done customized tattoos for people, but mostly I tattoo my flash.
It’s clear you have a strong love for contemporary art, even doing performance art pieces alongside tattooing. Your series ‘line’ shows you connecting yourself to various scenes and also your partner. Where did the idea for the continuous project come from? Do you feel this will continue to be an ongoing sequence?
I did the first "line" series on a beach in Santorini, Greece. I was chilling on the beach and I wanted to do something fun. I had a pen and a camera. I posted a video on my Instagram page of me doing the line. Lots of people liked it, so I started posting more of this kind of video. I like doing it and I hope people will continue to enjoy watching it.
Do you feel you will do performative tattooing? Or do you see all tattooing as performative?
I don't know how to answer this one. I am going to learn more about the definition of "performative". From my current understanding of the word "performative", I think the answer is Yes to both questions. :)
You also used to create a lot of video works and 3D animation, is this something you still do? I find it so interesting that this form of your art is so far removed from the simplistic line illustrations your tattoo before you tattooed was animation a direction you saw yourself going down?
At university, I majored in 2D animation. But I took a few 3D Animation classes of curiosity. Creating animations is fun, but it is extremely time-consuming, and usually, it is teamwork. So I haven't done any animation work for w while. Before I started tattooing, I was exploring different art mediums. I studied Fine Art, Film, and Animation. I didn't have a clear path and I was open to trying new things which is how I met tattooing.
Which artists do you feel have had the most influence on you and the direction your work has taken? Be that tattooers or painters etc
I can't name one artist who inspired me the most as there is a lot of contemporary artists who have influenced me in many different ways. I studied art in school for many years and studied artists that are in the textbooks and galleries. Now, I am more interested to learn from and get inspired by people I interact with in everyday life such as my colleagues and my clients.
Did you go to school for fine art? Do you have a degree related or unrelated to your field?
I have a Bachelor of Arts degree. And I am slowly working towards getting my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. It has been many years and I am not in a rush of getting the degree.
What drew you into tattooing?
Compared to painting or making animations that can be done by myself alone in a studio, tattooing requires me to physically work with my clients/collectors. I really enjoy having genuine interactions with my collectors.
What direction do you see contemporary tattooing going into as it evolves? How do you see your own work evolving?
I think the tattoo culture is getting more diversified in techniques and styles from both artists and collectors. I enjoy seeing and learning new ways of tattooing. I hope I can keep developing new techniques and new understandings of this art form.
A conversation with Jay Rose, new interviews every Monday.
Technically you’re new to tattooing but you’ve been designing tattoos for a long time. I remember you posting and selling illustrations online long before you got your apprenticeship, has illustration always been an adventure you wanted to pursue?
I knew from a young age I was only ever going to end up in a creative career of some sort. As I got older and became interested in tattoo's I knew it was the career I wanted to pursue. I also studied and love graphic design, so I think if I wasn't tattooing I'd probably be doing something along those lines.
Was tattooing something you had always had in mind when you were illustrating or did the opportunity just arise to learn?
I was always interested in illustrating from a young age, but my style really developed as I became interested in tattoos, so I'd say majority of my designs were drawn with the intent to be tattooed. I always had tattooing as the end goal in my mind, but I honestly never thought it would happen as I knew how hard it was to get in to, so I feel so lucky now.
What do you draw inspiration from? Do you have a fine art background? E.g university etc?
I studied Art at school and went on to study Graphic Design, Photography and Textiles at college. It was during my art classes at school that I found Frida Kahlo's work, which was and still is a massive inspiration to me. I love the darkness and depth to her work so much. I draw inspiration from all around me. Growing up and living in Brighton I feel like there's inspiration wherever you turn, from the people to the buildings, there's always so much going on around you.
How has the transition been learning to tattoo? I remember the hardest thing I had to get used to was depth and the weight of my coil machine. I was taught an old trick of stabbing an orange or lemon on the end of my pencil to mimic the weight, you look like a right idiot but I must admit it did help!
It was definitely a really daunting transition for me, I don't think anything can prepare you for how different it is to drawing! My first few tattoos were done on grapefruits (not great when you press too hard and squirt yourself in the eye). I feel like that helped me massively as it helped me get used to holding and setting up the machine, as well as adjusting to the weight and vibrations of it.
You have the benefit of being able to work alongside your apprenticeship due to the self employed/freelance work that you do. How are you finding the balance to create content whilst also working to forward your career in tattooing?
I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to continue my social media work alongside tattooing as it gives me so many ways to be creative. It can be difficult to balance both jobs, but I love them both equally so I've always managed to make it work. I try to manage my time as well as possible and check things off a list as a go so I keep on top of things. I think I just enjoy being really busy all the time!
Obviously you had a large audience from your other job before you learnt to tattoo so in some degree you gained pretty instant exposure simply from your presence online. Do you feel like it’s made you work harder to prove yourself to other tattooers?
In a way, yes. I'm so lucky to have the audience that I have and its been so nice being able to meet and tattoo so many people who have followed me for a while. I think a lot of tattoo artists would probably be quite confused by me as I didn't have the 'traditional' way in, however I think I'm part of the next generation of artists, who have been able to make a platform for themselves to better their careers.
That being said, do you see yourself ever only tattooing or do you think you will keep up the balance for as long as you can?
I'm really happy with the balance I have at the moment, but I like to keep things fresh and to be constantly moving. I'm really enjoying the cross over of the two at the moment, as the interest for my tattooing has grown on my instagram, I'm able to create content around the tattoos I create - which is so fun. Eventually I'd like to slow down and just tattoo, but for the mean time I love doing both.
You created a line on temporary tattoos with the gypsy shrine, how did that opportunity come about?
That was so fun and such a nice memory to look back on. I think they'd seen some of my designs and approached me about collaborating, it was really crazy at the time as it was the first time I'd been approached by a big brand for my designs. I was really excited about the idea of creating temporary tattoos, I have such happy memories of them when I was little, so it was so cool to make some updated versions.
You have some amazing work on your own body, do you see your pieces coming together as a coherent whole or more as a collection of artists work?
Thank you! I definitely see them more as a whole now than I did at the start, I think I just wanted to be tattooed so badly that I didn't really take much time to think about what I'd want next. I've unintentionally ended up with a collection of tattoos done by women I really respect and look up to in Brighton, which makes me love the work I have even more.
Is there anyone in particular you’re really wanting to get tattooed by at the moment?
So many! I wish I had more arms and legs. I love @smick_tattooer so much, I really want one of his beautiful butterflies. I also really want something by @loz_tattooer her style is so sick and unique.
Who do you feel has been the most influential to you in tattooing? Be that physically knowing and learning from them or simply through their own art?
Gully (@gullivertattoos) taught me to tattoo and I owe him everything. He's created the most amazing, supportive environment at Top Boy. I'm so inspired by the artists I work with, they're so talented and supportive of one another which is so refreshing to be around. I feel really lucky to get to work with the people I do.
You’re pretty open about mental health and needing to take time to look after yourself, as creatives it’s very easy to burn the candle at both ends. What do you feel really helps you when you’re not feeling creative?
I've definitely had to teach myself to take time off. I found lockdown really beneficial in teaching me to have days off without feeling guilty. I feel like there's always something I could be drawing or filming so I find it almost impossible to switch off and enjoy a day of doing nothing. I really enjoy my job so even when I burn myself out I'm still really excited by being busy. I guess its a blessing and a curse to never be able to slow down.
A conversation with Jay Rose, new interviews every Monday.
Growing up in France were tattoos something you found yourself being drawn to from a young age?
Actually it’s quite controversial, as since as I was around 14 years old I wanted tattoos but in the French culture, tattoos have been suppressed for a very long time and still are. I will not go into details about the French tattoo culture but it’s never been well regarded by people so for me at this young age to want to get tattooed was quite crazy, my mom waited for me to be 18 to get my first one, I did it 1 month before my 18th birthday.
Your style resonates and takes inspiration from older prison style tattoos, did you find this was the direction you wanted your work to go in from the start or was it more developed as you learnt to tattoo?
Well as my tattoos have always been made from house parties or from friends at home I think I’ve always like this rough and quite comical sort of tattoos. It’s only after one year of me playing around with tattooing that I realised about French prison tattoos and it was exactly what I was about, couldn’t stop myself to fall in love with it.
You learnt to tattoo in London, how do you feel the tattoo scene varies throughout the places you frequently guest? Do you notice patterns of what style of tattooing is more prominent in certain cities?
I mean, the way I’ve learned to tattoo in London was really rough.. So the scene that brought me into tattooing in London is definitely super different from when my career was good enough for me to travel. But I’m sure every cities has the same sort of scenes, per example when I went to Melbourne I felt like everyone was doing fine lines but I’ve met also a lot of people tattooing from home and doing some prison style.
I believe big cities will have quite similar patterns of tattooing and smaller towns would have less freedom in styles in my opinion if that makes sense.
Your use of classic imagery, more specifically the sacred hearts you do are heavy in religious connotations. Obviously a large amount of traditional imagery is religious, do you feel like tattooing as a subculture has separated the imagery to religion in some ways?
Absolutely yes! People, as myself too, would get religious themed tattoos just for the aesthetic of it. My entire body and back are only covered with a religious theme but in no ways it has a meaning to me, it’s purely aesthetic.
Growing up in France, I’ve been visiting so many cathedrals, churches, cemeteries and etc and I’ve always been fascinated by the architectures, paintings and sculptures in them.
I believe with all these topics of cultural appropriations and ethics, people will look up at religious tattoos and see how many wrong things there are about them but for the moment I’m still rocking it haha
As single needle and fine line tattoos are getting more popular a lot of artists that do this style of tattooing are moving into more contemporary compositions/micro tattoos. What are your opinions on this?
I think it’s great to see how people can innovate and come up with so many beautiful pieces everyday.
This is a world full of different worlds and I love the way anyone can embrace their own.
Who are those you look up to most within tattooing?
As I said above, anyone that would innovate or come up with some original or beautiful in my eyes I would look up too. I’m not stuck to styles so as long as they are doing a good job or even a shit one but doing a great shit job haha I’m all for it!
Who do you feel like you learnt the most from?
The world itself, travelling was my biggest lesson so far.
And also mistakes, doing them is the best way to learn. Never being scared of failure and never giving up, when you think you’ve reach the end and you can’t no more, it’s generally the break through!
Is there a piece of work specifically on yourself you’re really fond of? Be that because of the artwork itself or from the experience with the other tattooer?
Probably my snake currently done by Ed Taemets, as he’s one of my favourite person and artist but also it’s my first piece that I’m doing in a few sessions, so it keeps my interested! I guess it’s a mix of all these reasons and I’m looking forward to see him again so it gives me a good reason for it.
You were stuck abroad when Covid-19 hit, how did you cope with not being able to tattoo? Did you find you were more creative during this time or that it had the opposite approach?
Indeed yes, I was stuck in Switzerland. It sounds as nice as it was. I had a really good time so I can’t brag about it too much.
Luckily I have so many amazing customers and cause I’ve kept taking appointments, the deposits made me survive other seas!
Creativity wise I definitely had some spare time to create, but the new things I got into in this crisis are actually finances and investments. I just realised I had to find more way to make money than just tattooing because I had it good that time but good luck is only a matter of choices we make in life.
A conversation with Jay Rose, new interviews every Monday.
You got your start tattooing in street shops in Edmonton how do you feel that shaped the approach you have toward tattooing?
I started with taking in any style that walked through the door. I think the pressure of knowing I only had a short period of time to draw something, has helped train me to make more decisions quickly without hesitation.
It has also helped me understand the more general tattoo crowd, and the patience it takes when dealing with a client who’s new to the whole experience. I want everyone I tattoo to leave feeling good about their decisions, regardless of what I’m tattooing on them.
Do you feel as though you had a ‘style’ of tattooing from the start or do you feel as though the influences you come into contact with have allowed a style to develop over the time you’ve been tattooing?
I definitely think it’s something that developed more over time. At first I was very drawn to biblical/pagan imagery from various engravings such as Albrecht Durer and Gustavo Dore. Blackwork when I started wasn’t much of a thing yet, so it was a very experimental time in trying to develop a voice within it. I would try on many outfits from overly bold coloured traditional to smooth blend grey washed as I developed.
As time went on and more blackwork artists started to develop, I’ve been influenced in so many different directions that it is still hard for me to feel like I have a definitive style. I basically just draw things tailored to each client weather that’s fine or bold.
You’ve been doing larger scale ornamental backs/bodysuits for a little while now, what drew you to this type of tattooing?
The movement and shapes. Ornamental style is by far the most exciting for me to make at this moment. I love how well you can utilize lines and black areas to contour waist lines and compliment each individual’s shape. Most of the illustrative stuff I’ve been making leading up to the bodysuits, was heavily dependent on drawing negative space and playing with the movement. I often get the feeling as though I’m sculpting when I draw large pieces that wrap.
Do you feel as though this is the direction you want your work to continue in?
Yes, most definitely.
There's been a spotlight on tattooer/client misconduct within the industry a lot more recently and rightly so. How do you feel the exposure of this within industry has opened a conversation and allowed safer spaces within tattooing?
There is obviously a huge problem with misconduct in our industry. These people needed to be called out, but where do we go from here?
I think it would be great if whomever has contact with these victims, could voice the concern to health and safety. Maybe with enough evidence they can ensure that there is video monitoring within every shop. For the safety not only for our clients but also for the shops. There needs to be a place in which these names could be pulled up from the internet so shop owners can screen guest artists before they come. I think our industry needs more protocols if we want to stop this from continuing.
As a woman who’s been within the industry for some time now, do you feel as though the opinions on women tattooers has changed since you started?
Yeah I think so. I’ve had males in the industry who in the past have discredited me, questioned my sources on the things I knew. But would later relay that same information back as though they discovered it on their own. Some would question the things I would be doing but not my male peers who started tattooing way later than me. I had some coworkers in the past who would say some downright awful things to me. Like if I would have sex with some of the older men who came in, or if I bang every dude who is a fellow tattooer. As though I can’t have platonic male artist friends because I’m a female.
I’ve never tried to let these things get to me, even though some days it did. I would use a lot of what I went through as motivation to earn their respect through my hard work. Those people have gotten very quiet over the years and some have apologized.
The industry is changing, there’s a lot more shops with females running them. There’s a lot more people being called out when they’re being shitty. It’s nice to see this shift happening.
We wanted to create a space with Delete After Death that felt welcoming and homey. As a young female I personally found when I started to get tattooing in traditional tattoo shops it was very intimidating. Having worked in traditional shops for so long and transitioning into a private space how have you found this?
I completely agree. I remember walking into shop with one or two tattoos and feeling too uncomfortable to voice up when I didn’t like something. I think the biggest priority is making sure clients are comfortable.
I think there are benefits to both shops and studios. I love working in open shops where clients mingle with the other artists; it feels like a giant hangout with all your close friends.
On the other hand it’s a lot more personal when you’re in the room with just you and your client. A lot of the more sentimental sessions I’ve experienced with clients have happened when I’m alone with them.
We are so excited to have you guesting here in September, what are you most looking forward to? (Other than being reunited with me obviously)
Honestly it’s never been about the place but rather it’s more about the people. I feel the most at home when all you guys are around, and me and Kev are so excited for you to share the things you love about TOR with us.
Obviously we’re excited about all the fine dining and cocktail bars over there to!
A conversation with Jay Rose, new interviews every Monday.
Before we go any further I have to ask where Tiger Titz came from? It makes me laugh every time I see it and it honestly really fits you as a person in the most outlandish way.
Honestly, The name Tiger Titz just started as a joke! I was fooling around with a friend and thought it sounded utterly ridiculous. I just wanted to use it for a while until I came up with something more professional, and then it just ended up sticking and now I guess it’s too far gone! I love it though. You’re right, I think it does capture the essence of me as a person- a real big idiot who just likes to laugh all the time. I was working the Leeds convention a few years back and all the artists were checking in and getting their passes, it came to my turn and I was like “its Anna-Claire blah blah” and they were like “nope, sorry. No one here with that name” and then I sheepishly said “um, maybe under Tiger Titz” and the staff all burst out laughing and what do you know… there it was! I think it was at that moment that I realized I was stuck with it!
We’ve spoken a lot about your life back in South Africa and the differences in how we grew up. How do you think growing up where you did effected your work ethic and outlook on life?
Yeah totally, growing up in South Africa definitely molded me, my inspirations and my work. I grew up in a really small Beachy town called Durban. Everyone is pretty much a surfer dad and wears Billabong! It’s always really hot with a super tropical climate. It’s surrounded by lush green vegetation, palm trees, costal beach strips as far as the eye can see and lots of monkeys. Everyone in the UK is always shocked when I tell them that it’s super common to see vervet monkeys in Durban. They use to come into the house all the time and steal the fruit, or just hang out in the garden and groom each other. I think that’s why I draw and tattoo a lot of jungle scenes, florals and tropical animals because it’s what I’ve grown up drawing inspiration from my whole life. I use to go on walks through this jungle path that leads onto the beach and that for me was always pure bliss. I really miss it and can’t wait to visit again. With regards to how Durban has molded my work ethic and outlook on life, I think because it’s a pretty small place, everyone is very genuine and appreciates the simple things in life. I grew up being humble, hard working and genuine. I give everyone the time of day and never have any ego bullshit! There never has and never will be room for that in my life. This has a lot to do with the relaxed Durban attitude and growing up under my parents roof! They’re super lovely, down to earth and relaxed.
You recently moved to London, how are you finding the adjustment tattooing there opposed to tattooing back in South Africa? Are there any obvious differences between the styles you see more of in either place?
Sorry for making all these answers so bloody long! I’ve just had a strong coffee and now I’m like a major keyboard pianist, haha! Tattooing in London has been really great. I’m lucky to have quickly made a little client base and settled in really nicely. I get to tattoo way more of my own stuff here than back home and I think that’s largely to do with the fact that EVERYONE here is tattooed and there’s a bigger market for tattoos due to London being so huge. Clients here seem more open to just picking flash and getting something spontaneous that the artist really wants to do! The major difference between tattooing in SA vs London is that there are so so many tattooers in London so you constantly feel like you need to work really hard and produce something different that stands out from the next person. That’s why my work seems to do a bit better here because I think I do offer something unique! (I always feel like I sound so so lame when I say that) Tattooing in London is very fast paced and you’ve gotta step up or step out! South Africa has a couple really great shops with talented artists who I can’t wait to visit when I’m back, I owe it all to my friends back home who taught me and let me work or guest at their studios.
You have one of the most distinctive styles of drawing and painting I’ve come across, its such a hybrid of traditional tattooing and illustrative work. Have you always drawn and painted in this way?
Thanks my baby! That’s such a nice compliment, I really appreciate that.
When I started drawing loads specifically for tattoos, I was overwhelmed with inspiration by so many different things. I think I just merged a bunch of my inspirations together and came out with this style! Im heavily inspired by the female form, tropical animals (especially tigers and monkeys), interesting florals and foliage, tribal pattern work from around the world especially Africa, old Japanese woodblock prints, Tibetan motifs, and south Asian paintings. This is largely due to growing up in such a diverse country that allowed me to appreciate so many cultures working and living together. Fun fact, there are 11 official different languages in South africa! It truly is a magical place and it’s no wonder people call it the ‘Rainbow Nation’.
As for the application, it’s routed in traditional tattooing. I like a fine line and controlled whip shading.
As for my painting, I only recently started painting in acrylics during lockdown and got super loose and folky with it! Its now my absolute favorite hobby!
What was your earlier work like when you started tattooing?
So, this is my 4th year tattooing and I guess you could say my work is just more refined now. I was always into the kind of imagery that I portray in my work and have always been inspired by traditional tattoos- they’re the only tattoos I have collected on myself so I always knew the things I liked the look of. My work was a bit more heavy black, bolder lines and more American traditional imagery like daggers and panthers and love hearts but still with a Tiger Titz twist! When I look back to my first year I’m like “shit…what was I doing” haha! But ya live and ya learn, right?
During lockdown you painted constantly, do you feel that having the time to re group helped you creatively or hindered your process?
During lockdown I was a painting machine! I don’t know what came over me! I just felt incredibly inspired and I’d been wanting to paint with acrylics for a while but between tattooing and just day to day responsibilities, it was kinda put on the back burner. So I totally seized the opportunity when lockdown came around and made some work. They were really fun to make and it felt great to work with acrylics again. I think the last time I painted like that was in school for an art assignment! I really like my alone time, I luckily feel really creative at home and I can get a lot done! So lockdown definitely allowed me to be creative. I did watch all the Harry Potters again though and binged watched trashy TV. So it wasn’t like I was creative all day everyday. It’s important to find the balance and have some chill time and listen to your body! (This is something very new to me, I think my husband has helped me with this. Before I was go go go all the time.)
You paint a lot of larger scale ladies, do you plan out your bigger paintings out or do you find you just go with it as you start and hope it ends up okay?
I do plan out my paintings, but if I had to show you the planned out sketch you would think a child drew it. I keep a notebook with all my ideas and whenever I come up with a new painting idea I quickly do a little mini drawing just to get the idea out of my head and onto paper. But all the rest is just spontaneously done. I never have a specific color pallet or anything, I just do what feels right in the moment.
Do you have any projects you’re working on at the moment you’re really looking forward to starting/finishing?
I’m always working on new projects! I always have my fingers in so many pies, haha! I’ve started a new series of acrylic paintings called ‘JAPANESE DAYDREAMZ’ which I’m really excited to get more stuck into. And I am finally getting around to making some sexy merch! I’m doing some shirts and totes and finally getting my online store up and running! Other than that, I’ve got some really cool upcoming tattoos which I can’t wait to do!
You had one of the most low key but beautiful weddings ever, you made a beautiful bride. You recently started working at Seven Doors along side your husband, how have you found working next to him everyday?
Thanks babezzz! We just wanted a really small thing with our family. Nothing too fancy or over the top. We got married on a farm in the middle of Stellenbosch in Cape Town. We got married right by the dam waters edge and both wore Dr Martens. We did the flowers and set it all up ourselves! I wore clothes that I’d had for ages, including a long white chiffon skirt that I think I’ve had since I was 19? I use to wear it to hardcore shows with my Misfits shirt, haha! We had 8 people there and it was just close family members and an amazing photographer who was actually a client of mine before and we traded tatz for the photographs. I didn’t want this huge thing where I spent the whole day talking to a thousand random people, checking in and seeing if they were alright- also cause I’m really ADD and I wanted just a few people who I could connect with 1 on 1. I wanted the day to be about me and Alex and wanted to sit on his lap most of the day without feeling guilty. We ate vegan burgers and had champagne after the ceremony in this little set up in the middle of a forest on the farm. Oh, and it was like 40 degrees so everyone was sweating like big pigs. Haha
Yes! I started at Seven Doors about a month ago and it’s been really great. Everyone is so kind and has been really welcoming. It’s such a great shop and I feel super super inspired there! It’s an added bonus that my sexy husband works there! We worked together in the past at this shop in South Africa (we were just friends at this stage and two years in he confessed his love for me and I was so naughty and kept saying no when he asked me out on dates but then I gave in and now we are married and I’m so damn happy)
So now getting to work with him again is amazing. We work together really well. We started tattooing around the same time and we’ve always pushed each other to work harder and be better so I’m glad I have my partner in crime at work again. He’s a great inspiration to me and I know he always gives me his honest advice on whatever I’m working on and vise versa and that helps use grow into better artists.
A conversation with Jay Rose, new interviews every Monday.
Opening a shop during a pandemic, that must have had its own difficulties more specifically to you when opening your first studio, is there anything you would have changed about the process?
Nope. There were considerably less hurdles than what I prepared for. Not to say it wasn't difficult or stressful, because it absolutely was, but I mentally prepared myself for multiple worst case scenarios.
What inspired you to open your own studio? It has such a specific curated style to it, how did you come up with that?
I felt as though the norm with tattoo shops sought to somewhat take advantage of tattooers financially. I wanted to curate a space that was interesting to be in, while also giving artists a great deal to maintain a solid team and avoid the "revolving door" that I've seen often in shops in the past.
Now tattoo shops are able to be open in Toronto, how do you find working with your wife? Has owning a studio together/ working with each other day to day changed your dynamic?
We worked together, literally a foot apart, in London as well. We are always a bit flirty with each other, like teenagers in school. I couldn't imagine working without her now. Owning the studio comes with its own set of issues but we try to make a point of separating work and personal time.
You’re doing a lot more large scale free hand based pieces that focus a lot on movement, these patterns really work with the body. What inspired this transition?
I wanted to have more fun with tattooing, and this was my way to do it. I love linework and a heavy graphic quality. While these aspects are present in my image based work, patterning and ornamental work lends itself to designing based on the client as the artwork as opposed to the imagery in the tattoo alone.
How do you feel your background in illustration and graffiti effected the way you approached tattooing, if at all?
It helped me hone in on the aspects of design that I enjoy most, mainly being linework and heavy saturated blacks and accent colours. The transition between graffiti and tattooing was seamless as far as designing goes. The medium in which I applied these designs could not be more different. Tattooing is hard.
What direction do you see your work moving in going forward?
I want to move into more flowing freehand ornamental work. But what I want out of my own artwork changes constantly, so honestly who knows. We'll see what happens.
What’s been the proudest moment of your career so far?
I had the pleasure of tattooing some important imagery on my 78 year old grandfather. Jay took some amazing photos of that moment that I will cherish forever.
Tattooing is a personal experience, are there any experiences you’ve had with clients that really stand out to you?
Clients who bring little personal gifts, in any form, always hold a special place in my heart. They went out of their way to do something nice for the sake of being nice. These are good people.
A conversation with Jay Rose, new interviews every Monday.
You have a background in fine art and are a beautiful oil painter, did you find that due to this the transition into tattooing was more natural?
My art training has definitly been a huge help, mostly when it comes to design and being able to draw different things in flattering ways. Im used to working with a lot of different mediums too, so I think thats helped me stay flexible when learning new tools.
How did you get into tattooing?
Before tattooing I was working independetly as a painter, and I had been trying to get into tattooing for a while, I think I was really trying to manifest an apprenticeship somewhere I felt comfortable. My mentor, whose an amazing artist, had reached out when she opened a shop and wanted an apprentice. And so it went from there..
Your style of painting and tattooing are pretty different, describing your way of tattooing as ‘new traditional’, do you feel as though you developed your style through tattooing or was this something you had curated a bit before hand?
My style is constantly evolving with painting, I think it just slowly changes with my interests. So when I got really into tattooing it naturally made its way into my paintings, and slowly they are starting to fuse more and more. But some things don't translate well with the different processes. My tattoo style is pretty much based off what types of tattoos I'd want to rock myself. I try to keep things exciting, so I'm sure my tattoo style will change too with my development.
I noticed your tattoos on yourself are predominantly black and grey, do you think you gravitate more to blackwork tattooing over colour on yourself?
On myself personally, I prefer black and grey. Thats because I've pretty much been wearing only black most of my life, so its probably a comfort and fashion thing.
On the other hand I love using colour in tattoos and paintings, I really feel like I can be more expressive. Im happy to do both, but I definitly would love to explore colour more in the future.
You paint a lot of murals that can be found all over Toronto, is that something that you got into at a young age?
Ive been painting from a really young age. I got into graffiti later on, in my early 20s. When i started messing with spray paint, it was a whole new chapter in my life, and eventually I started doing murals.
COVID_19 really threw a gear in the works for a lot of people, with painting murals I feel like you were out painting a lot whilst most people were more isolated at home. Do you think that painting outside was good for your mental health during the pandemic?
100%... I can't think of any way I would have rather spent my covid. Lol.. its weird to say but for a lot of us it was like a dream opportunity, to just be out painting everyday in the city, without having to worry about jobs or money, and without having crowds of people everywhere. I did a lot of work that Im proud of during those few months. It was a weird time, but I definitly have fond memories of it.
Last but not least, what are you most excited about working at Delete After Death?
Honestly so many things. I'm probably the most excited to be around artists that I really respect, and admire. I'm excited to learn new things here, to develop my style, my technique, and new friendships! Its really exciting stuff and I'm honoured to be a part of it all.
A conversation with Jay Rose, new interviews every Monday.
Growing up in Montreal it seems to be a pretty artistic place, did you imagine that tattooing would be the career path you would take or did you see yourself going in a different direction when you were younger?
I made the decision in college to enroll in Technical Theatre and Design, which is essentially carpentry for goth kids who want to be on Broadway. Our curriculum included building and designing sets, costumes, props and engineering lighting and sound design for theatrical productions.
You’re still very young to have been tattooing for five years, How did you get into tattooing?
While my program was interesting, I dropped out after my second semester to pursue tattooing full-on. At the time, my best friend scored a job working counter at our local studio and she pitched me as a prospective apprentice to the owner. After being taken in, I shadowed my mentor for a year and a half before beginning to tattoo and eventually moving on to a different studio in the heart of downtown where I continued my learning. I worked there full time for just shy of 3 years until I packed up and moved to Toronto with my cats right after my 21st birthday.
Your work is definitely unique to you, it's no wonder people seek out and travel to have work done by you. Is there anything in particular that really inspires your work?
I am incredibly inspired by vintage scientific illustrations and the methodical nature of traditional printmaking. Every line and detail is so purposeful and effective, and I can only aspire to evoke that feeling through my tattooing. I try to source all of the references for my drawings from old books that I’ve collected throughout the years. There are a handful of excellent used book stores in Toronto which means that there’s no shortage of subject matter to pull influence from, but finding the right reference really can feel like finding treasure. It’s one of my favourite parts of the whole process.
Tattooing is an extremely emotional experience for a lot of people, what's been the most emotional experience you’ve had as a tattoo artist?
Tattooing can be a means of healing. As tattooers, we occasionally have an opportunity to help our clients find closure and grow beyond whatever they may be struggling with. I am so often moved by the stories that are shared with me during appointments. Getting a glimpse into the tender parts of people’s lives is such a precious thing and I feel as though I’ve learned so much about the scope of the human experience through these encounters. It’s really so special.
Do you feel your tattoos are an accurate representation of you as a person? Do you feel as though they are an extension of you?
I’ve poured all of my adult life into this craft, so I would say so! Tattooing has become such an integral part of my identity that I feel very bound to the work that I make.
What’s your favourite part of being a tattooer?
There’s always a better way to do what you’re doing. My favourite part about being a tattooer is knowing that my work in terms of growth will never really be done. How can I enhance the experience that I provide for my clients? How can I alter my design process to streamline the actual tattooing? What machines and tools help me to best achieve the look that I’m going for? I’ve definitely had to learn how to be kinder with myself in the self-reflection process. I used to spiral when things didn’t pan out 100% how I was imagining, but living on eggshells with your brain just isn’t a sustainable way to go about your life - especially when we have the privilege of making art for a living. Being mean as a reaction to my personal learning curve only ever hindered my productivity at the end of the day. A huge stepping stone for me was coming to the realization that it didn’t all have to be so… devastating.
COVID_19 really threw a gear in the works for a lot of people, how did it affect you and how did you use the time that you had off? Do you think that it hindered you creatively or had the opposite effect?
For at least the first two weeks of quarantine, I spent all of energy logging the majority of the wildlife in Red Dead Redemption 2. I think that it took me a while to realize that we were really in it for the long haul. Once I hit that point, I pivoted away from my new life of being a full-time gamer and used my time to explore linocut printmaking. I spent a few overnight Youtube rabbit-hole marathons watching dozens of videos of quiet men carving linoleum in a (usually) dark room before trying it out myself. When I zero in on something, I have a habit of becoming obsessed with it… so I did a lot of printing over my pandemic-forced retirement. A LOT of printing. Oh, and I made myself a website. Honourable mention to all of the hours I spent as a child customizing my Neopets user-lookup - HTML is cool.
Last but not least, what are you most excited about working at Delete After Death?
I get to work next to incredible artists that I can bounce ideas off of, learn from and shoot the shit with. I often end up spending more time at the studio than I do at home, so I am so grateful to be a part of a space that is so conducive to being creative and maintaining a positive atmosphere. We hold each other accountable for our respective projects. It’s pretty special. Oh, and as an added bonus: the ceiling is pink.