Wednesday, April 20, 2016

The collectors: Carolyn Schoerner, USA

All of the times I've read the interviews of the women I've featured on the blog, my love for tattoos has been reassured. And thanks to this project, I met Carolyn. She wanted me to know the story behind her tattoo sleeve, and what a wonderful surprise it was. I feel so lucky and honored that she wanted to share it on my blog, and I'm sure all of you will love to read this moving story about tattoos and friendship.



"My name is Carolyn Schoerner and I am a freelance ballet dancer along with the director of a nonprofit called Books for All. I publish artists books solely with artists with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities.

As a ballet dancer it was a bit rebellious of me to get my first tattoo. I had always been the traditional bunhead and never even did something like dye my hair. But I was in college and taking a break from dancing and as my friend was getting one I decided to get a tiny little dancer I used to always draw on my hip. It was so small and I ended up covering it up. It was about 12 years ago. I had no intention of getting anymore, but then ended up getting a side piece in of an Egon Schiele drawing that I loved. It never really occurred to me to seek out artists to do original work on me, I just knew so little about tattoos. After that piece I decided I was completely done.

It wasn’t until about 6 years ago that I decided to get a small little lock heart on my arm (my first real visible tattoo) because my maiden name is Lockhart. It was through this that I ended up dating the artist who did it. The relationship wasn’t very great, but he knew Sue Jeiven and the whole crew at East River Tattoo and introduced me to them. The shop was on my way home from work, so I started stopping in there frequently to say hi to Sue because she just had this amazing energy about her. We would watch Soul Train videos and try to imitate them in the shop and it just felt like home. It was also around this time that we learned that Sue had breast cancer. A lot was going on and I decided I wanted to get a tattoo to honor my grandparents and decided to have Sue do it. It was small and on my back - a tree with two love birds. Next I had her do a portrait of my late dog smoking a pipe and wearing a derby hat. I was hooked!


Tattoos by Sue Jeiven

Over the course of six months Sue and I rapidly became best friends. I would just hang out at East River Tattoo during most of my free time and then started to become more interested in other artists such as Liam Sparkes, Maxime Buchi, and Mark Cross. I started to get the itch to get more work. But I still stuck with Sue. I felt so comfortable with her and it felt like a real bonding experience. So the next thing that I got and it is my favorite tattoo of all time is a woman inside a tiger’s head. Sue would draw flash sheets and just give them to me every time I would come in. I saw this and it immediately reminded me of the struggle she was going through. It looked hopeful yet scary and I knew I had to get it. It said “Fight the Good Fight”, but once I told Sue that I wanted it, she said it was her version of the pink ribbon. At this point I still did not have any intention of getting a full sleeve, but wanted it in a prominent place where everyone could see it.


All tattoos by Sue Jeiven

It wasn’t until that summer when Sue had major surgery, and I was sitting with her while she was recovering, and we were talking about tattoos and her wishes that she said she never had done a full sleeve on anyone with work that she really wanted to do. She said people usually already had some work on the arm or it was stuff she wasn’t as into. So it was then and there that I decided to give her my whole left arm. Life is short, I didn’t know how long she would be around and I thought I have to do this now.

So over the course of the years she has created the most beautiful sleeve. Each piece I can remember exactly what we talked about, were going through, laughing about, and the pure joy of getting to spend this time with her. Sometimes she draws something and says, “you have to get this!” and I do, and other times I will wake up and think, “oh I want a goat,” and I text her and she is just as excited about it as I am. She has created an artwork of memories for me from silly things like a palm tree that says "vacation" to a heart for my dog when he passed away almost three years ago. Every time I look at my arm I laugh, smile, and feel so honored to wear her art.


Tattoos on Carolyn's sleeve by Sue Jeiven

I think this project has made our relationship even stronger. Just through the amount of time I get to spend with her and those sessions of just talking about dogs and the silliest things that no one else in the world would get, to real serious issues that turn into an amazing therapy session. I never really believed in the idea of having one person as your best friend, but now I totally do. She is my soulmate.


Carolyn's sleeve by Sue Jeiven // Carolyn and Sue

I also have work by Liam Sparkes, Mark Cross, Spider Sinclair, Rob Banks, and Jessi Preston (she did a friendship tattoo on Sue and me of a horse with a horseshoe). I actually have gotten all my tattoos in New York, except for one, at East River Tattoo. That place feels like home. I really want a tattoo from Mike Adams, Alexis Hepburn, Christian Lanouette, and Jenna Bouma, and many many more. My right arm still needs work but that is the one that I am collecting other people’s work on. Most of the time Sue will text and say that a guest artist has an opening or cancellation and that I should come in. So I’ll run to Greenpoint and pick something from the artist’s flash and get a spur of the moment tattoo, and I love it!


On her right arm, Carolyn collects pieces from other tattoo artists // Horseshoe by Jessi Preston

At first my family was hesitant about me getting so much work done but now they totally accept it, and I think even like it. Since I work in the art world it hasn’t had much of an impact on my work life, but it is very interesting with ballet. I have been mostly doing my own work lately, but other things I do I usually have to wear long sleeves. I think its beautiful seeing the arms move in graceful ways with the tattoos.

One thing I did not expect was the amount of attention I would get from strangers because of having so many tattoos. Everyone makes comments, some sweet and very welcomed, others I could do without. There is this assumption that since you have tattoos that you should want to talk about them to every stranger and that I do not like. However, I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

This process of getting tattoos, and especially from Sue, has been the most amazing experience. I have met people who will be friends for life and I feel very honored to wear such amazing pieces."

Thank you so much, Carolyn!

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

The collectors: Ashley Adams, USA

It is with great pleasure that I bring to you an interview with the lovely Ashley Adams. Tattoos are such a meaningful part of her life, I'm sure all of you will be fascinated by her testimonialas well as by the beautiful pieces that adorn her bodyand relate to her love for tattoos.



"My name is Ashley. I'm 26 years old and live on a farm in Maryland with my husband, Mike and pup, Jack.

I'm not sure how I first got into tattoos exactly. Growing up I loved punk and hardcore, and was pretty involved in the music scene at that time. I remember going to shows, seeing people with beautiful tattoos and thinking I would eventually have some too. I was always finding ways to "express myself" and eventually I think tattoos just became a part of the equation.

My first tattoo was a small "forget me knot" on my finger. It was a friendship tattoo, and a small reminder to not forget things. I think I may have been twenty years old at the time. I always knew I wanted to eventually have a collection of tattoos, but I didn't rush out right at eighteen. I waited until I was sure of what I wanted, and luckily it's prevented me from having any tattoos that I really regret.


Several tattoos by Antonio Roque

I don't feel that my tattoo collection has much rhyme or reason, however they all go together in some way. I usually choose the artists because I feel drawn to their work. I feel that anyone can simulate or replicate a style or tattoo, but only few can really evoke an actual feeling or unique style in their work. My inspiration for tattoos usually comes from the past. I have an immense amount of respect for the tattooers who really paved the way for modern tattooing. I like to reference a lot of classic imagery, wether it be from old flash, or from an old painting, book, postcard, etc. As far as placement goes, I just like to put things where they fit best. If it flows with the body or won't look too odd when I'm bending a limb then it works. I don't plan on having my chest or face tattooed- I just like the way they look bare. I do plan on having the tops of my hands tattooed, once I feel truly successful being self employed, as a gift to myself. 

I've been tattooed by Antonio Roque, Christian DiMenna, Gary Royal, Christian Peters, Alexis Hepburn, Heather Bailey, Ivan Antonyshev, Joshua Solomon, and of course by my husband, Mike Adams. I may be missing a few but I'm currently wearing long sleeves and pants. I'm basing this list off of memory and if I forgot someone it was not intentional. 


Ashley's favorite tattoo of her pup Jack

My favorite tattoo of all time is a very small portrait of our dog, Jack. This tattoo was done by my husband.

I met Mike about five or six years ago, when he was doing a guest spot at Thicker Than Water in NYC. I was living in New York at the time and he was living in Michigan, where he had a private studio. I had emailed him about getting tattooed and of course he was already fully booked. Months went by and I suddenly got an email out of the blue, he had a cancellation! Of course I jumped at the chance to get tattooed by him. He did a tattoo of a Maryland blue crab on my right leg. Maryland is famous for blue crabs, and it's my home state so I had always wanted to get this as a tattoo. I was just waiting for the right person to do it, and I'm glad it was him. We didn't hit it off, we didn't flirt, actually I think we barely even spoke during the appointment. Several years went by and eventually we reconnected on Instagram. One day we realized we had a lot in common, and began to chat a little. Suddenly a little became a lot and I couldn't get enough! We decided to get dinner one night and the rest is history. We were quickly engaged and got married a few months later. I'd like to thank the person who cancelled on him for that day in December years ago, because if it weren't for that person I may have never gone on a date with Mike a few years later. 

Being married to a tattoo artist... well it is definitely interesting. He has to travel quite a bit, and I try to go with him as much as I can, but I've been spending the past year or so turning my side hustle into my full time gig. I have always loved sewing, and I make handmade bags, clutches, wallets, etc. It truly is my passion and getting to share that with other people is amazing. We also have an elderly dog at home, so I skip out on a lot of trips in order to take care of our little pup. Mike is definitely a perfectionist (as most tattooers are) and I'm sure it's nerve wracking to tattoo your wife. The tattoos that he has done on me have so much sentimental value, and are just totally irreplaceable. It's a testament to our life together, to the memories we've made, and the journey we're on together.


Ashley getting tattooed by Mike Adams // Ashley and Mike's marriage


Ashley's tattoos done by her husband Mike

Some artists I hope to be tattooed by in the future are Dave Halsey, Danielle Rose, Jenna Bouma, Arianna Fusini, Zach Nelligan, Harriet Heath, Jack Ankersen, Rachel Hauer, Chris Fernandez, Justin Olivier, Florian Santus, and a lot more. Didn't even realize how many people I'd like to be tattooed by until I started forming this list! Unfortunately many of them are international artists so I need to start traveling more I guess.

The next tattoo I'll be getting is from Myra Oh at the tattoo convention in Scranton, PA in a few weeks. She's so talented and I really admire her style, I'm looking forward to getting a piece from her. I'd also like to finish my back tattoo this year, with Antonio Roque. He is easily one of my favorite tattooers. He is extremely talented, but also a great person and very humble. He has done many of my other tattoos and it has been quite an awesome journey over the past few years. I plan to get some other smaller tattoos from him in the future once we've completed my back. Some other future projects include finishing my right arm, which will all be tattoos from Mike Adams (although I had a few preexisting tattoos on that arm when we began the project). I think overall I will be sticking to somewhat traditional tattoo styles, although I love Japanese style tattoos.


Tattoos by Heather Bailey, Ivan Antonyshev and Alexis Hepburn

My everyday life has definitely been affected by being tattooed. I've had people grab me in public, startle me, cat call me, etc. One of the most defining moments that I can remember was after I had my back outlined. I was sitting in a cubicle (I used to work a 9 to 5 in an office atmosphere) and a male coworker grabbed the back/neck of my shirt and pulled it all the way back so he could see inside- to "look at my tattoo". I felt absolutely violated. In what scenario would that have been alright? You wouldn't peer down a woman's shirt who wasn't tattooed so why is it suddenly justified because you're "looking at a tattoo"? It isn't any different. I've had a lot of unnecessary conversations about my tattoos while I'm trying to do basic tasks like get an oil change, go to the bank, etc. Sometimes I feel like I can't go through a normal task without someone wanting to discuss the tattoos (even if I'm wearing long sleeves and you can barely see any of them). I realize many people would say "Why get tattoos if you don't want the attention?" I didn't get tattooed to gain any attention. I got tattooed because I love art. I love tattoos. I love supporting tattooers and their work. I love the confidence getting tattooed has given me, but I don't love the people trying to touch me, grab me, yell at me, etc.


Collection of leg tattoos // Back piece by Antonio Roque

Being tattooed has changed my life completely. Although of course I am just a normal person like everyone else, I have found an extraordinary confidence through my tattoos. I had been in several emotionally and mentally abusive relationships in the past, and found my self esteem just totally depleted. I hated my body and the way I looked. I felt worthless. Over time, and through a lot of self care and with the help of tattoos I felt like I was taking control of my own body, of my own skin. I felt comfortable in my skin for the first time in years. Every time I get tattooed I feel more beautiful, and more confident. 

Thank you so much for thinking of me for your blog, Heloisa! I enjoyed the opportunity to share some of my experiences. I hope that you all have enjoyed reading what I had to say. Feel free to follow me on my personal instagram @a.e.adams or check out my vintage and handmade shop @adamstradingco. Thanks!"

*

Thank you so much, Ashley!

Sunday, April 3, 2016

The collectors: Vera Delgado, USA

Vera is a gorgeous girl from California, whose traditional tattoos perfectly complement her style. I hope you guys enjoy the interview and her beautiful pictures. 





"My name is Vera, I am 25 years old and I am a barber in San Diego, CA.

When I was about 16 I had plans of waiting until I was in my late 20's to start getting tattooed because I figured by that age I would be able to make conscious decisions. Obviously, I did not wait until my late 20's like I had planned. I got my first tattoo when I was 18. I was working at Starbucks and wanted to get a traditional style "Mom" tattoo on my wrist, but I wasn't allowed to have any visible tattoos at work, so instead I got a big piece on my ribs. It's a girl head with wings and a weird bird head. I never finished it and I plan on covering it up someday. When I first started getting tattooed I told myself, "Oh, I'm only going to do this rib piece." And then it was, "I'm only going to do my right arm." And so on and so on...



Some of my tattoos are planned and some are spontaneous. I knew I wanted a crow on my chest for the past 5 or so years and I finally had it done by Chris Conn last year. If I'm getting a smaller piece, I think it's fun to just pick something off the wall.

I've got works from Chris Conn, JasonStewart, Jake Miller, Cole Strem, Joshua Blatchley, Milford Barnes, Mykil Zep, Britney Goodman, Jacob Doney and Thor. My favorite tattoo is one of the matching tattoos my boyfriend and I have on our hands. It's two hearts with an arrow done by Jason Stewart.



I'd love to be tattooed by Paul Dobleman, Sway, Ben Rorke, Steve Byrne, Tony Nilsson, Jessica Swaffer, Grez, JavierBetancourt, Marie Sena, Eli Quinters, Andrea Giulimondi, Alix Ge, Stizzo, Spider Sinclair, the list could go on forever. I think I'll always try to squeeze a new one in if I can. Sometimes getting a tattoo is like my own little souvenir.



My family doesn't even notice them anymore. At work I get a lot of clients that want to talk about them, usually it's the same questions every single time, "does it really hurt?" "do they all have a special meaning?" "what did your parents think?" It gets old after a while.



I think people with a lot of tattoos almost always get categorized into the same group, like we're all the same because we have a lot of tattoos, and it's not the case. I'm just a simple lady who loves cutting hair, hanging out with my boyfriend and our two kitties, and getting tattooed when I can."

***

Thanks a lot for the interview, Vera!

Follow her on Instagram @vera_d_