Articles

 Bring on a new generation of tattooing and tattoo studios.

 Introducing the new generation of tattooing into the Okanogan will be our shop Mulitia Tattoo. With being in the industry since ’92 experiencing new and old school shops of all sorts evolve into the ‘Mainstream’ scene. With the new ‘Mainstream’ a lot of shops are changing the look of old school style tattoo parlors for example shops, machines, power packs, inks and supplies in general are going mainstream in all directions. With Mulitia Tattoo we are really trying to push the mainstream look and feel. Shops that are more on the contemporary look are more attractive to not just the everyday passer by, but also to bring in the more reserved public. I hear a lot of artist talking down Reality T.V. In all aspects the shows are done well in a series perspective, not many are willing to admit that these T.V. shows are allowing people to realize that ‘Body Art’ is a beautiful thing to the beholder as well as the observer. T.V. shows are also allowing the more reserved and traditional personalities to accept body art with a new eye. It’s not just the stereotypical people getting tattoos anymore, now it seems it’s a lot of doctors, lawyers and even reserved parents who want to express themselves in a new way. With inked celebrities and ‘Tattoo T.V.’ all over, tattooing is sliding into the mainstream scene, making it a lot easier for us as artists to make a living.

                                              

        46 with humidex.

        Twelve o’ clock.

        Electric Studios.

        Interview with Chris Moniz.

        Queen Street West.

         So hot.

         Phone rings.

         Moniz.

         Bike was vandalized.

         Cords cut.

         Graffiti.

         Lateness…..excusable.

Despite the tragedy of the morning, the Brampton native arrived in the opposite form of my expectations: calm, friendly, professional and ready to talk openly about himself, the tattoo business, conventions, health concerns and everything in between and without a single hint of bitterness concerning his bike.

“I leave my own problems at home, work is about art and the customer”, tattooing, on the other hand, is never left at work. Since 1994 at the age of twenty one when he began his apprenticeship, he has spent every waking moment practicing, researching, traveling for, and talking about nothing other than tattooing. After high school Moniz was working mainly blue collar jobs and drawing comics in his spare time. One quiet and unproductive night in Brampton found Moniz and a buddy at a local tattoo shop. It was love at first sight, Moniz left the shop with more than just a Sagittarius symbol, he had found his niche. In the next few weeks he brought the artist his sketch book on more than four occasions, adjusting his work as advised, until eventually the artist was convinced that the kid not just talented, but driven. After eight months of a less than satisfying internship, Moniz left the shop to work on his own. This, he admits, was one of the biggest mistakes of his career and he warns others from attempting to progress solo assuring them it will be a slow and unsafe process. For rookies looking to break into the industry he recommends not practicing on friends but focusing on creating an impressive portfolio, and gaining experience by collecting tattoos. Today’s talent is steadily improving due to the influx of art school students attracted to the tattoo industry. In Moniz’s solo stint he worked on friends and contacts made by word of mouth in his spare time, but eventually a local shop, Art Addictions (www.artaddictions.ca), requested his presence after seeing his work around town. He started at Art Addictions as a full fledged artist and remained at the high volume and fast paced shop for four years. Here he was able to learn more from other artists about different types of needle groups and he developed more direction. From there he moved to Lower East Side (www.eastsidetattoo.com) in Scarborough for four and a half years. Moniz stayed there until July 2006, when he made the move to his new home Electric Studios (electrictattoo.net).

Although Moniz is just settling into the shop, he feels that his new home appropriately allows him to work with more freedom, “the problem with a lot of shops is that the owners try to control the artists and that makes for a bad environment”. While true artists simply want to produce art, owners want to produce money, often leading to a sometimes unbearable tension. Greg, his new boss, is aware that the artists also need to pay bills and that they will not only be happier, but more profitable when given what they need in terms of supplies, time, and space. Any discussion of the business aspect of tattooing darkens Moniz’s usually mellow composure, “Art over money” he quotes the renowned tattoo artist Felix Leu (http://www.tattoos.com/jane/tattoo.htm#). “I’m not in this business to make money, I’m somewhat of a hippy artist, I just want to do art”, Moniz admits. Judging by his research into the history of tattoos, his articles on apprenticing and health concerns in the industry, his website, his online forums with a well frequented Q&A section, his never ending practicing with new mediums such as oils, acrylics and metal carving, his occasional ventures to conventions, not to mention his constantly ringing cell phone with requests to take new customers, Chris Moniz’s artistic drive and dedication to his clients is on par with his constantly improving skills.

Moniz is far from the old school stereotype of an intimidating tattoo artist, he stands no more than 5’6” with dark features and pale skin. His composure is tense, slightly nervous and unwilling to talk into a microphone due to lack of confidence in his oral skills. Yet his knowledge, passion and experience overpower this awkwardness and the accuracy and eloquence of his response are more than worthy of recording. Breaking into the topic of disease prevention, sterilization and regulation in the industry sets Moniz off on a banter of suggestions. A quick glance at the extensive Q&A section on his website (www.chrismoniz.com) reveals Moniz’s tremendous dedication to warning people of and reducing the health risks related to tattoos. He insists that the introduction of any apprentice to the world of tattooing should have a massive focus on cleanliness, sterilization and the minute details of cross contamination that could potentially impede on customers’ health. One option to reduce the risk is regulation and Moniz “(likes) regulation, provided it works with and not against the best interests of public safety and the artists”, the only problem, he admits, is that the rules are not enforced. Current policing is ineffective, he can’t remember the last time he saw a health inspector. Ironically, restaurants are routinely inspected while food poisoning lasts only 24 hours, and Hepatitis C is for life. Moniz also likens to the idea of course requirements prior to the licensing of artists. He would even be willing to pay for licensing, in hopes that it would get rid of “scratchers", who are working out of their basements and have no concern for health risks. When choosing an artist Moniz recommends collectors first assess the safety precautions taken at the shop of choice. Research the shop’s spore test results, ensure they use an autoclave sterilizer, new needles and gloves at all times, then move along to assessing the artists’ unique style.

What word would best describe Moniz’s style? Growing up, Moniz was the kid at the back of the class with a sketchbook and pencil in hand. His childhood dream of becoming a comic book artist was completely eclipsed by his more powerful adult dream of becoming a renowned tattoo artist. Yet, his strong affection for sketching with pencils has greatly enhanced his predominantly black and grey portfolio which is also influenced by the likes of John Moniz (www.mpiretattoo.com) who’s black and grey techniques launched Chris Moniz into a new direction of technique. In the past few years he has been practicing his work with colours more and hopes to progress in that area. He also aims to improve his work in fantasy art and the transferring of paintings to tattoos. Influential artists in his life include Leo Zulueta, Paul Booth, Guy Aitchison, Steve Peace, Dave Martinez, and Robert Hernandez. Although, he regrets to admit that he has a hard time following other artists’ work because he is constantly working with his own clients and on his own style. If he was given the opportunity to press the rewind button on the course of his career and could select a different artist to apprentice, it would be Filip Leu (www.tattoos.com/jane/tattoo.htm#top) of Switzerland or Bob Tyrell (www.bobtyrrell.com) of Toronto, “Filip Leu’s work is incredible, I’ve been following him since the beginning, and I would be willing to drop everything in a second to work under him, that’s how much tattooing means to me”. This same dedication to premium quality led him to Winnipeg to seek out the work of one of the best cover up artists, Kurt Wiscombe (www.tattooartwinnipeg.com)

Moniz’s commitment to top quality and never rushing a job resulted in his first tattoo taking eight hours, when it should have been three. Twelve years later he has improved his technique and accelerated the process greatly, but his dedication to quality and constant extra work continues. He enjoys designing pieces so much that he doesn’t charge extra for consultations, drawings or free hand. And he will never allow a customer to walk out of his studio without a visual, again, free of charge. He thrives on the challenge of “reading between the lines”, and discerning what tattoo will correctly express himself as an artist and be significant to the customer. The customer service aspect is of prime importance, as clients are a ‘moving canvas’ and his job is to ease their tension and give them confidence. He has found that customers experience less pain using a soft hit with the machine and it produces a better healing tattoo. His concern for the customer, commitment to top quality and his affordable prices are what keeps his schedule booked three months in advance.

It would be flattering to Moniz to say that the rise in tattoos is due solely to the improvement of the talent in the industry, yet deeper reasoning must also exist. Miami Inked and other reality TV shows are often credited for this rising tattoo trend. But Moniz argues that there is no trend, the increase has been steady over the twelve years he has been involved surpassing the ten year life span of trends. The self proclaimed hippie artist believes in the appreciation of art above all tradition or tension, the rise, he sheepishly infers is a result of Westerners lack of a right of passage. In other cultures they will have ceremonies, symbols, skin markings, and so forth, to commemorate milestones reached in life. We, in the Western world, lack these celebrations and tattoos are being used “to express maturity, condolences, thoughts and beliefs”. This, Moniz insists, also explains the high rate of tattoo art in prisons. So high, that in Canada six prisons were provided with safe tattoo instruments and areas because inmates were desperately seeking any sharp objects to mark themselves. 53% of females and 47% of males in Canadian prisons have tattoos; Moniz credits this to the need to remind themselves of the outside world. Inmates will often have deer, wolves, trees and other natural drawings of the real world that, once engraved on their skin, can never be taken away from them. The right of passage is now embedded on their bodies.

Moniz is a collector himself, his most recent additions gleamed at me in the sunshine, freshly inflamed with a thick layer of black ink. At introduction I barely noticed them and passed them off as flowers. Yet, after a few hours of discussing the Western world’s new expression of the rights of passage, I knew they meant more. These two flowers, he explained, were eggplant flowers that the warriors of Borneo drew on themselves as identification to prevent surprise attacks by their own people. They are modified to have only six points (most have 8-12) because this is a natural number, like the number of points on a snowflake. And they are also accentuated with an M at each point for Moniz. These flowers symbolize protection for the warrior as well as for the traveler, which Moniz aspires to be. His future goals include much more travel throughout Canada and Europe to conventions and guest spots. Look for him in September at the Calgary convention. Moniz also plans to write more articles in an attempt to meet more artists and spread knowledge within the community. With the recent addition of his eggplant flowers, Moniz rests assured that these future endeavors will be safe and successful journeys.    

5 QUICKIES

FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOUR JOB? art

WORST THING ABOUT YOUR JOB? price shoppers

FAVOURITE TATTOO? full colour

MOST DESPISED TATTOO? Tasmanian devil

 

By Heather Matthews
Staff Writer - Neighborhood News Inc.

Dug Mendoza, an artist at Manchester’s Goodtimes Tattoos, carefully shades in the scales of a bright orange koi fish on the arm of Mike Austin of Manchester. Mendoza said while tattoos may be getting more popular, they aren’t necessarily more accepted. (Heather Matthews Photos)

In past generations, tattoos were considered something reserved for the less savory members of society. At one time, it seemed only sailors, prisoners, bikers and carnival workers would ever dare to set foot into a tattoo parlor to have beautiful, colorful works of art permanently inked into their skin.

Tattoos have come a long way since then, and the tradition of the tattoo is only growing more popular, said area tattoo artist David Leonard.

“They’re becoming more and more accepted,” said Leonard, 27, of Spider-Bite Tattoos in Manchester. “Last week I gave a 75-year-old woman her first tattoo. She’s always wanted one, but it wasn’t acceptable when she was younger.”

Although he has only worked in the body modification industry for four years, Leonard said he has witnessed tremendous growth in the business of tattooing. Today, tattoos are popping up on the least likely of candidates and in the least likely of places.

Businessmen and women, priests, young professionals, college students and grandparents are visiting tattoo shops across the nation in search of a piece of unique, expressive art to decorate their bodies with. Classic tattoo art is being used to advertise cigarettes. Reality television shows based around the lives of tattoo artists in big cities such as Miami and Las Vegas are growing in popularity. And it was only within the last few years that Manchester legalized tattoo shops.

Earlier this year, the American Academy of Dermatology set out to understand and quantify the culture of tattoos. By using random digit dialing technology, the group gathered a representative sample of the nation that included 247 men and 253 women between the ages of 18 and 50.

On June 19, the academy’s journal published their findings, stating that 36 percent of the nation’s young adults (ages 18 to 29) are decorated with at least one tattoo. The results also showed 24 percent of the population between the ages of 18 and 50 have been tattooed, with the amount of tattooing divided equally between the sexes.

Leonard attributes the growth in tattoo popularity and acceptance to the coming of age of a more open-minded, more accepting and more modified generation.

“As our generation gets older and we become the bosses, tattoos are becoming more appreciated and accepted,” he said. “That traditional business guy might have a full body suit of tattoos under that necktie.”

But tattoos still have a long way to go before they are completely accepted, said Dug Mendoza, an artist for Goodtimes Tattoos in Manchester. It’s still not easy being a tattooed person in a formal business setting or even the military. (Once one of the only tattooed sects of society, the military now places strict limitations on the designs, locations and number of tattoos on its members.)

“It’s hard to believe that they are being more accepted,” he said. “A lot of people I know are heavily tattooed, and they are told tattoos aren’t acceptable. People can’t (have a lot of body modifications) or they won’t be able to have a job in a business setting.”

Tattoos, Mendoza said, must be covered up and hidden from the public eye by clothing in many settings. Having to hide the art is not accepting it, he said.

While Mendoza said the survey brought up some interesting numbers, it also associated tattooing with risk-taking behavior and activities, such as drinking and recreational drug use, as well as a lack of religious affiliations ­ generalizations that lead to more set-backs for those with body modifications.

“It paints a picture that tattoo culture is for atheists, drunks and druggies, while the majority of those with tattoos are just great art lovers,” he said. “It doesn’t take a criminal to get a tattoo. A lot of the people who get tattoos are searching for something that gives them healing or a sense of power over a certain part of their life. It gives them a way to separate themselves from the rest of the crowd and a way to express themselves as an individual, even among those who are tattooed.”

Some argue it is those without tattoos who are becoming the more unique, but Leonard said custom tattoos with artwork designed by the artist specifically for the customer is becoming more popular, keeping tattoo art fresh and unique.

Leonard also said there are a number of trends in the tattoo industry he has seen over the years that the survey didn’t report on. He said more people are tattooed in the summer than the winter, religious symbols are popular design components and there are different preferred locations and styles for tattoos between the sexes.

Females tend to want their lower back or shoulder blades tattooed, while males still prefer to be inked on their arms. In general, color and black-and-white preference is divided equally among those who are tattooed: Females tend to prefer more color than males.

Mendoza, who has been tattooing for seven years, also noted with the growing popularity of tattoos has come the mindset that tattoo parlors are like a one-hour photo business and can provide instant results. He said more people see getting a tattoo as an errand and spend less time contemplating and planning the piece of artwork that will be permanently installed on their body.

“These people pretty much want to stick their arm out a window while going through a drive-thru,” he said.

Ironically, Leonard said about 50 percent of his work in that last few years has been designing cover-up pieces to hide hastily chosen, trendy tattoos with more elaborate, intricate and unique custom work.