It seems that everyone and their grandma is getting tattooed and pierced up these days, and while body modification has been around for years, it has enjoyed a burgeoning success in the last couple of decades. Which is good news for you if you’re in the game. I spoke to young upstart and local tattoo artist, Nick Luit about the craft and his role in it. Take note, this dude is good AND affordable at $70 an hour. So let him draw on you.
1) How long have you been pursuing the art of tattooing, when did you know it was what you wanted to do and why? Please explain the apprenticeship process.
I have been pursuing the art of tattoo for about six years now. I’ve always been artistic, drawing flash for kicks, but became passionate about tattooing when i got my first piece at 16 and just fell in love with the art of it. Apprenticeships are different and vary depending on the shop. Mine basically consisted of drawing my ass off, working reception, cleaning the tools and tearing down/setting up the work areas. This lasted for about 6 months.
2) Who taught you you chops, and name me me a couple of major influences/reasons why they affect you strongly.
I’ve done my apprenticeship under Trevor Macay, he is definitely a major influence in my life, artistically and otherwise. My wife for many reasons, artists & tattoo artists like Dan Thompson, Steve Byrne, Ryan Halter, and Mike Rubendall. There are many more, but these are the people that have had the greatest impact for me and inspire me to be the best at what i do.
3) Do you have a particular style or approach that you could call your “signature”? If so explain.
I definitely have a style of my own that i put into my work as does any good artist, but mostly it’s derived from the people i look up to and it’s changing all of the time.
4) In this world where tattooists are popping up everywhere, what are YOU doing that’s different and/or unique?
I think in this day and age of traditional tattooing it’s really hard to keep things unique because most things have already been done. So it’s really important to focus on keeping your work clean, having a clean and sterilized work-space, and treating your clientele with respect. There can be a load of attitude in this industry, which there is NO room for in my opinion.
5) In your opinion, where do you see the body modification world going from here?
I think it’s going to keep going strong and build in popularity. Thanks to shows like Miami Ink and L.A Ink who have helped broaden the tattoo artists horizons, in that the exposure to the mainstream has shown non-believers that tattoo has become a legitimate art form. And because of this there is a broader range of clientele getting body art done.
6) Ok, I’m convinced and want you to tattoo me, where can i find you?
You can find me at Osmosis Tattoo, located at 6631 Buswell St. Richmond B.C (604) 270 2442. Thanks a lot! -N.P
IMAGE CREDIT: http://www.chopper-tattoo.com/images/full_body_tattoo.jpg
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This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 6th, 2008 at 7:43 pm and is filed under Arts, City, Culture, Interview, People. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Great interview Nate — I added the pic for ya, and expanded on the title for ya. To see how that was done, just check the code and it’ll be more than transparent.
Keep it up brother.