Page 18 - the NOISE September 2013

Transformation by cover artist Nick lawrence is an example of the new paintings at Tat Fu Tattoo.
in Zen
Tat Fu Tattoo’s yearly September First Fri- day ArtWalk is nearing, and in anticipation of it I caught up with tattoo artists and paint- ers Nick lawrence and Josh Nelson. For Mr. Lawrence, this year will be the 10-year anni- versary of his proprietorship of Tat Fu Tattoo.
When I meet with Mr. Lawrence on a sunny August morning, he is upstairs in the work- ing studio, putting a few last brush strokes upon his painting in progress, Keeper of Nightmares. The painting on the easel is still fresh in his mind from a project begun at a recent artists’ retreat in New Mexico. Though comprised of mostly tattoo artists, the re- treat didn’t focus on the art of tattooing.
“They set up this huge conference room and it was just lined with easels and every- body who was there had a painting they were working on,” Mr. Lawrence tells me. It was an inspiring trip, and Mr. Lawrence got to watch other artists he has admired over the years work.
“A lot of times, for me, going to tattoo con- ventions or artist seminars, or just working along with other artists helps,” he says. “You realize there is a different way to approach the subject, and it just clicks. Honestly, where I learn the most is from other people.”
I ask Mr. Lawrence about the painting chosen for this month’s cover, In Zen there was Light. A woman formed in the mist of the cosmos holds in her hands a brilliant star, seemingly breathing it to being. “We personify God, the creator, as a man,” he tells me. “I think of the big picture of things, this concept of God, a creator, as being more of a balance of masculine and feminine; wear- ing the face of a feminine being. Because in reality women are the ones who give birth;
they are the ones that provide life. This idea of holding a star, creating a star and all of the stars by God’s hands, is more or less giv- ing my own representation of the creator as more of a feminine entity, as opposed to a masculine.”
When the idea for the painting came to him, Mr. Lawrence set up a room with backdrops and lights, and his wife became the model for the subject of the painting. He placed a lamp that lit up a crystal in her hands. “I put a green light behind her,” he tells me. “I used a vapor cigarette to blow smoke into her hands. You could see the light emanating, almost like gas, as if a star was being born. I wanted it to look like she was breathing life into this star.”
Mr. Lawrence tells me of his daily inspira- tion, “Some of the best ideas I come up with are derived from nature and being outside or hiking,” he says. “Sitting on my back porch every morning I drink a cup of coffee, let my dog out and smoke a cigarette; listen to the birds. I just daydream and that’s usually when the coolest ideas come to my head. I jot them down, or sketch them. The hard thing is keeping up with what’s flowing in. I’ve got 10 ideas right now of paintings I want to do; it’s finding the time to do them and to not allow them to escape me. I have to force myself not to start too many paint- ings at once. I want to keep my attention focused on one, because my attention is so divided on a day-to-day basis. As far as inspi- ration goes, you don’t really get to pick the timing of it. It comes out when it’s ready to come out.”
A few days later, I interview Josh Nelson for the first time, though over the years I
have heard about him, as he has been an in- spirational artist for Mr. Lawrence.
Mr. Nelson began tattooing in 1994 on his own, a self-taught artist, he never ap- prenticed under another artist, something he doesn’t recommend to aspiring tattooists.
In 1999 he got a professional job as a tat- too artist in Phoenix. He met Mr. Lawrence in 2001. “I was managing one of the locations of the place I worked for. Nick became the body piercer at the shop I worked for at the time.” While in Phoenix, Mr. Nelson began teaching Mr. Lawrence how to tattoo.
“I never wanted to teach anyone to tattoo until he convinced me,” Mr. Nelson says. “He was my first apprentice. It’s all or nothing when you are dealing with permanent al- tering of someone’s body. It’s not a hobby. When I teach someone to tattoo, they need to want to be one of the best. Teaching someone to tattoo, the mechanics is the smallest part of it, the art is the biggest part of it.”
Alongside the art of tattooing, Mr. Nelson has been painting since he was 16. Versatile, he paints in watercolor, acrylic and oil.
“I’ve been able to draw since I could pick up a crayon,” he tells me of his art. “I’ve worked with many great artists over the years. My art changes in whatever direction I choose for it to go. I don’t like to pigeon hole my- self into one style of painting or tattooing. I want to be a master of it all. I don’t like to put limitations or definitions of what it is I do. I was born to be an artist and that’s all I’ve ever been.”
Mr. Nelson tells me about a recent paint- ing, “I just finished a portrait of Marilyn Mon- roe,” he says. “It is more contemplative. I was
experimenting with brush strokes. I wanted the visual contrast of the smooth gradients of her skin next to the thick lines of her hair.”
To keep his artwork fresh and the creativ- ity flowing, and to prevent “writer’s block,” Mr. Nelson has imagination exercises he prac- tices. He tells me about them. “I do exercises to stimulate my imagination. I draw a line, a squiggly line and the rule is it can’t cross another line. I go back and put in whatever I see.” I watch for a moment as he draws out the lines to practice with. For a moment he studies the curves and sways of the lines, and begins to see images within the negative space, and sketches the images into place.
During the First Friday ArtWalk September 6, Tat Fu Tattoo, 104 E. Route 66, will be dis- playing the art of Nick lawrence and Josh Nelson, along with visiting guest artists. Live music, food and drink will make Tat Fu Tattoo a fun part of the ArtWalk celebration.
TatFuTattoo.com
BoAtS And WAterLine
When I first met Erica vhay I was at her house and she was giving me a large stack of canvases, a case of giant tubes of oil paint, an easel, and a slew of other art supplies. She was taking a break from painting. Five years later I ask her about that time.
“I took a break to focus on building our web design business with my husband, Darryl,” Ms. Vhay tells me. “I was the only designer in the office at 2b designs — and we were becoming busier and busier. As it turned out, the break was shorter lived than I thought — since I missed the creative outlet.”
Ms. Vhay tells me a little more about 2b designs and the recent transformation of the
18 • september 2013 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us