Page 17 - the NOISE October 2012

Blood Money by Nick Lawrence is one of the cover artist’s more recent forays into realms of mythology and realism.
THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING
“It’s nice to get some exposure as a painter as opposed to strictly as a tattoo artist,” Nick Lawrence tells me. “It allows me to exercise ideas I can’t necessarily pursue as a tattoo artist, because as a tattoo artist I work on commission. Essentially it’s my job to be the medium into which I give my clientele my in- terpretation of what they are trying to invoke or convey. Painting to me is my ability to con- vey what I have inside.”
On the cover is a painting by Mr. Lawrence and his long-time friend Josh Nelson.
“Josh Nelson has been my mentor from the very beginning,” Mr. Lawrence tells me. “He’s the one who helped me get my foot in the door and continues to inspire and teach me. The painting on the cover was a collabora- tion. The concept was actually derived be- cause we were asked to do a live painting at a Firefly event. It was at the Green Room and the theme of the show was Anahata, or the Heart Chakra. Josh and I wondered what we could do, and collectively came up with an idea of doing an anatomical heart in the center of an elliptical plane of a galaxy.
“I lean more towards metaphorical surreal- ism and I wanted to convey the idea that we all as human beings on this planet tap into this universal source, this global or collec- tive consciousness. As artists we kind of go through moments of highs and lows trying to get into our rhythm. When we’re really tap into that heart; that, for me, is what this paint- ing invokes. It’s huge, and the gravity of that energy is immeasurable and it’s always there to take from. It’s not even a matter of taking
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interpretation of it. It’s a very refined prod- uct by the end of it because I’m very detailed oriented and I want to make sure I’m truly conveying what it is they are trying to invoke.”
When Mr. Lawrence tattoos, he sets high expectations for his work, “It’s not a canvas you can paint over. Once it’s there, it’s there,” he considers. “I want to give them a product they’re proud of.”
The paintings and the artist himself can be found at Tat-Fu Tattoo, located at 104 E. Route 66. TatFuTattoo.com
A DOLL’S HOUSE
“What do you think people will say?”
“We must pretend nothing has changed — but only in public.”
“Nothing is wrong. Don’t think about it. Just forget.”
Imagine a warm house on a winter’s day. It’s beautiful, it’s immaculate. Every perfect thing is in its place, even the people who live there. They are play acting in their own lives. They never show a trace of genuine feeling, nor do they attempt to. Outside the ground may be covered with snow. It might be so thick it would be folly to go out in it.
There’s an undertone of tension in the room. A secret so heavy it makes its own indentation on the sofa between the couple pretending their lives are perfect, their mar- riage is perfect.
CONTINUED ON 18
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st of their lives is an honor and I value that. “I also really enjoy the collective being we have with each other. They give me an idea or concept and it’s my job to give them my
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and to be loving and compassionate.”
“It was a really cool process,” he continues, “I feel like I have walked in his shadow for the last ten years. He’s a phenomenal artist and I have so much gratitude towards him and admiration for his ability to create the way he does. He has such a beautiful mind and imagination. It was really cool to sit down with him at that painting in particular, he led the dance and I just worked with him. We were painting on the same canvas at the
same time.”
“I love working with other artists. You feed
off this collective energy and it’s like this snowball effect and at the same time helps you refine your technique. It was an awe- some experience and I would love to con- tinue doing stuff like that.”
Mr. Lawrence fills me in on his life this past year, “It’s been a very interesting year for me. I got married this year and went on a nice honeymoon. Going through all of that and really solidifying aspects of my personal life provided me with a clairvoyance for my art; a direction and an inspiration internally to suc- ceed and to also sharpen my skills as an artist.”
“I participated in the 10 by 10 show at the Coconino Center for the Arts,” he tells me, “Which was a really cool opportunity to be
surrounded by and included in a room with so many talented artists. I think all artists are seeking some sort of validation and inspira- tion from the art community around them. One of my clients was doing some media work for the show and he was the one who
that came in as a class project and their in- structor asked them to write about one of the paintings in the room,” he says. “About 8 or 9 kids wrote about the painting I had done, which was really cool and flattering. As an artist I’m very critical of my own work and the piece I had chosen to put into that show was really different from most of the other art that was hanging on the walls. It was more of a political piece, a painting of a dollar bill with blood on it. I felt more self-conscious than I ever felt being surrounded by these talented artists and having such a different subject matter. I didn’t really know what the line of appropriateness was, but I wanted to create something that was thought provoking and evoked an emotion in somebody when they viewed it.”
He tells me of his career as a tattoo artist. “Tattooing, for myself, has quite a few levels of gratification that I derive from it. I provide a
service for my community, my friends, fam- ily and even people I don’t know. In a lot of cases, a tattoo artist provides closure for that individual depending on the subject matter of the tattoo. It’s a boost of self-esteem and to me that’s really gratifying. I feel I am truly making an impact on the people around me.
“You can buy a lot of things with your mon- ey, very few of those things do you take with you to the grave, and a tattoo is one of the only ones. They are the last suit you wear. I hold that with high regard. For someone to choose me out of the infinite sea of tattoo artists these days, to be a part of them for the
thenoise.us • the NOISE arts & news magazine • OCTOBER 2012 • 17