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INTRODUCING... |
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Tattoos and Piercing Art Gallery Coming soon... Coffee Shop Salon/Day Spa and more! Grand Opening June 13, 2009 100 E. Main Street, Allegany, NY www.inferno-studios.com |
In This
Issue...
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Introducing
Inferno Studios with co-owner Bob
Price |
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Artist Interviews with...
Bob Price... Jason Ferguson... Amy Vena... Jason Frazier... |
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Special Piercing Interview with Molly Callahan |
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AND... A Letter From the Editor |
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WELCOME TO THE INFERNO... |
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Bob
Price: Me and Ferg, who I’ve known for about 13 years
now, is an artist as well. I was in a band, and that’s how him and I met. We
were doing tattoos all over for gas money and tour money and food money,
stuff like that. We always joked
around and said you know, that we should open a shop, but we should make it
really cool. Basically we have equal ownership.
When you come into the place we want you to be really comfortable, but a
place that makes you want to learn. A place that makes you want to think
about your life, and what you’ve done, things like that. |
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THE
DIVINE COMEDY: Bob and Ferg are basing the entire
business on Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, which consists of three phases;
Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, which coincide with the three phases of
their business, while following the themes of the story. BP:
The
tattoo portion of the business is the Inferno. The Inferno is basically a story
about dealing with your mortality, the fact that you’re going to die, if you
do good things in the world, when you get to purgatory, you’re going to go to
heaven, or going to go to a good place. If you do bad things, obviously
you’re going to go to hell, and the process of going to hell In the Inferno,
there’s layers, and based on what sin you commit, and on those layers going
into the inferno, if you commit suicide they hang you from a tree, locusts
chew on your toes, and really just some really crazy stuff. |
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Purgatorio is going to go next door where the
coffee shop will go. Price says that’s going to be a “Friends” type of place,
with big couches and coffee and pastries, that kind of stuff. |
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Paradiso is going to be a day spa,
with massage, hair and nail salon. We’re going to do a New York City type of
thing like laser hair removal, we also are working with a couple different
health providers to do like corrective hair removal, tattoo removal. If you
want to do any of those things you have to go to a medical environment with nurses
and doctors, and we’ll provide that next door. CHANGING
MINDS: Aside from having a multi-faceted
business, the partners are looking to change the perception of tattoo shops
being an intimidating place to visit.
They want to play to the idea of working with the customer, as opposed
to for the customer BP:
The
biggest problem with tattoo shops that I see is that it’s almost like they’re
doing you a favor. You’re my client, ok, I’m glad you walked in the door,
you’re spending your money with our company. So what we said was let’s look
at all the tattoo shops that we |
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We then looked at all of the things we
thought they were doing wrong, so we made a list of that and said, what are
they doing that we don’t want to do. We spent about $3,000 just for marketing
research. Just to see how much money do we sink into marketing, who do we
attack, what shouldn’t we do, how we should deal with our signs, our logos,
what’s the right thing to do and the wrong thing to do. The biggest thing about the tattoo
industry that never made sense to me, was you walk in the door, with a
drawing, and you say ‘ok, here’s what I’m thinking…’ What’s the first thing
they do? They send you right back out the door again. What they’re saying to
you is that we’ve got nothing for you to do here while you wait, so you have
to leave. So what we’re saying is, ‘dude, jump on the internet, check your
Myspace, check your e-mail, work on a college paper, grab a coffee and chill
for a little bit. If you want to sit here and look over my shoulder and watch
me draw, do that.’ Why would I sit
here and waste 2 hours drawing up something that somebody isn’t going to
like? GET
OUTTA THE WAY Typically when you walk into a tattoo shop, the
first thing you see is wall to wall flash, artwork that is drawn by artists
at the shop or traded with other artists, to give customers idea if they
don’t know exactly what they’re looking for.
Again, Bob and Ferg are going against the grain and ridding themselves
of the wall clutter. |
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it. If you’re a tattoo artist, or if
you’re an artist locally, now you have an outlet to sell your pieces. If you
draw tattoos, not any big pieces, we can scan that and somebody wants to buy
it, and they say I’ll pay 30 bucks for that because I don’t want anyone else
to have it. We’re going to have artists from Rochester to Pittsburgh, mainly.
We said we’re going to do the art studio, for the
ambiance factor. We’re not going to do skulls, we’re not going to do the
traditional biker type tattoo studio. We’re going do canvases representing
Dante’s layers of hell. So if you read the divine comedy, you’d know this was
gluttony, this was suicide, you’d know all those types of things. |
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CLOCKED
IN Along with treating their customers
and storefront differently, their artists will work in an environment
tailored to them. BP: Each artist that works in our
studio will be considered a partner We asked ourselves, how do we get the
good artists? We knew not too many people in the area have female artists on
staff. If they do have them on staff, they are too busy, so we said we were going
to get 2 female artists and 2 male artists instead. We’re also not charging booth rent,
period. All they’re responsible for is
their gun, their line and their inks, needles and stuff like that. We want to
make them feel like they are part of a family, not that they’re here doing us
a service in their little area. We’ll provide electricity, provide the spot,
the security, everything. In addition, Inferno Studios strays
from the norm in compensating their artists... BP:
They’ll
come in they’ll work, and we split commission right now. In 6 months we’re
going to move to a salary base with health benefits. We’re going to be the
only tattoo studio in the world that does that. Anybody that is a good artist would
flock to that. When it’s like that, it’s a good atmosphere. All of us have
children. So it’s a place where our children are going to be able to come
after school, walk through and hang out. We’re going to have a lounge with a
50-inch flat screen (television), and a Playstation 3 and Blu-Ray player. |
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BP: We’re going all digital, there’s
going to be no flash on the walls, no pictures, it’ll all be on a touch
screen. The program for that is just about done. I designed it. We’re making our own point of sale, and
I’ve got a team of guys that are coding everything. When you walk in, there will be a barstool here
and touch screens. The flash database is one thing that makes us unique. If you walk in and you were like, ‘I want
this piece, but I’m kind of on the fence about it because I don’t want anyone
else to have it.’ It takes me 2
seconds to take that out of the database. I can take it out, and let’s say
someone wants to buy the rights to |
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SCHOOL’S
IN Bob and Ferg Also want to use their
business as a learning environment for everyone. BP:
The
way it’s going to carry over is my and Ferg’s big passion is teaching people,
ya know, art classes and things like that.
We did a marketing survey in the area, 80 percent of people didn’t
know what surrealism was, they didn’t know what pointillism was, and they didn’t know what contemporaryism
was. They had no
idea who Salvador Dali was… Are you kidding me, like are you for real? They plan on hosting art government
funded art classes in order to bring artists, teachers and lecturers from all
over to teach their artists and visitors as well. Inferno will be able to pay
their guest lecturers with the help of government funding. BP:
We
can afford to fly them in, feed them, and we can afford to pay them, you know
what I mean. So we can get some real top shelf people to come through those
doors. We’re also doing mandatory art classes
three days a week for all of our artists. It’s not open to the public yet,
but once the coffee shop is up that will change. If somebody wants an apprenticeship, we
don’t charge them 4,000 or 6,000. We don’t make them sign, ok you got to come
here and sweep and do this crap for a year and half before you touch skin.
You’re here, if somebody came in within a week and they’d be tattooing. We’d
show them this is what you need to do; here are the dos and don’ts, things
like that. Why not take a tattoo shop and turn it into a
tattoo studio and incorporate art? A lot of people get stuck on one thing. I
do awesome skulls, ok, what else do you do? It makes me come in and go, |
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‘I have faith in this artist for
skulls, that one for portraits, and that one for traditional.’ If you come in
and you’re looking for something traditional, what happens if that guys not
here? I can’t help you. RAISING
THE BAR BP: So we’re really looking at it like
here’s the bar, and we’re trying to go above it, but at least we need to hit
that by June 13th. Another thing we do is, no ones really
doing traditional pieces in the area. Nobody.
You got to go up to Buffalo, Rochester… that bothers me. There’s some
people in the area who do really good skull work, really good greys. There’s
a place down in Eldred that does phenomenal color work, Phenomenon tattoos.
They’re good people. A lot of tattoo artists are like gang
bangers, and they don’t want to do work together, and we’re talking about
featuring other tattoo artists from other studios. Help them generate revenue. TOO
LEGIT BP:
So
we’re responsible, the artist is responsible; we’re giving them all of these
things for free. You have to be OSHA certified. You have to know CPR. We have a registered nurse, our piercer,
Molly Callahan. There’s going to be a nurse curtain, you can pull it around,
and she’s got her own sink and everything right here. She’s certified. All of
our artists have to be certified. You
don’t have to be certified in NYS, but here you have to be. The way we
designed the front the way we did is that we have nothing to hide. |
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Left to right: Bob Price,
Jennifer Price, Jason Ferguson, Jason Frazier, Molly Callahan, Amy Vena |
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KEEP
IT IN THE BUILDING In order to optimize demand space,
Inferno Studios will provide something for everyone..... BP:
You come into a lot of studios, you come in and you have nothing to do. Here,
let’s say 2 of your buddies want to get tattoos. What are you going to do? You’re going to
leave. But the cool thing is, once all the
facets are up, let’s say you come in with your girl, one of your friends
wants to get a tattoo, and you say you want to watch a movie, and your girl
says, I don’t want to watch a movie, I’m going to go get my nails done, she
could walk through the coffee shop, grab a coffee and get her nails done, or
get a massage. You give everyone
something to do, and the money stays inside the building. So we’re looking at
it like that, instead of looking at it just like a tattoo place, which
essentially it is. A
PINK TURD? BP:
What
we’re trying to do is stay away from the original scenario, which is, you can
take a turd, and you can paint it pink, ok, and it’s still a turd. What
we’re trying to do is actually take a turd, and actually turn it into a pink turd,
you know what I mean? I know it’s kind of funny, but you
know what I mean. MAINSTREAM With tattoos becoming more acceptable
everywhere, Bob has seen where body art has been, and how far it has come... BP:
I have tattooed huge owners of corporations, it’s changing, ok. People want
them (tattoos). Yeah they can’t wear them on their face, they can’t wear them
on their hands at board meetings and stuff but it’s becoming more acceptable.
Why I think that is because they are
focusing more on the subject of body mods (modification), like “that’s crazy”
and maybe tattooing isn’t really all that bad. Plus you’ve got the older
generation of people, this is just what I’ve seen, you’ve got these older
generation people and they’ve got these Navy and Army Tattoos from WWII and
WWI, and they’re ashamed of them, most of them anyway. They won’t show
them. My father still wears a long sleeve
shirt all the time. Because he has one eagle tattoo and I’m always like,
“Dad, let’s fix that up,” and he always says no. It’s a typical story, got
drunk, was here on port, got off the boat, went in, a bunch of our buddies
were drunk and we all got the same tattoo.
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ATTITUDE
ADJUSTMENT Bob has high (and extreme) hopes for
the future of the tattooing industry... BP:
Perceptions
are changing because of generations. Generation X really changed a lot of
things. Because it went from why is my father and my grandfather ashamed to
show their tattoos, to I want to get a tattoo and I’m going show it. To our
age, and our kids saying this is acceptable, and I think the generation lasts
between the 2. And guys like me, I have no problem with body modification. To
each their own. If that’s the way you express yourself, that’s awesome.
Personally, I would never do that. I don’t like piercings, but I offer them
as a service, because in this business, you have to offer everything.
The way I look at body modification is
that 20, 40 years from now, there’s going to be something new, and we’re
going to look at that like it’s nothing.
Like now they’re tattooing eyeballs, WOW, I mean wow. Me personally,
would I get my eyeball tattooed, no, but it intrigues me. When I look at that
situation I don’t say that’s really weird and I never want to see this again,
I look at it and I say, “I need to find someone that’s going to be able to do
this if somebody wants their eyeball tattooed. If someone has full sleeve tattoos, it
doesn’t mean you shouldn’t trust them with your daughter. People like to express themselves. It’s a
form of art. People don’t look at it like that. People look at it like a form of body
mutilation which it’s not. I want to change that perception. So how do you do that? I want to create a place whose demographic
is 18 to 100, which I believe that this place will be. An 80 or 90 year old walks in the door, they’re
going to chill on the couch, have a coffee, and be interested in what’s going
on. That’s how you teach them. Not by them walking in and seeing all of this
crazy stuff and freaking them out. N |
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Artist
Profile: Bob Price |
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What
initially interested you in the tattoo business? BP:
Basically, like I said, it is a form of art. I went to the art institute in
Pittsburgh, I learned a lot there, and outside of there I learned a lot more.
When I met my business partner, Ferg, who’s is majoring in art history and
art education, he’s got a lot going on and he really opened my eyes to a lot
even further. What drove me to the business is, I like tattoos, they are
addictive to me. I have 16 of them on
my body, you don’t see them all. They’re in a place that are all mine, I’m
not like wearing them everywhere. What intrigues me is that it’s a form of
self-expression, and no one can EVER take that out of your body. To me it is
definitely a form of artwork, it’s a skill, it’s a craft, there’s some really good artists, there’s
some really bad artists but that’s all in the perception, because art is art.
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you ever do a formal apprenticeship with a shop? BP:
I apprenticed under Ferg for the past 13 years. I will always be an
apprentice. The way I look at this, the term apprentice needs to change. The
description, the term apprentice usually means, you’re going to come in, and
I’m going to treat you any way that I want to, make you do whatever I want
you to do, and for that, you get to learn.
I think you should learn right out of the gate, and you should learn
right.
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I will always learn. If you can teach
me something about my drawing ability, I’m good with skulls, you’re good with
traditional, and this guy over here is good with portraits. There’s no reason
why I can’t learn to do portraits better from this guy. I’m learning, I’m
still an apprentice. What
did your family and friends initially think about you getting into tattoos? BP:
My family was very supportive. My
family was very supportive. Ferg’s family was also very supportive. My wife
who’s the finance director she does a lot of the paperwork that most people
don’t want to do, her family is very supportive. A lot of people who don’t have any tattoos
and probably never would were still very supportive. And that made me feel
even better because that was like this could be a good thing, because they
could see potential. A lot of my
friends, my hardcore friends would call me right dead out on the carpet, like
you’re making a mistake, not one bad thing from any of them. Everyone was
very supportive. What
is your favorite part about the business? BP:
The
people, the clients, and listening to their stories, where they are from,
what do they do, where they got their tattoo at, what the experience was
like. It forces me how to make this business better because someone comes in
and says “oh my god, these 2 elephants tattooed on my back and I think they
went too deep and I didn’t really feel comfortable” things like that. I look
at it like, ok, make sure we don’t do this, and make sure we don’t do this.
It’s a constant reminder, if you’re doing something wrong, I know we won’t do
that. I’ve met some really cool people who were really influential in the
world, most of the people that I’ve met who have an open enough mind who look
at it as a form of art and want to do that to their body, they’re movers and
shakers. They’re doing good things. It’s refreshing. I’ve seen people who do
not have enough money to buy groceries or a house, and come in that want a
tattoo. So no matter what the state of the economy is, a business like this
will survive. |
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Why
are you most excited about opening your own shop? BP:
It’s
like buying a ship. You can direct and control that ship, to where you think
it should go. If you work in another shop, someone else is the director;
someone else is driving the ship. If they don’t have an open mind, there’s
really nothing you can do to change that. A lot of times you will meet
resistance. Here, anything you want to
try, anything, we’re going to do it. We’re going to do a clothing line, we’re
going to do skis and snowboards, and stuff like that. We’ve been working’ on
a lot of stuff. Because the only revenue we have here cannot be solely on
tattoos. If you’re going to survive and if you want to be a big name, we’ll
see how far I can take this. If
someone else comes in and says what about this, and maybe that’ll be the next
big thing. Basically just creating a pool of resources for these people. If they want to go to another studio, or
open up one of their own, I will help them do that. |
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What
artists, tattooist or not, have influenced you the most? BP:
Mainly Ferg has been my biggest influence. What I’m drawn to, just because of
my business right now… look at Ed Hardy, Sailor Jerry, and they take in
drawings, however they did it, and they took the old school drawings and
repackaging it and reselling it and making it a business. There’s one side of
me that respects the business side of an individual, and the other side that
respects the artist aspect. How
do you think the mainstream media has affected the tattoo business? BP:
It’s
helped and it’s hurt. The media has a huge stronghold, positive and negative.
The ratio is changing. Now the mainstream media is allowing people to take
their shirts off and show a huge tribal piece. People are starting to let
loose, and saying ok we’ve gone this far, how can we push the envelope a
little further to keep people entertained. Back when I was a kid you never
saw tattoos on TV, ever. That’s when I say that generation lapse, guys like
you and me in our age, and guys a little bit older, and a little younger,
they’re controlling the media now, not our fathers and our grandfathers. So I
think as a generation lapse, next generation, you’ll start to see more piercing. Least
favorite? BP:
A lot of what I’ve seen, and this is just my perception is that artists, and
a lot of people that I’ve dealt with, to get the team that I’m with now which
is an amazing, family-oriented team of people, a lot of tattoo artist don’t
have huge of sense of direction. They want the world, but they don’t know how
to get it. Thank god I found the team I have now, because I don’t see them
going anywhere. I didn’t make them sign anything that they couldn’t leave. My
feeling is if that I create a good environment that they’ll stay. And if they
don’t, what can we do to change it, or do you just need to move on? My least favorite would have to be some of
the artists that I’ve met and some of the drama that comes with it. It’s going
to be fun. We’re creating an
environment where we’re going to want to work. I don’t want to make someone else
rich. All my life I’ve been making other guys rich. It’s time to make some
money for us. N |
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Artist
Profile: Jason Ferguson (FERG) |
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Do
you have any hang-ups about opening up in a town like Allegany? JF:
Well,
the town is so small, and you know how people in small towns get. Everybody
talks. There’s always drama like that, but it’s a pretty small hang-up. I
don’t like drama, and I do everything I can to try to stay away from it. How
long do you think that inferno studios will become THE place to go to in this
area for tattoos? JF:
Six
months to a year. Hell, I hope its opening day. What
do you do Outside of tattooing? JF:
Well, I’m an artist so I do a lot of painting, sculpting, I’m also a
musician… standup bass player, singer. I go to a lot of shows. I also like to
get really drunk on Jack (Daniels). Ya know, Typical American things! How
has the media affected the tattoo industry? JF:
In
retrospect, it’s definitely helped. Shows like Inked, Miami ink, and LA Ink
have opened people’s eyes to tattoos. It’s becoming a lot more socially
acceptable. It used to be that
sideshow freaks, sailors or Native Americans were the only ones with
tattoos. Now, when you go to a wedding
and you usually
see tattoos everywhere.
I don’t need to become famous, I
just want to do good tattoos. |
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Jason
“Ferg” Ferguson, co-owner of Inferno Studios, sat down with MTM to talk about
the world of tattoos and drinking whiskey… What
is your favorite part about tattooing? JF:
It’s
an expression of duality with art and life. I love working with the client
and their art. I also love it because
it’s something that you can never lose.
Everything else you can lose… Your car, your woman, your cat, your
dog. My least favorite part is drunk, smelly guys, for sure. What
are you most excited for at Inferno? JF:
Working with the community, Allegany is a very nice place. I want to show
them my world, I want them to show me theirs. What
hopes do you have for your new business? JF:
If
everything goes right, want Jay or Amy to open up another branch wherever
they’d like. I’d also like them to be
able to travel. That’s a big thing, getting out. I want everyone to be happy. Obviously I’d like to see it flourish. I
want to pump out solid work. |
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What’s the most memorable
tattoo you’ve given? JF: It was a laughing clown
holding a snake eating a bunny on some tall ass 300-lb dude. He was a
security guard at a bar, so I guess it was pretty fitting. I’ve given a lot
of tattoos, so it’s hard to pick one. Where do you see the art of
tattooing in the future? JF: It all depends on the next prodigy. It’s always
fluctuating, like any art. It all depends on where it happens, East coast,
West coast, or in Europe, but I see it flourishing, the (tattoo) style
itself. |
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What advice would you give to
someone trying to get into the tattooing business? JF:
I wouldn’t tell them anything. First I’d ask why. I’d rather see stuff (artwork). If their
stuff is up to par, I’d say work on your line work with a fine tip pen, and
make sure that’s what they want to for the rest of their life. But yeah, I’d
probably stick to why. What do you think you’ll learn
the most from working at Inferno Studios? JF: Probably the whole shop
experience itself, actually being the person in charge of everything. I think
I’ll also learn a lot from teaching art classes and stuff. I’ve taught a few classes before but pretty
informally. |
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What do you have to offer the
Inferno family? JF: The world… One thing I offer is
not getting trapped in one particular style.
There’s always a style that a lot of artists and tattoo shops that
conform to when it comes to tattoos. What I want them to do is look outside
the tattoo realm also and admire other artists. Once we building off that, I want us to
share ideas and as the company grows, I want to take everybody that I work
with and I want to travel with them to different conventions around the US,
learn more about the history. And to
take it another step further, go to another continent, go to Europe, learn
things over there. I want to experience some different things, I want to go
to France, I’ve already been to Italy and I’d love to take everyone there The
sky is the limit, once we get the coffee shop and hair salon, once everything
starts progressing, I’d really like to try to be a different kind of
business, a different kind of income for everybody. Not only are they going to get money income,
but they’re also going to have something that inspires their minds, something that will keep
pushing their brain to the outer limits, so they don’t feel trapped in the
mundane everyday bullshit. N |
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Artist
Profile: Jason Frazier |
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What
initially attracted you to tattoos? The art side of it,
and the freedom that comes with it. What
was your first tattoo? The inside of my lip , I got the
words “xjockrockx”, With 2 of my closest friends at the
time. |
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What
initially interested you in the business? The freedom of
the industry, plus it’s something I just truly enjoy! Did
you ever do a formal apprenticeship with a shop (where, for how long)? No,
never anything formal. I just tattooed with friends that’s tattooed, learned
the basics from them, and went on from there. What
did your family and friends initially think about you getting into tattoos?
They were initially supportive to an extent, but then they got nervous ‘cause
they feel like tattooing isn’t really a job.
It is. What
is your favorite part about tattooing? Everything about
them! Least
favorite? When people don’t take care of their
tattoos. I can’t stand when I spend a lot of time giving someone a good
tattoo and they come back a few months later and it looks like crap because
they didn’t bother with aftercare. What
tattoo artist has been your biggest influence? Sailor Jerry Collins. What
do you think you’ll learn about most working at Inferno Studios? Everything
I hope, I have so much to learn. If
you don’t think you can learn anymore, then you should probably just stop! What
do you have to offer to the Inferno family?
A good personality, and some traditional tattoo work. What’s
your favorite style of tattoos? Traditional for sure! What
advice would you give to someone trying to get into tattooing? Practice, practice, practice, get an
apprenticeship, and just draw! Stay busy with it! N |
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Piercer:
Molly Callahan |
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Molly
Callahan, registered nurse and Inferno Studio’s lone piercing technician talks
about her job, changing peoples’ perceptions about body piercing, and being
Ferg’s baby mama (Just kidding ladies! LOL). Why
did you get into piercing? MC:
It was the quest to be cool, of course. What
was your first piercing? MC:
My
first body piercing was my tongue. What
initially interested you in this line of work? MC:
Honestly,
the idea that I could make good money without having to greatly compromise or
alter my personal style or behavior definitely had the most to do with it. Did
you ever do a formal apprenticeship with a shop? MC:
I
apprenticed with Warrior in Philadelphia PA… It was so long ago I can’t
recall how long my apprenticeship was, several months anyway. Now
Philadelphia County requires a 19 month apprenticeship I believe. What
did your family and friends initially think about you getting into piercing? MC:
Well,
I was in Philly and they were in Olean so I can’t be sure but I think there
was a fair amount of head shaking, like, “what’s that silly girl doing this
time.” My mother is a Registered Nurse and was of course concerned with
exposure to blood bourn pathogens. My dad just thinks I’m a rock star! What’s
the best aspect of piercing? MC:
Those
times when I have changed someone’s opinion of what I do. Often it would be a
skeptical mother with her daughter who wants her navel pierced. Many people
still carry the notions that body artists or only are burly biker guys
working with a cigarette hanging out of their mouth. I like to be the new
face of body mod, professional, courteous, and more meticulous about
sanitation and sterility than their family doctor. I don’t like to take myself too seriously
but I do really appreciate
the role people allow me to play in their lives. |
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What’s
the worst part? MC:
Poor
hygiene and opportunistic creepy guys are pretty high on my list. Shop rivalries suck too, I prefer to live
and let live. |
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Is
there any correlation between nursing and piercing? MC:
Well,
I wouldn’t call it a correlation.
Obviously both professions require handling of potentially
bio-hazardous materials. They both require use of sharp implements, I try not
to say the N-word (needle) and maintaining sterile procedure and educating a
client, or in the nurses case, patient.
As a piercer it is very important not to blur that line between body
artist and medical practitioner. Medical questions should always be deferred
to the experts, preferably a piercing friendly one. What
do you think you’ll learn about most working at Inferno Studios? MC:
Well
hopefully I’ll learn a lot about a lot, there’s so many people to learn from.
Bob and Jen are the business, and Ferg’s an amazing artist. This will be my
first time calling all the shots from suppliers to pricing to apprenticing.
The whole thing is exciting, so I
don’t dare guess what I’ll learn most. What
do you have to offer to the Inferno family? Well it’s widely known that I’m Ferg’s
future baby mama… just kidding. A little insanity I hope. Do
you see yourself learning to do different types of body mods as time goes on?
Yes... You’ve got to keep abreast of
the trends you know. |
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What
advice would you give to someone trying to get into piercing? Don’t sell yourself or your potential
client short by not getting proper training. Apprenticeships are key, and
always keep learning? What’s
next in the body piercing industry? I guess I’ll find out in May when I go to the convention. 700+ body piercing professionals in the same place, can you imagine! Honestly as non-exciting as it sounds I hope its national regulatory legislation. And more Bling! N |
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Artist
Profile: AMY VENA |
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What
initially attracted you to tattoos? AV:
I
love the style of expression. Being an artist, obviously I’m attracted to
expressing my emotions and individuality visually. I think most tattoos are
beautiful and a great way to represent yourself. What
was your first tattoo? AV:
My
first tattoo was a traditional cross. I enjoy the beauty and balance in
Christian art. I will always proclaim my faith and relationship to God. What
initially interested you in the business? AV:
I
am very interested in art and the society that surrounds it. From paintings
to photography, to tattoos, I love it all. I think I was drawn towards
tattooing because, as a biology buff, I have a biology minor |
from St. Bonaventure University, I
have a strong affiliation for laboratory and surgical procedures. I love
conducting things in a process, I think that’s one of the reasons I like
drawing and painting too, because you develop and build a piece of artwork.
Anyways, Tattooing blends the serious procedural aspect with the beauty and
art of decorating a human body. Did
you ever do a formal apprenticeship with a shop (where, for how long)? AV:
Actually,
not yet. I recently went to the Tattoo Learning Center in Rotterdam, NY. It
is a licensed tattoo school/studio by the NYS Education Department and
Schenectady County Department of Health.
It was an intense two-week program that taught the fundamentals of
tattooing. It was a great experience. It was awesome to learn from people who
were willing to teach you the art of tattooing. Everyone, from the teachers to the
clients were |
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great. In two weeks I managed to
complete 20 tattoos, and since returning to the area, and while waiting for
Inferno Studios to open, I have been working on building a private studio and
have completed three more tattoos. What
was the experience like giving your first tattoo? AV:
I
was so nervous. I’ll never forget it. I have to send a personal ‘thank you’
out to Lisa Fasulo, because she helped me through it. If I can say ‘I was
scared Shitless,’ but I knew it was something I really wanted to do. I think
every time is an adrenaline rush because you’re applying a permanent mark on
someone’s body and you want every line to be the best you can produce. Now I
can’t stop tattooing. What
is your favorite part about tattooing? AV:
I
think I enjoy every part, but I particularly enjoy coloring or shading. I
love bright colors and organic lines. Rulers and straight edges don’t apply
to any of my artwork. I love the curve of the human body; it’s definitely
different then a piece of paper or canvas. I even love that everybody is
different and the individuality of people’s concepts. |
What
do you think you’ll learn about most working at Inferno? AV:
I think it will be a great learning experience for me because I’ve just begun
tattooing. I hope to learn more about the mechanics of my machines. I’ve
already learned so much from these guys, and I look forward to every
opportunity in the future to learn. What
do you have to offer to the Inferno family? AV:
I
have a great art background and I love it. I definitely have a traditional
fine arts flare to my work. My work encapsulates delicate lines and colorful
pieces. And not to sound too “chicky” but I actually enjoy tattooing,
flowers, butterflies and fairies etc... Organic (custom) pieces are
definitely something I can offer. What’s
your favorite style of tattoos? AV:
Good Portraits are definitely something I will always admire. My favorite
style is definitely ornate, floral pieces. I’m inspired by a lot of artwork
with a Japanese flare to it because I love the infusion of nature and
society. What
advice would you give to someone trying to get into tattooing? AV:
Get into it. Don’t let anyone hold you back or tell you otherwise. Be
yourself, and always find someone who is willing to work and teach you. There
are many places that are willing to teach you. I was very lucky to have the
opportunity to learn from a few great tattoo artists. |
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