“In an effort to keep a good life balance, and preserve my health and sanity, I’ve made a lot of decisions that aren’t typical for the tattoo world,” admits Esther Garcia.
Decisions like the one to stop accepting client requests. “I exclusively offer my own projects for people to choose from,” she says, explaining, “The primary benefit is that I get to work with clients who are very comfortable with my process. Even if they are not experienced tattoo collectors, they have done their research and are happy to put themselves in my hands.”
It may be an unconventional approach, but it has certainly been a fulfilling one. “It’s an honour and a joy to work like this and it’s great to show up for work and know we’re both so excited to be there,” she continues. “I used to feel so much pressure to ‘mind-read’ to some degree, to please the client — this method seems to sidestep that entirely, so I can rest easier and do my work in a more relaxed frame of mind.”
What’s more, “it allows me to guide the content of my portfolio and be very specific about the techniques and skills I am working on. When I want to add a new technique to my toolbox, I can offer projects that allow me to carefully experiment until I have mastered the technique, then I can highlight it in my next offerings.”
So, about twice a year, Garcia posts designs to her website for fans to snap up and “when the resulting tattoos and their spin-offs aren’t keeping me busy enough, I’ll offer more. I feel more lively and creative when I work this way and it shows in my tattoos,” she notes, revealing, “I don’t think I’ll go back to generally opening my books for client submissions again — I’m enjoying myself way too much this way!”
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Ask Here Part Two
With the release of Tattooing Ask Hereâa collection of original and traditional flash, interview, stories and photographs detailing the tattoo history of Felix Leuâwe took the spectacularly well-timed opportunity to speak to Loretta Leu about the book and her life with Felix. The following concludes our time well spentâŠ
The SERPENTS of BIENVILLE
SEAN HERMANâS TRANSFORMATIVE TATTOO
SAVED BY INK
Carlos âLozâ Oliveros has never had any shortage of passion or drive. Inspired by his father, a pro fighter and DIY tattooer, Oliveros started boxing when he was just six years old, then picked up tattooing at 16. All the while surrounded by the realities of Miamiâs Mexican gang culture. Saved by tattooing, Oliveros chose to follow a different path than most of his peers. A path heâs now sharing on a VH1 docu-series called Cartel Crew
THE PRODUCER
Itâs no surprise at all to run into a guy like Russ Russell. Pretty much every tattoo artist I talk with cites music as a massive influence on their work and lives in general. But while, for most of them, music is a passionâan inspiration, even, for their day job at the tattoo shopâfor Russ itâs almost the other way around. Music is his day job, Russ having worked as both a producer and musician for many years, with tattooing coming later on down the line
Why Is That First Tattoo Encounter So Terrifying?
There is something about getting that very first tattoo that will always make you feel a little bit sick when you walk through the door
The Serpents Of Bienville - Sean Herman's Transformative Tattoo
âThere is probably nothing more menacing or dangerous than an individual who is devoid of compassion or empathy. When this individual is permitted by community apathy and bias to successfully cloak himself in the attire of one who claims allegiance to his or her Creator, it becomes the moral imperative of those who lay witness to the peril to step up before it is too late. Until such a time when domestic violence and sexual assault are eradicated for good, the perpetrators of these deplorable acts will continue to cause unspeakable harm as Evilâs welcomed ambassadors and Tyrannyâs strongest ally.â
The Eternal River
Through impact-laden encounters between ornamental and figural imagery, tattooist Aron Dubois has developed a self-sourced visual language that openly explores symbology, spirituality and surrealism in an effort to âdrink from the eternal riverâ and return to what the Colorado-native defines as âthe sourceâ. Drawing much of his inspiration from esoteric literature, mythic archetypes and the natural world, Dubois has spent his decadelong relationship with the craft âdigging for the grail of tattooingâ. Here, Dubois demystifies his âoptimistic escape attemptâ from the addictive dangers of digital tools, and the answers he finds in nature when allowing the walls that stand between himself and the world to dissolve
Palm Reader
For centuries we have looked to our palms as a valuable source of information, a complex blueprint of oneâs identity, both physical and spiritual. The latter has seen the palm as a bodily map for instigating premonitions, with its many criss-crossing lines foretelling either a joyful life or a foredooming resolution
Japanese Whispers
He is one of the most gifted Japanese tattooers of his generation. From the region of Niigata in the North-East of Japan, he's spreading the beauty of Japanese tattoo culture. All tattoo lovers praise his complex and very detailed compositions which adorn the bodies of some very lucky collectors, but after 20 years, Tomo is ready to move onâŠ
Rule Breaker
Esther Garcia plays by her own rules â she always has and always will. Even with two decades of experience, the Chicago-based artist still finds ways to push herself and innovate. Whether itâs juxtaposing two unexpected styles (she fuses blackout work with botanical imagery inspired by Dutch Masters beautifully) or offering a unique tattoo curation service in which she doesnât actually tattoo, Garcia isnât afraid to take risks. What else is up her sleeve? We tracked her down to find out.
