A regular at the Tea Amantes venue, David Simper has become accustomed to walking past the Inkden tattoo parlour, partner business to the tea room and cafe. Now the tattoo artists bring their work to the fore in this exhibition. David was there to review the display and chat to some of the artists.
I don’t have any tattoos myself and most of my knowledge of tattooing comes from reading John Irving’s magnum opus ‘Until I Find You’, but I’ve always admired the skill that goes into this art. The Bob Ross edict, “we don’t make mistakes, we have happy accidents”, doesn’t really apply when you’re marking someone’s skin. Here the Inkden team has transferred its skill from skin to flat paper or canvas presenting a fabulous exhibition, including work from the proprietor and the apprentice.
This work is really quite incredible and reflects the exactingly precise way in which these artists must work in their day jobs. Within a variety of styles, both the clarity of line and shading is outstanding. Some, but not all look like tattoos on paper. Naturally each artist must have their portfolio or ‘flash’. It’s to their credit that they can draw all day and then still have enough energy left to produce work of this nature and quality. The work shows a considerable range of styles and subject matter, some is quite impressionistic, if not ‘loose’.
I spoke to artist Luke Barnes and questioned him about his art and its origins – like how does he manage the transition between tattooing and flat surface art?
“It is quite a hard transition, from any new medium moving on from pencil and paper, which is where I started from. Out there on the web there’s lots of things to research that will help you transition into putting your work onto the skin. For me definitely moving from where I’ve been at, to come into a studio like Inkden, it’s really pushed my ability to become a better artist in general, as well as being a tattoo artist. I can’t thank the Inkden team enough, taking tips from Shamack [proprietor and also with work in the show] and others in tattooing, I can’t fault it – 100%.”
When moving between tattoing and flat surface art, does he vary subject matter?
“Kind of! For me, the best way I found it was, moving from the studio I was at previously to Inkden, I was dabbling into black and grey, fine line, a little bit of colour, and a range of styles. Moving here it was more of a focus on one area. I love black and grey – it holds its own, it never goes out of style, and for me it’s always been a strong point. I’ve devoted a lot to perfecting black and grey. Thanks to the team, it’s been a really fun, but a hard process to transition, and this does reflect in the work. If you are passionate, you will put in the hard work and sacrifice. At the age of 23, there’s a lot of time left to progress.”
How does the need to be so precise when tattooing affect his work?
“When I first started out, everyone gets that natural shake in the hands – you get a little bit of cold feet. The best way to deal with that? My teacher, an incredible artist, put me onto a hand exercise to release any stress and that sorted out any shake that I had. Positioning in tattooing is absolutely key – as long as the client is comfortable, that’s the main priority. Also, if you’re not comfortable as an artist, you’re not going to be stable enough to pull a straight line and do the piece as it should be done. It comes back to drawing – it’s the absolutely vital thing – I’m afraid if you can’t draw it’s very, very hard in this game. It’s a very creative industry.”
Thinking back to school art days, I wondered what Luke’s art teacher thought of his chosen profession.
“Funnily enough I went back with a close friend to my high school, to support a friend’s relative who was starting there. I went into the art room and my teacher had kept a few of my drawings. My teacher said, ‘I’m so happy that you’ve put your art into practice’. She could tell that I had been more than passionate about art, every day I was coming back with drawings – I actually thanked her and bought her flowers for keeping these pieces. We’ve always kept in contact – I honestly can’t thank her enough.”
Thanks to Luke for these insights into his work process and indeed, his artistic origin story.
In a portfolio exhibition situation such as this, it’s important to see more than one perspective. I was introduced to Amy Lockwood, also exhibiting at Tea Amantes and who began work at Inkden in March 2024.
How did Amy manage the transition between tattooing and other media?
“Currently I’m on practice skin, so that’s what I’ve been adjusting to – it is very, very different. It’s a massive difference from being able to adjust mistakes on paper. It’s nerve-wracking. It’s a good learning curve because it’s made me a lot more sure of the marks I make.”
Does Amy deliberately vary her work’s subject matter between tattooing and other work?
“Yes, I like to – in terms of the concept, I do like to make things very different, something that will gain emotion, perhaps less jarring in some ways. I like to alter things so that they are more interesting to look at.”
So what’s the process in selecting material?
“I’ll usually think of my idea first and then I’ll look for my references. Material wise, it just depends on what effect I’m trying to create – it could be pencil, charcoal, paint, whatever I think will give me the effect I want. I’ll definitely mix it up. It all depends on my mood and in what material I think the subject will look best, that’s how I usually decide.”
What is Amy’s favourite school of art?
“I don’t really know. I went to uni to do art, but it’s not really something I’ve looked into. Off the top of my head, I’d like to study somewhere in Italy, the Renaissance masters.”
As I had asked Luke Barnes, I asked Amy what she thought her school art teacher would think of her burgeoning career.
“I think they’d be proud. Perhaps surprised that I’ve gone down such a route as this, because when I was painting at college I did a lot of abstract acrylic paintings. I liked a lot of David Hockney’s work – I was trying to achieve similar things, so I was painting buildings, frame by frame and building them up that way. Now I’m studying to be a tattoo artist, the work is so disciplined. When I decided I wanted an apprenticeship to be a tattoo artist, I started working towards that as an artist before I got this job. This meant a lot of realism, particularly compared to what I used to do at college. I was drawing thick lined pieces and working towards that. Previously I hadn’t drawn or painted a person, or any animals – I only drew or painted buildings.”
Thanks to Amy for her insights and her excellent work.
Tea Amantes was full for this event, the team members having brought their friends. It was a truly joyous occasion. People came and went in the course of the evening. As usual the snacks were excellent, including fresh strawberries. Thanks to the team for putting this together.
This special exhibition will run until 2nd March 2025.
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