Classifieds

For my next victim, I caught up with tattoo artist Jason Tyler Grace, currently working out of Idle Hand in beautiful San Francisco. Jason began his career in Greensburg, Pennsylvania working with Daniel Weyandt and Tom Sinnamond at Animus Tattoo. Since that time he moved to California and has worked at various shops, until he landed contentedly at Idle Hand. Jason usually travels once a month, upcoming guest spots include, August at Cow Poke Tattoo Buffalo, NY, in Minneapolis, MN in October and at Steady Tattoo and in Pittsburgh, PA in November at Independent Tattoo. Check out his custom website http:// jasontylergrace.com for more news, tattoos and amazing art!



TN: Your artwork currently featured on your site reflects a modern, dramatic approach. Growing up, what type of art were you attracted to?

JTG:

I wasn’t really attracted to art as a kid; I mean I drew all the time, but I never saw paintings or drawings that moved me. As I got older I began to discover all types of artists and not just visual artist but artists of all types; just people who do what they do and do it well. Like R. Crumb, Charles Bukowski, Jean Michelle Basquiat, Hunter S Thompson, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Eigon Schielle, Van Gough, Picasso, Matisse etc... anybody who stayed creative through out their life is inspirational to me.TN: Were you exposed to tattoos as an art form as a kid? Do you remember your first reactions?



JTG:

No one I knew really had any tattoos. My mom hated them, her boyfriends never had any or anything, she used to draw some on me when I was kid; she’s a good artist, but she hated them. When I was in high school I saw a couple kids getting tribal stuff and I thought it was pretty cool. It wasn’t until I went to live in Boston that I saw some amazing stuff by the likes of

Corey Kruger.

TN:

What drew you to begin tattooing?

JTG:

I wanted to tell people about Jesus and I wanted to be cool. No seriously Right after I got out of high school I scraped into a college in Boston, that’s where I saw my first really impressive work and it gave me the inkling to start thinking about what I could get. So on a trip home to Connecticut over Christmas I got my first real tattoo from Jerry Issel at Studio Zee. I was hooked, I asked them about how I could get into it ... how I could start tattooing.

In a grander scheme I think I saw a sense of community that I had been looking for. La Familia. I wanted in, I wanted to be a part of it. I liked feeling different from people without tattoos and I enjoyed the connection that tattooed people share.

TN:

From the beginnings of your career as a tattoo artist, what other tattoo artists influenced you?

JTG:

In the beginning I wanted to be like Joe Capobianco and Eric Merrill they left a huge impression on me.

TN:

What type of art background do you have?

JTG:

I went to the School Of The Museum Of Fine Arts in Boston and dropped out and within 6 months. I left to start an apprenticeship in Connecticut. I was straight outta high school and

Didn’t have the discipline to make that schoolwork for me, they had portfolio reviews at the end of the semester and they reviewed my work and I had done so little. Every one else had massive amounts of work piled up and I had a small stack of insignificant work. I guess I left because I had to start tattooing; it was calling my name.

TN:

Starting out, what did you find most challenging?

JTG:

Getting the color to stay in and not scarring people.

TN:

If you could tell your starting out self one thing you’ve learned, what would it be?

JTG:

It’s all about networking.

TN:

What type of work do you find the most rewarding?

JTG:

I like most anything, as long as I can be creative with it.

TN:

What type of tattooing is the most challenging now?

JTG:

The machine aspects of it can give me a hard time, but I’m learning how to take care of

that.

TN:

Do you have a style in which you prefer to work?

JTG:

As long as the client and I can talk about what they want and we can brainstorm then my style

should come out in the piece. I don’t try to do anything different I just do it the way I would normally draw it.

TN: What are the elements of a tattoo that really get you psyched to do a particular piece?

JTG:

I just like when it looks powerful. I like when you can tell what the hell is going on, I think a lot of stuff is too busy and not readable. So if it flows well on the body or just looks intense

and dramatic I’m down.

TN:

Where do you get your artistic inspiration?

JTG:

Weed, wine, depression.

TN:

Can you share a guiding philosophy behind your art?

JTG:

I wish I could.

TN:

Your site features a selection of artwork along with your tattoo gallery. What media are you attracted to, and what subject matter?

JTG:

I have a really hard time painting lately. The cup is empty, but if I’m painting I think I’m happiest just making a mess on the canvas.

TN: What most recent tattoo have you found the most exciting and rewarding?

JTG: I just got back from a convention in Pomona CA. and did some neo traditional kind of stuff and I got so excited. A lot of the tattoos that I do are hyper serious and have a lot of weight to them and while I was down there for the convention I realized I was missing out on a huge part of tattooing, which is doing fun good looking stuff, stuff that doesn’t hold a lot of meaning but just looks fucking sick. The one that got me the most excited was a girl who asked me to take the old Dear John design of the hand holding the letter and give it my own twist. That was great.TN:

What should someone who is considering getting a tattoo from you know?

JTG:

That I am really very swell.

TN:

What is makes someone a good client?

JTG:

A dream client tells me what it is they want and lets me come up with the design. They don’t ask me to change this or that, or add this at the last minute. And they sit well, and they don’t smell, and they don’t question me along the way. They like to get a drink after we finish a long session.

TN:

Thanks for your time Jason, I’ll look for you on the road on the east coast!