Instinctive Ink: New Jersey’s Inkwell

Posted: July 1st, 2009 | Author: Chris Jirau | Filed under: Lifestyle | Tags: Adam Paterson, ink, Jersey City Tattoo Inc., Parsons School of Design, Revisited: A Tribute to Flash From The Past, tattoo | 2 Comments »

 

From centuries old Polynesian tribes to modern day pop culture, tattoos have had their own unique meanings to people who have ink on their body. The phenomenon has grown so popular today there are magazines, art galleries and international tattoo convention dedicated to highlighting the art form and its artists.

 

One such artist who has received critical acclaim is Adam Paterson, whose artwork has been exhibited in several galleries in New York and New Jersey. The fine arts major from Parsons School of Design initially worked as a graphic designer and illustrator. After growing bored of the graphic design, Adam decided to serve a one-year apprenticeship under the tutelage of tattoo artist Lesley Allen. The experience was instrumental as the Jersey native started inking his first pieces around town shortly thereafter.

 

Since then he has been a professional tattooist working in some of the best tattoo studios in New York and Jersey like True Blue, Silk City and Inner City. Adam has also had the honor of being a guest tattooist across the Atlantic in Denmark’s Tato Svend and The Netherlands’ On Edge parlor.

 

The artist’s pieces have been featured in several international magazines including Tattoos for Men, Tattoos for Women and Skin Art. In 2007 his artwork was also featured in Revisited: a Tribute to Flash from the Past, a tattoo collection featuring modern day renditions of classic flash sheets originally presented in Don Ed Hardy’s Flash from the Past.

 

While Adam continues to master his craft at Jersey City Tattoo, he took out some time from inking bodies to talk to Scribe Culture about being a tattoo artist, his art background, style and specialties.

SC: How has your education at Parsons [School for Design] influenced your tattoo style?

Adam: When I was attending Parsons a slightly older student by the name of Dierdre was paying for her education by tattooing underground – tattooing still being illegal in New York City at the time. So she certainly had the biggest impact on me as she helped me with the most basic understanding of how to use the tools, equipment and sterilization techniques. But the school itself taught me more about illustration techniques and a general overview of design principles and art history. It was a valuable experience and a lot of fun, but tattooing has its own rich history and art techniques/styles which don’t tend to have as much to do with art school – I was taught these by my mentor Lesley Allen.

 

SC: Do you prefer painting or tattooing? Which one exercises your artistic talents the most?

Adam: I would really not want to choose one over the other but in general I think I am better at tattooing than painting because I do it so much more. Most of the painting that I do tends to be in a tattoo style anyway these days. The nice thing about painting is that you get to be in complete control of the subject matter and how something looks, whereas a tattoo is really more about what the client is looking for, but of course sometimes I get clients who give me a lot more freedom to express my styles. Luckily, I enjoy tattooing people a lot, it is very challenging to work on skin and pursue different styles so that keeps me inspired to just get as good as I can with it. Tattooing is definitely my primary medium.

 

SC: Why the switch from graphic designer to tattoo artist? What prompted this?

Adam: I found myself in between jobs at one point working part-time as a tattoo shop helper. I was pretty burned out on doing graphic design work as I found that art directors ultimately had the final say over how something looked. It seemed very impersonal. I like working with a single client and collaborating on a project without a team of marketing people picking it apart. An opportunity came up to apprentice and I jumped on it immediately.

 

SC: How did you get involved with “Revisited: A Tribute to Flash from the Past?” How was the overall experience?

Adam: I loved working on that book and I feel it was a great honor not only to be included in a collection with such great tattooist that I look up to but also because the original is a book that is so important to tattooist of my generation. The original version of this book was published by Ed Hardy and is currently out of print. Much thanks to   Bert Krak, Steve Boltz, Ed Hardy and Shag for including me and also of course a huge thanks to the older generation of tattooist who created these original flash sheets that continue to influence and inspire my work. I can only hope to live up to the legacy they have left behind.

 

SC: You’ve worked all over the globe and have probably seen a lot. What are the advantages or disadvantages of working in Jersey City?

Adam: I love Jersey. This is my home and will remain so for a long time. I love the community feeling of working downtown and the support we get from the locals. I actually hardly ever leave my neighborhood, as I work, live and hang out socially within the same few blocks. I love the proximity to New York City and all that it offers and the great art scene we have right here. Also Jersey City has the best restaurants! Unfortunately, there are lots of “house” tattooist – we call them scratchers – in this town, and it’s not much fun cleaning up the messes those guys put on people. I wish more folks would actually look at portfolios instead of thinking about price first and quality last. 

 

SC: Are you treated like a businessmen or is there still tattoo bias?

Adam: The biases are still there sometimes but business is business and money tends to override all.

 

SC: Do you have a specialty such as black and white, portraits etcetera?

Adam: I can do all styles of tattooing and enjoy them all but my focus is on Japanese and traditional American styles. I was trained to be a walk-in style tattooist and handle all styles as they come in. This is something I am proud of and will continue to do. Mixing it up is a constant challenge and keeps things interesting,

         

SC: Lastly, in your opinion, what’s the coolest thing about being a tattoo artist?

Adam: Doing something I love and working with my best friends.

 

Check out Adam’s work at JerseyCityTattoo.com.

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