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INKEDblog takes you beneath the skin of today's tattoo culture. Our mission is to celebrate tattooing as a modern art form which incorporates art, fashion, style, and pop culture. While paying homage and respect to the past, we look to present a contemporary take on the present and future of skin art.
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Thursday Aug 11, 2005
INKEDblog Interviews Jarrett DeMartino
"Ok, I'll admit, when I was a teenager, I listened to Suicidal Tendencies about a zillion times a day. The chorus of "all I wanted was a Pepsi, just one Pepsi..." came out of my mouth anytime I drank the carbonate beverage.
So when I moved to Venice, CA, I couldn’t help wondering what it must have been like when the 'Suies' were running wild in the streets of Venice. Well, I won’t ever know first hand, but I can imagine those times by talking to ST Tattooist, Jarrett DeMartino. ST Tattoo is the Tattoo shop originally started by Suicidal Tendencies singer Mike Muir of the Suicidal Tendencies and tattooist Jason Brown.
Although not originally a Venice man, Jarrett seems to have the same spirit of those times. Jarrett started his artistic pursuits at the School of Visual Arts in New York and then honed his tattoo skills at Murder Ink Tattoo in Queens. Two years ago, Jarrett moved to California and picked up his trade again at the infamous Venice ST Tattoo shop. Jarrett has been able to consistently merge East Coast and West Coast styles and find his niche here in Venice.
To see more of Jarrett, go to: http://www.Bloodshovel.com"
... Logan Hicks
INKEDblog: How'd you get into the tattooing field?
Jarrett: My mother is an artist and my father is a musician. They had no work, but some of their friends did. From a kid's perspective, I thought having a picture in your skin was fascinating. I tattooed myself at 13 (that went over real well), went to the School of Visual Arts in NYC at 18, and that's where I met my mentor "Bee" Cortes. He took me under his wing and opened up a world to me that has let me do things that I never imagined. This I do not take for granted.
INKEDblog: So, what makes a tattoo "good"?
Jarrett: Everything from it just being drawn right - composition, proportion, light source, traditional formulas followed-then tweaked. Unless you are doing a one point style tattoo the body is part of the art too. The body's lines and curves should be complimented by the art and vise-versa. They should all flow as one. Finally the way it's applied will determine how it looks forever. It should be smooth to the touch with no holidays in the ink.
INKEDblog: What are the best and worst things about being a tattoo artist?
Jarrett: The best part about being a tattoo artist is the people that you are able to meet, and the traveling opportunities that come as a result, which results in meeting more people.....
INKEDblog: Describe your favorite tattoo of all time?
Jarrett: My favorite tattoo of all time is whatever I am working on at the time. That's not a cop out on the question. I believe the journey is the destination. So with that said, its what you are doing at that moment is what counts. Yesterday was yesterday.
INKEDblog: What's your thoughts on Old School vs. New School styles?
Jarrett: My thought on that is why are they competing? I think people that are hung up on this have a stick up their ass. You need classic traditions to make new ones. Who want's to reinvent the wheel? Art is art. Either you're going to love something, or you're gonna think it's shit. Just get your reference together, don't bite too hard and draw. Just like shut up and skate.
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