Exclusive Tattooed Chicks Interview With Angelique
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1.) For those who aren't familiar with you, can you give us an outline of who you are and what you do. I live and work in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and I'm an artist. A tattooartist to begin with. That has been my passion from the start and this slowly evolved into other areas, like painting. With watercolours, cause with that medium you can get very close to the tattootechnique and it's what the old timers used to make their tattooflash [drawings you see on the wall and in the books of tattooshops]. Later I also started to use oil and acrylicpaint. I have been designing shoes and handbags, my own line of greetingcards called Dearest Darling, painted babyskulls and making designs for companies like Nookart. I have been exhibiting my paintings worldwide for the last 5 years. 2.) Of all your jobs, which do you most enjoy? That is very hard to say. The last year I have been spending more time on painting than tattooing, but if I haven't tattooed for a while I really start to miss it. The difference between them is that tattooing comes with so much responsabilities, like puting a mark on somebody for life and it has to be perfect. Opposed to painting, I can just do my own thing and if nobody likes it that's cool too. And tattooing always has an element of what I call "voodoo". It is still very much up to the individual skin whether the tattoo is going to look good. Skins and health and stress can all play a huge part in the healing of the tattoo and some people have very good skin for it and some people don't. A biological fact is that you are not supposed to have ink under your skin and your body wants to reject it, and some do. With painting everything is constant, the paper, the paint, the ink, it always does what it needs to do, so I know the outcome from the start. 3.) At what age did you first become interested in art? I was always interested in making stuff, no matter what it was or with what materials. But I was always very much without direction. I liked to do everything. At one point I contemplated going to artschool, but I couldn't pick a direction. It wasn't until I started tattooing that I really started to love painting. It really has put a passion in me. I don't know if I am really interested in art in general, I'm just totally into making art 4.) What images inspire you? So much stuff inspires me, ofcourse tattoos to begin with. Mostly old time tattoo images, from the 20ies and the 30ies. But pin-up art is a huge inspiration as well, one of my all time favorites in Enoch Bolles. And Erté, who was a russian designer from the 20ies, made awesome stuff. I am most inspired my a timeframe at the moment, this being the 20ies and the 30ies. So every artform from those times, be it cinema, illustration, photography or jewelry inspires me. 5.) At what age did you get your first tattoo, do you still have it or has it been covered up? I got my first tattoo when I was 19. It is a scarabee on my shoulder, an egyptian beetle, it was believed to create itself. I really liked that. There was a point when I was considering to cover it up, cause it looked old and worn and I wasn't really into the image anymore. I'm glad I didn't, cause it's a tattoo, it's forever and it tells a story of who I am and where I've been. 6.) Are there any tattooers you would like work done by? I would still like one from Cindy Ray, she's Austalia's first tattooed lady and I found out she's still tattooing, she must be 70 or something. There are so many cool old photo's of her with het 50ies glasses. I will be in australia next month, hopefully I get a chance to look her up. Other than her I would like to get some work done by Chris Conn and Stuart Cripwell, to name two. There are so many great tattooers out there, but I'm more in a state now that if they cross my path I get something done. 7.) What is your biggest achievement? Having a carreer at all. Until I was 30 it didn't look as though something would ever come out of me. Making a living as an artist and doing what I love and being able to live off it. I count myself blessed all the time, cause so many other people have to go to work just to pay the bills. And not having to get up early. I remember when I was young and I'd have to get out of bed early to go to school, sometimes it was still dark out. I would hate it with a passion! I was already thinking then "Oh, man, this is going to be a tough ride if I'm gonna have to do this for the rest of my life". I did pretty good on that. 8.) What do you do to relax? I'm not good at relaxing, cause i'm a bit of a workaholic. I can do it when I'm on holiday, when there is nothing near me to work with and then I like to read and just hang out outside, watch people go by. At home the best relaxing I do is having dinner with my girlfriends. Every other week one of us cooks and we all love it so much we never miss it. I've been doing that for 20 years and it's the best way to keep seeing your friends on a regular basis. 9.) What tips would you give to aspiring tattooers and artists? I'm not sure if I would be the right person to give tips, since it took me a long time to do anything at all. I think the best thing is to just do and keep doing what you love. Get your art out there to small groupshows and just keep going. And be a nice, friendly person, people like to have nice people around them to work with. If you need to know anything than it would be that. 10.) Tell us about your new book. My new book is AWESOME! I am so psyched about it. Outré gallery, my gallery in Australia, published the book, they already made quite a few really cool artbooks, so I was really happy they where going to do this project. It features a lot of art, old and brand new, a how-to section, inspiration, my tattooes and great photo's from FotoFloor. And we have a special hardbound cloth edition, which comes with a giclee print of one of my latest paintings. 11.) Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? I'll be a super famous painter, making lot's of money, cause I have gotten so incredibly good. I'll have a big house with my studio in it overlooking the park where I work and tattoo. I will travel a lot to Australia and New York and Barcelona, etc, first class mind you, to work, paint and exhibit. Maybe I'll have a farm in Northern France, you know, things like that. 12.) Where can we find you? (e.g.... websites, tattoo studio etc....) I work at Admiraal tattoostudio in Amsterdam, Marnixstraat 151 http://www.admiraaltattoo.com The best way to reach me or to set up an appointment is by email: fingerprintexpert@hotmail.com Art & projects http://www.salonserpent.com Outré gallery and publishing http://www.outregallery.com My space http://www.myspace.com/angeliquehoutkamp Angelique at Nookart http://www.nookart.com Greetingcards http://www.dearestdarling.com |
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