Chris O'Donnell doesn't have the rock star swagger. He hasn't learned the art diva shtick nor developed an eye-catching wardrobe. Yet he's one of the most sought after tattoo artists in New York by serious collectors and celebrities alike. It's his work that garners all the attention while the boy-next-door persona sits quietly in the background.
Named one of the best tattooers in NYC by Time Out Magazine, Chris has been needling clients since 1993, specializing in classic Americana, Japanese, and East Asian iconography.
Marisa DiMattia: I've been thinking about something that a friend said, and if you don't mind starting off heavy, I'd like to know what you think. She said, that tattooing was a spiritual act. What do you think about that?
Chris O'Donnell: Creating any kind of art is a very pure form of spirituality, and even appreciating an art enough to wear it can be spiritual. But I don't attribute any spirituality to the act of tattooing. I think that's just a little silly. Just being creative and making art is spiritual. Tattooing doesn't need to be dressed up as anything. To me it's just making pictures. I wouldn't really call it spiritual. But I'm driven to do it.
MDM: What drives you?
COD: I don't know, I'm just compelled to do it. I can't not do it. I can go through lazy periods but I couldn't not make art. It's the only really natural thing that is very important to me.
MDM: Well then why tattoo art and not painting?
COD: I just kind of fell into it. I was 17 when I started as an apprentice in a tattoo shop. I grew up in tattooing. I was just a high school kid. I was doing it in high school, after school. So it's kind of strange. But I do enjoy painting.
MDM: Do you think you're affecting people more than just putting art on their skin?
COD: I think you affect anyone you encounter -- whether you tattoo them or not. I think more it's more of what you get from clients, especially if they are going through a lot of pain and you're absorbing it. I never really thought about putting my own energy into the person. The energy I put is into the tattoo -- in its flair, the look, how it radiates on the skin and flows with the body, which is aesthetic, not spiritual.
MDM: When you come home after working hard, how do you deal with absorbing all your clients' energy?
COD: I take it home. If I'm really organized about business, then it affects me less. Eddie Deutsch [renowned tattooer] says keep both of your feet flat on the floor when you tattoo. Channel the energy through to the ground. Ground it because you never know what you're picking up. I don't know how much of that I believe, but if people are stressed around you then you're obviously gonna pick some of that up. I take days off during the week to draw and at least one day to relax. If I dont, then I could lose the idea of what I'm trying to do, these creative visions. I might burn out a bit.
MDM: What happens when you don't see it?
COD: You try to make yourself see it. I look at a lot of references -- whether it's tattoos that I like or art books. In all the art books that I have, there's always something in there that will spark something in me. But sometimes it's just there as soon as the client says it -- I see it.
Backpiece by Chris O'Donnell. Photo by Rachel Larratt.
MDM: Are the art books a main source of inspiration?
COD: I get inspiration from a lot of different things. A lot of creative projects...from films that I see. I was thinking about it the other day, that I could pretty much see any movie or TV show and get something out of it, some creative inspiration, no matter how bad it was. I just think about the process of making things. It doesn't have to be artistic. It can be some area in my life that I want to improve on.
MDM: In what way is your tattoo art influenced by fine art?
COD: It's largely influenced by fine Japanese art as well as graphic art. I'm a big fan of graphic art so that creeps into the tattoos. Obviously you're trying to create something graphic that is lasting on the skin. As far as paintings go, what I like about tattooing is that it has taught me about subject matter, the way things are drawn and what they mean, the symbolism. I see a lot of younger artists, in their drawings, put a bunch of random things together because they think it looks cool, but they don't really have an understanding of the symbolism.
MDM: What if a new tattooist came to you and said, "Chris, I want to give more depth to my work" what would you tell her?
COD: Study Tattoo Time by Don Ed Hardy -- all five of them. Even when I look at them today, I still come across something I wanted to know. And I've studied them front to back. He found out stuff twenty years ago and documented it, and it's stuff that most young people aren't getting. They're not into it yet or they glanced at those books and they weren't exciting enough. To me, each thing he covered was so strong. He got to the essence of everything.
MDM: So do you think, for young tattooists, a knowledge of history is a prerequisite?
COD: How can it not be? It's has to be. You have to know what came before us. I don't mean know how to do a Sailor Jerry tattoo. I'm not talking about that at all ... You hang out with someone like Ed Hardy or Dan Higgs -- those guys they just understand the cryptic really coded stuff, they're not caught up on the details. It's like they learned before there were too many effects -- they learned about the symbolism of tattoos and art from some kind of outside source. So they are more direct and to the point about it. They weren't just taking parts of different people's tattoos and putting them together to be popular. Like an eye or skull ... it's really basic symbolism. Very straight.
MDM: You did a guest spot a while back with Ed. What did you learn by working at his shop?
COD: You learn more through osmosis. Listening to the stories. Watching their demeanor. It's not so much like "draw that dragon head differently." It's more about absorbing that vibe they have. That personal quality. That salt. They just seem more real.
Interview by Marisa_DiMattia of Needled.com.
Named one of the best tattooers in NYC by Time Out Magazine, Chris has been needling clients since 1993, specializing in classic Americana, Japanese, and East Asian iconography.
Marisa DiMattia: I've been thinking about something that a friend said, and if you don't mind starting off heavy, I'd like to know what you think. She said, that tattooing was a spiritual act. What do you think about that?
Chris O'Donnell: Creating any kind of art is a very pure form of spirituality, and even appreciating an art enough to wear it can be spiritual. But I don't attribute any spirituality to the act of tattooing. I think that's just a little silly. Just being creative and making art is spiritual. Tattooing doesn't need to be dressed up as anything. To me it's just making pictures. I wouldn't really call it spiritual. But I'm driven to do it.
MDM: What drives you?
COD: I don't know, I'm just compelled to do it. I can't not do it. I can go through lazy periods but I couldn't not make art. It's the only really natural thing that is very important to me.
MDM: Well then why tattoo art and not painting?
COD: I just kind of fell into it. I was 17 when I started as an apprentice in a tattoo shop. I grew up in tattooing. I was just a high school kid. I was doing it in high school, after school. So it's kind of strange. But I do enjoy painting.
MDM: Do you think you're affecting people more than just putting art on their skin?
COD: I think you affect anyone you encounter -- whether you tattoo them or not. I think more it's more of what you get from clients, especially if they are going through a lot of pain and you're absorbing it. I never really thought about putting my own energy into the person. The energy I put is into the tattoo -- in its flair, the look, how it radiates on the skin and flows with the body, which is aesthetic, not spiritual.
MDM: When you come home after working hard, how do you deal with absorbing all your clients' energy?
COD: I take it home. If I'm really organized about business, then it affects me less. Eddie Deutsch [renowned tattooer] says keep both of your feet flat on the floor when you tattoo. Channel the energy through to the ground. Ground it because you never know what you're picking up. I don't know how much of that I believe, but if people are stressed around you then you're obviously gonna pick some of that up. I take days off during the week to draw and at least one day to relax. If I dont, then I could lose the idea of what I'm trying to do, these creative visions. I might burn out a bit.
MDM: What happens when you don't see it?
COD: You try to make yourself see it. I look at a lot of references -- whether it's tattoos that I like or art books. In all the art books that I have, there's always something in there that will spark something in me. But sometimes it's just there as soon as the client says it -- I see it.
Backpiece by Chris O'Donnell. Photo by Rachel Larratt.
MDM: Are the art books a main source of inspiration?
COD: I get inspiration from a lot of different things. A lot of creative projects...from films that I see. I was thinking about it the other day, that I could pretty much see any movie or TV show and get something out of it, some creative inspiration, no matter how bad it was. I just think about the process of making things. It doesn't have to be artistic. It can be some area in my life that I want to improve on.
MDM: In what way is your tattoo art influenced by fine art?
COD: It's largely influenced by fine Japanese art as well as graphic art. I'm a big fan of graphic art so that creeps into the tattoos. Obviously you're trying to create something graphic that is lasting on the skin. As far as paintings go, what I like about tattooing is that it has taught me about subject matter, the way things are drawn and what they mean, the symbolism. I see a lot of younger artists, in their drawings, put a bunch of random things together because they think it looks cool, but they don't really have an understanding of the symbolism.
MDM: What if a new tattooist came to you and said, "Chris, I want to give more depth to my work" what would you tell her?
COD: Study Tattoo Time by Don Ed Hardy -- all five of them. Even when I look at them today, I still come across something I wanted to know. And I've studied them front to back. He found out stuff twenty years ago and documented it, and it's stuff that most young people aren't getting. They're not into it yet or they glanced at those books and they weren't exciting enough. To me, each thing he covered was so strong. He got to the essence of everything.
MDM: So do you think, for young tattooists, a knowledge of history is a prerequisite?
COD: How can it not be? It's has to be. You have to know what came before us. I don't mean know how to do a Sailor Jerry tattoo. I'm not talking about that at all ... You hang out with someone like Ed Hardy or Dan Higgs -- those guys they just understand the cryptic really coded stuff, they're not caught up on the details. It's like they learned before there were too many effects -- they learned about the symbolism of tattoos and art from some kind of outside source. So they are more direct and to the point about it. They weren't just taking parts of different people's tattoos and putting them together to be popular. Like an eye or skull ... it's really basic symbolism. Very straight.
MDM: You did a guest spot a while back with Ed. What did you learn by working at his shop?
COD: You learn more through osmosis. Listening to the stories. Watching their demeanor. It's not so much like "draw that dragon head differently." It's more about absorbing that vibe they have. That personal quality. That salt. They just seem more real.
Interview by Marisa_DiMattia of Needled.com.
VIEW 5 of 5 COMMENTS
b_werner:
i have about 44 hours of work from Chris in two sleeves. He is the nicest and most humble of the "big name" tattooers in NY. Thanks for running this interview.
holly:
one of my favorite people.