Brendan Rowe is one of those hidden gems of a tattooer in the Los Angeles area. Between his incredible dedication to his craft and a great sense of humor, its hard to imagine anyone hasnt already been exposed to his work. A solid tattooer for the past nine years, its strongly suggested anyone within driving distance try advantage of his short waiting list while they still can. With the mix of traditional style and an equal amount of modern color theory, his style can only be classified as timeless. Anyone that has sought quality tattoo work in the Los Angeles area knows tattoo artists are a dime a dozen, but I assure you Brendan is a rare breed.
TattooSnob: Let's get the most generic question out of the way. Tell us a little about yourself!
Brendan Rowe: Hmmmm... the about me, huh? I hate these, I feel like there's so much pressure to say something really fantastic. But still humble. So, I'm an over thinking, self diagnosed neurotic who tattoos people for a living. Nah, I'm just kidding. I am a sarcastic asshole though, I love giving people a hard time. I think it comes with the job. Tattooers are such shit talkers.
Well, I would say I'm an artist at heart. I love everything that has anything remotely related to the subject. I've been making art since I can remember, and I can definitely see myself gray and painting.
My job is my life, I've been doing it 9 years and I still love going to work everyday!
TS: Artists often refer to a time period when it all came together, could you tell us a bit about when that was for you?
BR: I would say about 3 years ago. I kinda grew up and let go of some baggage. I started drawing for drawings sake again and just being me. I worked with this guy Aaron, in Portland, ME. He taught me a lot about life and work. He would always joke about how hard our job was and how lucky we were to be doing it. And we are. I love tattooing and I love art, and that's what I do. That feels good.
That's when it all came together for me, when I let go of my little boy ego, and went back to just drawing pictures on people and paper. As a result, I feel like I'm producing my best work and it keeps getting better everyday.
TS: At one point you mentioned to me that you use vegan tattoo ink. To be honest I didn't realize most inks weren't vegan until you pointed it out. Why did you make the switch?
BR: It's not so much about Vegan as it is safe and organic. With the popularity of tattooing, came money. One unfortunate result of that is, there are more bad products than good on the market these days.
There are a lot of inks that contain some shit you don't want in your body, i.e. latex, plastics, heavy metals, and I'm sure a bunch of other shit I'm not aware of. I mean when something is reactive to UV light, do you really want it in your body? For the rest of your life?
I think a lot of people dismiss the fact that this substance is going on the ride with you from this day forward. For better or worse. Potentially like 50+ years.
There are very few ingredients needed to make a good, long-lasting ink. I'd tell you, but that's just some magic that I don't share.
TS: You obviously have a lot of requests for work. What's the best way for someone to get in touch with you?
BR:[/] Call me at the shop, or come by, I always ask new clients to come in and talk to me. I like to meet people and hear their ideas in person. There is so much miscommunication in emails and phone calls. The shop has a super comfy couch that I like to sit down with new and old clients to rap out their ideas.
TS: How long can the average client expect to wait before being able to get an appointment with you?
BR: About a month, usually. Sometimes quicker, sometimes slower.
TS: Is there one tattoo you've done that you'd consider a personal favorite?
BR: Favorite? They're all my babies, I love them equally. But, if I had to choose... it's this guy. There's some deeper meaning behind this tit lovin' maniac!
TS: Let's talk about the last time you were tattooed - who did it, and what was it?
BR: It was by the fantastic Mr. Marcus Kuhn of Just Good Tattoos and soon to be Art Work Rebel. And it was a Chakra in my right palm.
TS: Are there any artists out there you'd like to be tattooed by, space and time permitting of course?
BR: Hopefully this winter I'll be sitting down under the talented Jason Kundell, space and time permitting of course. I would love to be tattooed by a number of people, but the space is the problem. I don't have much left, and when Jason's done, I'm afraid I'll be down to "collector" pieces. And that list is long, Juan Puente, Lu's Lips, Grime, Jeff Zuck, Sung Song. There's a bunch.
TS: What are some of your favorite tattoo conventions to attend/work at? Do you have any you specifically like to work, or any new ones you'll be checking out this year?
BR: Favorites? None so far, really. I haven't gotten the chance to check out a lot of different shows. I find it hard to get out of the shop. More recently though, this past 1st annual Hollywood show was really good! I hope they do that one again. And I'm super excited to get on my way to Portland, OR in October, really looking forward to that!
TS: Let's get completely off-topic for a second and talk about the Christmas photos you took last year. Any chance this will become a yearly thing?
BR: HA. I'm thinking it might. It will be hard to top last year! That was a lot of fun! Our motley crew walking in Sears portrait studio, tattooed and rocking Christmas sweaters. Hats off to the ladies working there. They definitely took control and made asses out of us. It was great!
TS: During longer tattoo sessions people are prone to chatting--I know some entertaining subjects are bound to come up. Any particularly humorous memories you'd like to share?
BR: Endorphins are fantastic. Sometimes. I've tattooed some characters. I've got a great story that I tell clients when they ask me this question. It involves trench coats, a box cutter, blood, cigarettes, and someone passing out flat on the floor. It's quite good. Or I tell them about the time the woman pulled an Exorcist and painted my wall in vomit. No exaggeration... painted that fucking wall!
TS: What are you involved with aside from tattooing?
BR: I regretfully am not involved with anything as of now. I'm new to LA and I have been putting all my energy into clientele and settling in here. I see some projects in the future, just need to find the time.
I do find the time to pursue art in many mediums. I've been screen-printing a lot lately. Maybe some clothes on the horizon? I still love to paint and explore new mediums.
TS: Any last minute plugs?
BR: Myself and friends:
LOBSTERKNUCKLE.com
myspace.com/lobsterknuckle
UNBREAKABLETATTOO.com
ARTWORKREBELS.com
Brendan Rowe
TattooSnob.com
TattooSnob: Let's get the most generic question out of the way. Tell us a little about yourself!
Brendan Rowe: Hmmmm... the about me, huh? I hate these, I feel like there's so much pressure to say something really fantastic. But still humble. So, I'm an over thinking, self diagnosed neurotic who tattoos people for a living. Nah, I'm just kidding. I am a sarcastic asshole though, I love giving people a hard time. I think it comes with the job. Tattooers are such shit talkers.
Well, I would say I'm an artist at heart. I love everything that has anything remotely related to the subject. I've been making art since I can remember, and I can definitely see myself gray and painting.
My job is my life, I've been doing it 9 years and I still love going to work everyday!
TS: Artists often refer to a time period when it all came together, could you tell us a bit about when that was for you?
BR: I would say about 3 years ago. I kinda grew up and let go of some baggage. I started drawing for drawings sake again and just being me. I worked with this guy Aaron, in Portland, ME. He taught me a lot about life and work. He would always joke about how hard our job was and how lucky we were to be doing it. And we are. I love tattooing and I love art, and that's what I do. That feels good.
That's when it all came together for me, when I let go of my little boy ego, and went back to just drawing pictures on people and paper. As a result, I feel like I'm producing my best work and it keeps getting better everyday.
TS: At one point you mentioned to me that you use vegan tattoo ink. To be honest I didn't realize most inks weren't vegan until you pointed it out. Why did you make the switch?
BR: It's not so much about Vegan as it is safe and organic. With the popularity of tattooing, came money. One unfortunate result of that is, there are more bad products than good on the market these days.
There are a lot of inks that contain some shit you don't want in your body, i.e. latex, plastics, heavy metals, and I'm sure a bunch of other shit I'm not aware of. I mean when something is reactive to UV light, do you really want it in your body? For the rest of your life?
I think a lot of people dismiss the fact that this substance is going on the ride with you from this day forward. For better or worse. Potentially like 50+ years.
There are very few ingredients needed to make a good, long-lasting ink. I'd tell you, but that's just some magic that I don't share.
TS: You obviously have a lot of requests for work. What's the best way for someone to get in touch with you?
BR:[/] Call me at the shop, or come by, I always ask new clients to come in and talk to me. I like to meet people and hear their ideas in person. There is so much miscommunication in emails and phone calls. The shop has a super comfy couch that I like to sit down with new and old clients to rap out their ideas.
TS: How long can the average client expect to wait before being able to get an appointment with you?
BR: About a month, usually. Sometimes quicker, sometimes slower.
TS: Is there one tattoo you've done that you'd consider a personal favorite?
BR: Favorite? They're all my babies, I love them equally. But, if I had to choose... it's this guy. There's some deeper meaning behind this tit lovin' maniac!
TS: Let's talk about the last time you were tattooed - who did it, and what was it?
BR: It was by the fantastic Mr. Marcus Kuhn of Just Good Tattoos and soon to be Art Work Rebel. And it was a Chakra in my right palm.
TS: Are there any artists out there you'd like to be tattooed by, space and time permitting of course?
BR: Hopefully this winter I'll be sitting down under the talented Jason Kundell, space and time permitting of course. I would love to be tattooed by a number of people, but the space is the problem. I don't have much left, and when Jason's done, I'm afraid I'll be down to "collector" pieces. And that list is long, Juan Puente, Lu's Lips, Grime, Jeff Zuck, Sung Song. There's a bunch.
TS: What are some of your favorite tattoo conventions to attend/work at? Do you have any you specifically like to work, or any new ones you'll be checking out this year?
BR: Favorites? None so far, really. I haven't gotten the chance to check out a lot of different shows. I find it hard to get out of the shop. More recently though, this past 1st annual Hollywood show was really good! I hope they do that one again. And I'm super excited to get on my way to Portland, OR in October, really looking forward to that!
TS: Let's get completely off-topic for a second and talk about the Christmas photos you took last year. Any chance this will become a yearly thing?
BR: HA. I'm thinking it might. It will be hard to top last year! That was a lot of fun! Our motley crew walking in Sears portrait studio, tattooed and rocking Christmas sweaters. Hats off to the ladies working there. They definitely took control and made asses out of us. It was great!
TS: During longer tattoo sessions people are prone to chatting--I know some entertaining subjects are bound to come up. Any particularly humorous memories you'd like to share?
BR: Endorphins are fantastic. Sometimes. I've tattooed some characters. I've got a great story that I tell clients when they ask me this question. It involves trench coats, a box cutter, blood, cigarettes, and someone passing out flat on the floor. It's quite good. Or I tell them about the time the woman pulled an Exorcist and painted my wall in vomit. No exaggeration... painted that fucking wall!
TS: What are you involved with aside from tattooing?
BR: I regretfully am not involved with anything as of now. I'm new to LA and I have been putting all my energy into clientele and settling in here. I see some projects in the future, just need to find the time.
I do find the time to pursue art in many mediums. I've been screen-printing a lot lately. Maybe some clothes on the horizon? I still love to paint and explore new mediums.
TS: Any last minute plugs?
BR: Myself and friends:
LOBSTERKNUCKLE.com
myspace.com/lobsterknuckle
UNBREAKABLETATTOO.com
ARTWORKREBELS.com
Brendan Rowe
TattooSnob.com