Pierre Chapelan, owner of Tattoo Mania is a second-generation tattooer who has made a name for himself beyond the reputation of his father, Michel de Bordeaux. Leaving France, Pierre opened up shop in Montreal, which soon became a premier destination for serious body art collectors. Word of Pierre and his talented crew spread, and over the past few years, Tattoo Mania has consistently been voted as one of the best tattoo studios by the Montreal Mirror.
Pierre and his wife Val also host the highly successful Art Tattoo Show Montreal, a tattoo expo that also highlights the fine art work of the over 150 international artists that gather yearly to the historic Gare Windsor. The Fifth Art Tattoo Show will take place September 14, 15, & 16, 2007.
Pierre and I talked about what it's like growing up in the tattoo community and whether there'll be a third-generation tattooer in his family.
Marisa DiMattia: Being the son of well respected tattoo artist "Michel de Bordeaux", and then becoming a renowned tattooer yourself raises a lot of interesting questions. Is it correct to say that you grew up in the tattoo world in France and this inspired you to become a tattooist?
Pierre Chapelan: Yes, you can say that I grew up in the tattoo world in France, but I would say that the reason for me becoming a tattooer is mostly because the passion for tattoo grew inside of me. Being surrounded by all these people, images, and going to conventions made me love and respect tattooing.
MDM: Dan [my tattooer husband] says he remembers seeing you at conventions, picking up a tattoo machine at a very young age. How old were you when you first started to tattoo?
PC: The first time I was quite young but you could say that I really started tattooing at the age of 17.
MDM: Did your father encourage you?
PC: My family was 100% behind me. My dad would bring me to conventions when I was 12, then he took me to Micky Sharpz to try my first machine 15, and much more.
MDM: What was it like going to conventions and working as a teenager?
PC: It was awesome for me. It made me feel much older and all the other tattooers were really nice to me.
MDM: What were the greatest lessons your father taught you about tattoos?
PC: Discipline mostly: come in early to the shop, respect your customers, and obviously, technical stuff about machines, making needles, etc.
MDM: Have you taught him anything over the years?
PC: I dont know if I taught him much but I have tattooed him a couple of times, so maybe I taught him that he could trust me!
MDM: Did your father do your first tattoo on you?
PC: Yes, he did my first tattoo when I was 16 a dragon with skulls.
MDM: Other than your father, who are your tattoo influences?
PC: A lot of people influenced me but I think that as it is for many tattooers Filip Leu was the biggest influence, pushing us to do better.
MDM: Lets talk about your particular expertise in new school color work. How did you get into that style?
PC: To cover my mistakes maybe! [laughs] For some reason, Ive always liked black backgrounds on color subjects.
MDM: Do you paint or do any other kind of fine art work? Do you think that tattooing has become a fine art in itself?
PC: Yes, I do paint. It may be easier these days to be recognized in the tattoo community if you have all kinds of artistic skills but, to me, what matters first is that the artist is a good tattooer that he or she can make a beautiful tattoo and make the client happy.
MDM: Well, your studio, Tattoo Mania, has a reputation for making people happy. When did you leave France and open up the studio?
PC: I first went to Montreal in 1993 to work at the first Montreal tattoo convention. I went back in 1994, met my wife, and I decided to leave France in 1995 for good and move to Montreal. Two years later, in 1997, I opened up Tattoo Mania.
MDM: So will Tattoo Mania see another generation of the Chapelan family in the business?
PC: My daughter is now nine and she tells me that she would like to tattoo but only during the weekends and be a teacher during the week, so well see in the future!
Pierre and his wife Val also host the highly successful Art Tattoo Show Montreal, a tattoo expo that also highlights the fine art work of the over 150 international artists that gather yearly to the historic Gare Windsor. The Fifth Art Tattoo Show will take place September 14, 15, & 16, 2007.
Pierre and I talked about what it's like growing up in the tattoo community and whether there'll be a third-generation tattooer in his family.
Marisa DiMattia: Being the son of well respected tattoo artist "Michel de Bordeaux", and then becoming a renowned tattooer yourself raises a lot of interesting questions. Is it correct to say that you grew up in the tattoo world in France and this inspired you to become a tattooist?
Pierre Chapelan: Yes, you can say that I grew up in the tattoo world in France, but I would say that the reason for me becoming a tattooer is mostly because the passion for tattoo grew inside of me. Being surrounded by all these people, images, and going to conventions made me love and respect tattooing.
MDM: Dan [my tattooer husband] says he remembers seeing you at conventions, picking up a tattoo machine at a very young age. How old were you when you first started to tattoo?
PC: The first time I was quite young but you could say that I really started tattooing at the age of 17.
MDM: Did your father encourage you?
PC: My family was 100% behind me. My dad would bring me to conventions when I was 12, then he took me to Micky Sharpz to try my first machine 15, and much more.
MDM: What was it like going to conventions and working as a teenager?
PC: It was awesome for me. It made me feel much older and all the other tattooers were really nice to me.
MDM: What were the greatest lessons your father taught you about tattoos?
PC: Discipline mostly: come in early to the shop, respect your customers, and obviously, technical stuff about machines, making needles, etc.
MDM: Have you taught him anything over the years?
PC: I dont know if I taught him much but I have tattooed him a couple of times, so maybe I taught him that he could trust me!
MDM: Did your father do your first tattoo on you?
PC: Yes, he did my first tattoo when I was 16 a dragon with skulls.
MDM: Other than your father, who are your tattoo influences?
PC: A lot of people influenced me but I think that as it is for many tattooers Filip Leu was the biggest influence, pushing us to do better.
MDM: Lets talk about your particular expertise in new school color work. How did you get into that style?
PC: To cover my mistakes maybe! [laughs] For some reason, Ive always liked black backgrounds on color subjects.
MDM: Do you paint or do any other kind of fine art work? Do you think that tattooing has become a fine art in itself?
PC: Yes, I do paint. It may be easier these days to be recognized in the tattoo community if you have all kinds of artistic skills but, to me, what matters first is that the artist is a good tattooer that he or she can make a beautiful tattoo and make the client happy.
MDM: Well, your studio, Tattoo Mania, has a reputation for making people happy. When did you leave France and open up the studio?
PC: I first went to Montreal in 1993 to work at the first Montreal tattoo convention. I went back in 1994, met my wife, and I decided to leave France in 1995 for good and move to Montreal. Two years later, in 1997, I opened up Tattoo Mania.
MDM: So will Tattoo Mania see another generation of the Chapelan family in the business?
PC: My daughter is now nine and she tells me that she would like to tattoo but only during the weekends and be a teacher during the week, so well see in the future!
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