Vicious Vanity Veronica Dey & Jay Tillman

RIPLEY TATTOO

Tim is a lifelong visual artist with a thorough understanding of painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, digital imaging, and illustration. Tim taught fine arts as an adjunct professor at Columbia College Chicago for fifteen years. Eight years ago, enrollment dropped, and Tim decided to try his hand at tattooing. He worked for two years as a tattoo artist and professor, at which point he decided to tattoo fulltime. Tim has exhibited his artwork in several US cities, including New York, Chicago, and Houston. He has a BFA from Columbia College Chicago and an MFA from Northwestern University ⸺ How much do you work? I feel I am one of the hardest working tattoo artists on the planet. I regularly put in 60+ hours a week tattooing and drawing for clients ⸺ Who/where do you get your inspiration from? Music, for one. I’m also inspired by contemporary art, historical art, and nature ⸺ What advice would you give to someone about getting his or her first tattoo? Research your artist and sit still ⸺ What did your

family and friends think about you getting into the business?

While my family and friends have been very supportive of my tattoo work, I do have collectors of my screen prints and paintings that were not happy that so much of my time was spent tattooing. This profession has been an obsession of mine ⸺ Who and what influences you to create your work? I constantly try to keep my eye on the very best artists in the industry. I just want to create something that can compete with the most beautiful tattoos on earth ⸺ Are there any tattoos you would refuse to do? (face, private areas, etc.) I’m not interested in tattoos that don’t incorporate an element of drawing. So, no inside lip tattoos. Admittedly, I’d rather tattoo a female bikini area than a male ⸺ What do you think is in store for the future of tattooing? People will embrace nonrepresentational or abstract designs to a greater degree. We will have a greater understanding of the therapeutic effects of tattooing. ✕

Independent Artist