21 Questions with Alexandra Fische

from Villain Arts Tattoo News Magazine Premier Issue 1

by Villain Arts Tattoo News Magazine

Rough Writing w/ Gentle Jay Travel Tips for Traveling Artists

What’s your origin story?

I was born in Philadelphia & have been here my entire life. I attended art school & later some college. It’s always been pretty challenging living here, I wasn’t successful finding an apprenticeship & it really painted the picture that tattooing here was the “boys club.” I was very fortunate to meet my mentor by “chance.” It was 2008 & I was hired to gogo dance and serve drinks at the Halloween party at Paul Booth’s Last Rites. I met Little Dragon & Stefano Alcantra for the first time. Dragon’s English wasn’t very good at the time (it actually reminded me a lot of my family that would visit from Japan), but we exchanged numbers anyways. We talked daily, & I constantly found reasons to go visit him in NewYork between getting my sleeve done, metal shows & working on art together. He quickly became my best friend & later my mentor in 2011 before he moved back to Beijing. I drove back and fourth from Philadelphia to Manhattan to get the education I so desperately desired & finally found my place in the tattoo world. Describe the moment you knew you wanted to become a tattoo artist. I was in second grade & it was the late 90s so school trips were ALOT different & parents were a lot less uptight. The local playground always had the carnival come through every year & it was something we always looked forward to. My favorite was the small sideshow/fun house. I remember seeing a Painted Lady for the first time & being completely in awe. You didn’t really see a lot of heavily tattooed women then & she was everything I knew I wanted to be. Id constantly draw pictures of her in my notebook & cover myself in temporary tattoos every chance I got (which mortified my parents & got me grounded ALOT).

What was the first tattoo you did?

The first tattoo I did in a shop after my apprenticeship was a simple traditional skull rose on my high school best friend. I was nervous & slow. It took over three hours, & looking back now it would probably only take me 30 minutes.

Who is your biggest artistic influence and why?

My mentor is easily my biggest influence. He was & still is my favorite tattoo artist & he gave me the opportunity no one else would. He changed my life forever & I owe him everything.

What are the Top 3 songs on your tattooing playlist?

“Alexa, play Pop Punk Powerhouse playlist on spotify” What are your daily drivers? I mostly use rotary machines at this point. Ive been using DragonFlys for the last few years. I still prefer to outline with coils. My DestroyTroy V2 Mamacita is a favorite & I used a DanKubin Sidewinder for largerscale work. I still use bar needles.

How do you feel Social Media has changed tattooing?

This is something I feel strongly about from both sides. Social media has completely changed the industry in the artist’s favor. It’s made it so much easier to find artists you love instead of just local recommendations or walking into a shop to look at portfolios. As someone who’s majority of clientele comes from my social media following, it’s made it amazing to connect to clients all over the world and always have appointments for conventions. It has connected the community & promoted so much tattoo acceptance. While the positive influence of social media significantly outweighs the bad, there are still downsides. Online portfolios have made it ALOT easier for work to be stolen and traced. Its frustrating to share a tattoo you’re so proud of, get amazing feedback, & then find a bunch of shitty ripoffs of your custom work. Like anything else internet related, it makes drama easier. I honestly wouldn’t have social media if it wasn’t crucial to my job.

Do you have any tips on managing social media pages for new artists?

It doesn’t cost you anything to be kind, & if you see something you don’t like, keep scrolling…

What’s your favorite way to spend your off time?

Haha, I am never not working. But in that rare occasion, I am very much a homebody with my three dogs. I love the gym, everything nature & cooking with my partner. I don’t ever really vacation, but I cherish our post convention “family adventures”.

How many years have you been tattooing at Villain Arts Conventions?

I attended my first Villain Arts continued on next page convention (Philadelphia) in 2008 working for H2Ocean & again with Razorblade Supplies, then started tattooing at my first show (The Philadelphia Tattoo Convention) in 2012.

How do you balance private life and work?

I keep them separate. I don’t share anything I wouldn’t want repeated & I don’t complain about my problems or share industry gossip with clients. While I am friendly to most & thrive socially in the convention circuit, my “private life” circle is very small.

Coffee or Tea?

I drink way too much coffee. I’m one of those people that can drink iced coffee all year round. Hazelnut is my favorite, preferably with oat milk. I also really love iced Matcha lattes.

What is your favorite city to travel in the U.S. to tattoo and why?

Now that we live here I can’t say Salem, haha. I think Austin is my favorite city to to visit right now. The art & vegan food community are really impressive & a lot of our I saw you tattooed in Milan last year.

How was tattooing at a convention in Italy different from the U.S.?

Well first of all, I can honestly tell you I was probably the worst artist there! It was UNREAL to be in another country tattooing in a show full of my Idols and heavy hitters. I got to see my favorite artist in the fucking world (@ juliensebert) do a three day front panel! I could’ve died! I was also super nervous, I didn’t have any appointments & had to rely on walkups for the first time in a long time. Also, despite our practice months before, I did not speak Italian. I brought a lot of prepriced flash with me & translated the basics to display on my booth apologizing for not speaking good Italian & honestly had one of the most amazing convention weekends of my life.! The goth girl culture is strong everywhere & I was humbled to tattoo so many beautiful alternative girls. We also were superrrrr fortunate (I mean that in the relief that there were attendees that spoke English) that the American soldiers stationed out there attended the convention. It was just really cool to talk to them about there experience & an honor to tattoo them.

Any advice on traveling overseas to tattoo?

Ive only tattooed overseas four times, only two of which going through customs , so im probably not the most experienced other than what ive learned myself. I was very fortunate to have traveled overseas with my friend Mike Chambers, as he’s incredibly experienced, organized & has everything down to a science. I learned ALOT from him. I can say I travel light, & am OCD/do my research about Everything! Always bring a power converter & call your credit card companies. Dont drink the tap water or ice.

Describe your dream client and tattoo.

Ive already been fortunate to find her. Her name is Cady Rae , & she came to me for my first full sleeve of whatever I wanted. She respects the art as much as the process. She sits great, takes care of her tattoos & understands what tattoos cost. She’s literally perfect.

Any gallery shows planned that we can see your paintings in the future?

2020 is basically canceled, but I will have a piece in the Orb Show at Aura IV this November.

How did you stay busy and sane during the shutdowns?

At first, I was grateful for the vacation! I don’t really go out much when were home from conventions, & mostly work in our private studio or spend time at home. Fortunately, my amazing clients & followers kept me pretty busy with commission art. But I also found it pretty easy to find artists block after being in isolation as early as the first month. Were also vegan, &. Already love to cook, so we had a really wonderful time trying new recipes , I’m exceptionally proud of the vegan fish I made with banana blossom. It was also pretty mentally taxing with the gyms closing, so I bought a spin bike on amazon for the days where the heat made our local bike ride/hiking adventures impossible. Luckily our very happy & also very clingy spoiled dogs Any tips for artists reopening and operating after the shutdowns? WEAR YOUR MASKS! Also, go back to work when YOU feel comfortable & its okay to ease back into work. We’re in a PANDEMIC. I don’t believe tattooing is an essential business at all, but I am so happy to return to my clients, now that we’re able to. In this case, you can’t be too safe or cautious. Any licensed tattooer should be used to BBP / OSHA protocol and work in a sterile environment.

What’s next that we can expect from Alexandra Fische?

Im currently relocating to Salem MA after accepting my dream job at 9th Realm Gallery, I’m also getting back into working in makeup industry again (as a designer).

Alexandra Fische @alexandrafische works at 9th Realm Gallery Salem, Massachusetts Studio -978-594-1488 www.alexandrafische.com