Chris Lombardi has most likely tattooed your boyfriend, your father, your wife or that guy from next door - his handiwork is everywhere. While we are interested in some new ink, our purpose here is to showcase his other, softer side. And by softer we mean done with a brush instead of a needle. Tattoo artists do generally work in other mediums in their spare time, you know. They are not all a bunch of hooligans hanging out on the street corner - those are just the guys from Hardcore.
Laura Sargent: What mediums do you generally work in?
Chris Lombardi: I generally work with ink and watercolor for the "tattoo related" imagery. I did, however, go to school in Boston for oil painting and printmaking. Those skills don't exactly apply to the focus of my work now, but they have influenced it a bit.
LS: Which way does it work - do your tattoos influence your paintings, or do your paintings influence your tattoos?
CL: I think it works both ways. Sometimes I'll do something in a painting that I'm not sure will work in a tattoo. So I'll pine over it for a little while until I figure out how I can make it work. Sometimes a tattoo can influence a painting, maybe the way it's shaded or the varied line weights. Everything is considered at all times. The whole watercolor process was originally developed to emulate the tattoo process. I guess one hand feeds the other.
LS: From where do you draw inspiration other than tattoo parlors?
CL: I draw inspiration from anywhere I can. I look at a lot of artwork outside of tattoo shops. Including: vintage clip art, architecture, the fine arts community, lots of professional illustrators, fashion design, life, etc. I'm open to all types of influence and inspiration.
LS: Have any local galleries been open to showing your work
CL: Actually I haven't even considered that as an option. There are always tons of my paintings and my co-worker's paintings on the walls of our shop (HAND OF DOOM TATTOO). Now I'm pretty interested to see if I could get my work on the walls of another outside venue.
LS: What would you like to see more of around the city?
CL: Everything! There is so much unused, existing real estate. If only the city could parlay enough to fix up some old buildings and make them into anything. I'd love to see more people working and doing good quality work. That especially goes for the tattoo community
LS: Do you seek freelance work?
CL: I suppose I don't, but maybe I should.
LS: Where did you grow up?
CL: Westchester County, NY- North of Manhattan and south of Poughkeepsie. Born in Yonkers, lived in Ossining and grew up in the hamlet of Montrose. Nothing happened there but teen angst and washed up drunkards.
LS: Have you traveled much?
CL: Well, I've been all over the continental united stated. I have not been over seas. That's what comes next. I currently do a lot of guest tattooing in NYC (Manhattan and Brooklyn).
LS: What is your favorite destination?
CL: NYC without a doubt. I couldn't ask for any more in a city. That place is perfect for me.
LS: Do you have a motorcycle?
CL: I only wish. One of these days I'll get myself a beautiful Indian or something bad to the bone like that.
LS: What your favorite tattoo you have ever done?
CL: Anything classic. I love ton work right out of the sailor Jerry flash books. But if I had to pin it down to one, I did a tattoo of an anvil on my friend's foot. It came out awesome and it looks really cool.
LS: What tattoo, on you, is your favorite?
CL: I have this really great tattoo on the back of my right forearm from a guy named Eric Jones. It's a crazy looking, fine-line skull with a dagger in the top of it and some smoke coming out that forms into a really geometric, magical-looking rose. Got it?
