Madame Chinchilla, tattoo artist and curator of Triangle Tattoo and Museum
Photo by Deirdre Lamb

The tattooed woman used to live in stone caves, under animal skin shelters, in igloos, mud-packed dwellings and palm-thatched huts. She crouched near fire-pits gathering inky-black soot for her tattoos. She roamed naked and barefoot, proud and fearless upon the Earth, collecting red berries and roots to grind into paste to tattoo herself. She was the goddess, the medicine woman, the woman of pleasure, the worker. She was the mother.

Her flame is still vibrant. She swims within her soup of hormones. The magnetism of the moon pulls her psyche. She encompasses the universal truths of all women . . . in all centuries . . . in varied states of consciousness. She rides the waves of her life with difficulty and grace.

We are part of the tribe of women, beautiful and empowered by our tattooed symbols. We wear an eclectic mix of universal marks, that are bizarre, traditional, artistic and graceful. They are disturbing and curious. We are sisters, dancing through the fire of ancient rituals, richly embellished, transformed forever, back into our lovers’ arms, carrying within our hearts, as well as under our tattooed skins, an exquisite sameness . . . back into the world.

With these images breathing within our skin, we connect ourselves to the ancient world where tattooing was a traditional ritual that depicted spiritual, social or sexual status.

Tattooing was prevalent among men and women of most California native tribes, and often included markings on facial areas: dots, zig-zags, circles, radiating lines and vertical lines on the chin. New tribalism is an emerging art form consisting of sculptural black shapes influenced by jet-black linear designs of natives from Polynesian Islands.

All cultures express themselves with symbols. We create them; we borrow them from other cultures; we weave, eat, paint and draw them; we chant and write them; and we also wear these marks as tattooed images under the third layer of our skins. Our choices are reflections of who we are and how we relate to the world.

CREATIVE FREEDOM & STIGMA:

Contemporary tattooing is an individual and profound act of self-expression and freedom. We are free to use the pigments of our imagination, making indelible statements about ourselves and sharing it with the world. We wear our dreams, aspirations and beliefs proudly, like a medal or a fine piece of jewelry. Our bodies are the ultimate canvases for an eclectic tapestry—art with a pulse!

There is a point where being tattooed is a profound crossing over of learned boundaries. It takes strength of character to wear tattoos since in our society the tattooed are still stigmatized.

Tattoo by Mr. G

AGE

All ages of people are getting tattoos. My seventy-three year old mother who lives in Arizona is an artist. When she had an art exhibition here in Fort Bragg, she watched people come into the shop for tattoos and saw how they felt when they left. She looked at me one day and said, “You know what? I want to feel like those people feel. Will you give me a tattoo?” I said, “Sure, sit down.” She didn’t get up until she had three tattoos in one sitting—one on the back of her shoulder, one on her wrist and one on her ankle. They all have a very spiritual meaning to her. Two were from her own designs and one I designed. The Discovery Channel did a documentary called “Tattoo! Beauty, Art and Pain” about our studio museum, and flew her out here to get her seventh tattoo.

DRAWING THE LINE

We have people sign a release form before they receive a tattoo. If they can’t complete it or understand what it says, we won’t do any work on them. It asks whether they have any contagious diseases, confirms that they have read the care instructions and basically tells them that they understand they are going to receive something that will change the look of their body forever.

We refuse to do any racist or gang-related symbols, or anything that has a negative or angry slogan or meaning. We feel responsible for any indelible statement we tattoo on a person. We will not tattoo hands, faces and sometimes forearms because this might hinder the person’s ability to get a job or other interactions with the world. Names are another touchy request. I will generally only do them in pastels that can be later covered if necessary.
I recommend people consider the social situations where their tattoo might show. Do you want the option to hide it? Remember, wherever you go, your tattoo goes with you.

SCARS

Transformation through tattooing over a scar can have a powerful effect. Many women who have undergone mastectomies have designed and covered their scars with beautiful tattoos of flowers, leaves, vines, trees and other forms that signify life and wholeness.

PAIN

As with many new experiences, the apprehension is more traumatic than the actual event. Does it hurt? I describe it as an intense sensation—a bit shocking at first, as it is electric, hot and stinging. It is more intense near a bone such as an elbow, knee or spine. Tattoos are minor abrasions, less than skinning your knee, but instead of getting a scar, you get a colorful and meaningful design of your choice.
As a person receives a tattoo, their body releases endorphins and floods them with a feeling of euphoria, similar to a runner’s high. This may be one of the many factors that make tattoos so appealing. Most people who get one tattoo come back for more.

ARTISTRY

Tattooing is an intimate art form. The tattoo artist is a facilitator between the person being tattooed and their tattoo request. There is no canvas more sensual, more beautiful, more intriguing than the human skin. There is an incredible edge to working in this wonderful and challenging medium, because once a line is tattooed, it is there to stay. Therefore, self-confidence, expertise and incredible nerve are necessary for this artistic act. Like a prayer, it is a ritualistic process, and like a dance, it requires two people with precise intention.

Chinchilla is author of the books Stewed, Screwed, Tattooed and Chi Chi in Cyberspace (a children’s book). She can be reached at 964-8814 or at website: www.triangletattoo.com

Madame Chinchilla and Mr. G created the Triangle Tattoo and Museum in Fort Bragg in 1986. Photos of Chinchilla at work by J. Idarius.

THE MECHANICS OF TATTOOING

When creating a tattoo we stretch the skin. Therefore we need the pattern there so we can follow it with the needle. We start with a black line of the design, transfer a blue mimeograph of that design onto the body using an aloe vera gel, and then render the shading and color.
The pigments used in tattooing are permanent. Throughout the centuries the materials used have been made from different concoctions—most being secret recipes, similar to a witches’ brew, mummy dust or the mysterious elixir of the gods. The pigments are elixirs in a sense. We tell our customers that we put “come back” in our inks. We have tattooed with pigments mixed with sacred oil, amulets, plant leaves, flower petals, stone dust, ash and soot.

Ashes are sometimes mixed in with the ink to make “in memoriam” tattoos. I keep some ashes of a young man here so his mother and friends can incorporate them into tattoos in his memory on each year of his birthday. She made a special box and painting to go with his ashes.
A small colored tattoo takes about one hour and is created in a sterile field. We use different needles for the outline and color. Each needle is used once only. After the tattoo is complete, cleaning the equipment is done with the same care as cleaning surgical tools—using an autoclave. We even sterilize old needles before disposing of them. Using the same precision as in jewelry making, we melt the old solder, remove the old needles and then solder new ones in their place on the needle bar.

When the tattoo is finished, I take a portrait of the individual or couple and put the photos on our woman’s wall and into an album. The next time they come in, they get a copy of their picture.
About four days after the tattooing, the skin will begin to itch and peel, which means it is healing. Don’t pick at it or pull the skin off. Just use Borealis kool lotion. The skin will peel three times over a two-week period. During that time, we tell people to avoid ultraviolet rays from the sun, hot tubs, swimming and baths (showering is fine) for two weeks. Wash it every day. Later, when in the sun, we recommend sunscreen to protect the color. Years of sunlight can make a tattoo fade.

“The tattoo we are all striving for is the one that
transformed the horse into a zebra.” unknown source