FEATURE ARTICLE—July 2003
AARON BELL INTERVIEW with Bob Baxter
I first met Aaron Bell on my travels for the book Tattoo Road Trip―Pacific
Northwest. When I arrived in Seattle, the only person I knew was Vyvyn―and Pete Stephens and Don Deaton by reputation. If you've ever visited Seattle, you know it can be terribly confusing with all its different
neighborhoods, Eastside addresses and Westside addresses, etc. Aaron Bell to the rescue. Whenever I had brain freeze, Aaron would roll up in his flaming '52 Merc and deliver me to the next interview. Subsequently, we have
stayed in touch and become good friends. Then, after his illustrated cover of a tattooed sailor girl caused a spike in sales of the September 2002 issue, I knew it was time to do a full-fledged feature on this prolific
entrepreneur and tattoo artist who, although he's tucked away in an area of the country not considered mainstream, has truly prevailed in the highly competitive world of tattooing.
–Bob Baxter
BOB BAXTER: Isn't Seattle rather remote from the tattoo scene?
AARON BELL: I agree, it's kind of remote. Seattle is a big city, but it also has a lot of small-town qualities. You can go to a grocery store across town, and you're still running into the same people that you just saw downtown. You see the same faces around here. The total population is somewhere near three million, as opposed to where I grew up in Southern California. I like a place where I can get up, get out and slow down a little bit.
BB: That puts you out of the mainstream as far as population, but does that also put you outside the mainstream of the tattoo scene?
AB: It would; however, I travel. I do close to ten shows a year. It's really important for me to stay in touch. Traveling is really important. If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to excel like I do. If I became complacent here in Seattle and compared myself to the average guy with a shop up the street, I don't think I would be growing at all. I get out and stay active. It's always a humbling experience for me. I feel that the heart of the tattoo world beats within the walls of my shop, because I bring a piece of it with me every time I return from a show.
BB: When you go to shows, do you make a point of going to the booths, checking out different artists' books and making an effort to see what's going on?
AB: I certainly try to. But I must confess, I sometimes get a little too caught up in working, and, before I know it, when I finally get a chance to make my rounds, everyone's tearing down. But for the most part, yes, I do go around. And although I don't drink anymore, I make it a point to go to the bar after the floor is closed and talk to people.
BB: How long have you been tattooing?
AB: Professionally now about ten years. I started tattooing doing the homemade thing. I think I got my first equipment in '84. I was in Southern California. As a teenager, I'd go into Tattoo Land. I distinctly remember loving tattoos and the smell of green soap in the air. To me, I associate that with cotton candy at the carnival. I went into Jack Rudy's shop. That was when Jack and Creeper were at Good Time Charlie's. I got work from Mark Mahoney, and I used to go to Laguna Tattoo when Patty Pavlik owned that shop. I got tattooed pretty extensively at that time, roughly '84. I was about 18.
BB: You were an artist at that time?
AB: Yes. I did, as many others, punk-rock flyers. I painted, I put ads up in local record stores for painting leather jackets, that kind of thing. I was also in a band, and tattooing seemed like the normal thing to do. It was artistic. I loved tattoos anyway, so I began taking stabs at it, pun not intended. I got the mail order set up and tattooed my friends, but I never really got it down. There were so many things you can't figure out without an apprenticeship. So, at some point in time, I just gave it up. That was about 1990. I got into doing illustrations for the Yellow Pages for about five years. You know, the little display ads? Mostly pen and ink drawings. I guess it was about 1993 that I met Melissa. We got married and moved up to Seattle. That was primarily a move to get us out of Southern California. I'd been in enough trouble. I was in and out of jail. So we decided to pack it up and go.
BB: What did you plan on doing for a living when you got to Seattle?
AB: At that point I was silk-screening T-shirts. I had a shirt line called Bonehead Designs. I was printing punk-rock-related designs on T-shirts. I had a couple good orders. I had one from Pacific Sunwear. Another order from Mr. Rags. I had sales reps who were giving me orders, and I'd print them all in my garage. But it was very inconsistent. I'd have lots of money one month and be flat broke the next. It just so happens that where I chose to live up here in Seattle, a tattoo shop opened basically next door to my house. I went in and talked to the guy about designing shirts, and, before I knew it, he offered me an apprenticeship. His name was Bill, and he was a biker. He did 17 years in San Quentin, which is where he learned to tattoo. He had lot to show me, and we spent a couple good years working side by side. Then he decided he wanted to move on, and he sold me the shop. So I was a shop owner early on in my career. The name of the shop was 65th Street Tattoo. I took it over, changed the name to Slave to the Needle and remodeled it. At that time, it was only about 350 square feet. It was basically a biker clubhouse. The way I was apprenticed was very much in alignment with the biker world. You do this and you don't do that. You get a courtesy card to tattoo this―
BB: What do you mean, a "courtesy card?"
AB: You know, if you get asked to do any kind of skull with wings that is remotely close to the Hells Angels' insignia, then you need to get a courtesy card.
BB: So you don't appear to be a member when you're not?
AB: Yeah, but the way things are going now, things have got a little looser. That's the way Bill apprenticed me. He always had his Mossberg shotgun propped up there at his station. I remember a guy came in one time, and he wanted to get his ear pierced. The piercer wasn't in, so the guy started bitching about it. Bill put his Mossberg to the side of the guy's head and said, "I'll pierce them both right now at the same time, if that's what you want." And the kid turned pale white and left. That was customer service, basically. That's how the shop operated at that time. But we've definitely changed from that quite a bit.
BB: When I was up there, you were remodeling. You had a small room to the right that was going to be a gallery, if I remember.
AB: In the front of that area is a small room which is my room, where I have kind of made the mistake of sealing myself off from everybody else, because I enjoy working out on the floor. But beyond that, there's still a 300-square-foot area that is a gallery. We're not quite organized to have a rotating gallery, so it's mostly friends in the business who send me a piece or two of theirs. When I go to shows, I'll go up to new artists on the scene and talk to them about sending me a piece.
BB: There seems to be quite a jump from when you took over the biker shop and transformed into one of the primo artists in Seattle, along with Vyvyn and Pete Stephens. Are you mostly self-taught?
AB: I don't agree with that term "self-taught." I mean, what do we have to teach ourselves? I think the old expression that it takes a village to raise a child holds true here, and to claim you're self-taught implies that you already knew it all. If this were the case, you wouldn't have anything to learn. Right? I've learned from many artists in the business. I still have great respect for the guy that apprenticed me. He taught me so many things. A lot to me was probably taught to me at tattoo shows in conversations.
BB: It used to be that nobody would tell anybody anything 20 years ago. Did you find other artists willing to share information when you were coming up?
AB: Yes, I do. However, I feel that we should be a little bit tight-lipped. To share with someone who is actually doing good for themselves and is conscientious, that's a good thing. But throwing around information to people that don't have any business tattooing, don't have a studio or aren't working in a studio, that kind of thing, I still think information should be kept away from people like that.
BB: I know that you are quite well known for your flash sets. You also did that fabulous sailor-girl cover for Skin & Ink back in September of 2002, and did the cover for this issue. What occurs to me is that a lot of people who do wonderful flash and wonderful paintings don't necessarily do great tattoo art. However, you do all of them well.
AB: When I sit down to do flash that sells, I reflect on what made me successful. What did I do a lot of? What were people wanting? Some people out there sit down to do a set of flash, and, to me, it's an oversized set of business cards. Which can be cool for that purpose, but they are doing what they want to do instead of giving a little thought to doing what will sell.
BB: I'm talking more about the artistic level. I know there are technique differences between tattooing, painting and airbrushing; I'm talking about some people's inability to transfer the excellence of their artwork on paper to an equal excellence on the skin.
AB: I just think that comes from hard work in both areas. I've been drawing flash for as many years as I've been tattooing. I think I've been giving equal attention to both ends of it. To me, it should be one in the same. An artist's flash should look like their tattoo.
BB: I think you're primarily traditionally oriented in the designs you come up with, maybe with a little new school mixed in.
AB: That's pretty much the direction I've been moving toward for years. I was part of the new-school generation. I think I've heard you refer to it as the TattooTime generation. I started tattooing in the early-'90s. Also at that time, there was a lot of new-school stuff going on. I got caught up in it, but, over the years, the more traditional designs have more meaning to me. And that goes for Japanese designs as well. It's not really by choice. Rather, I'm compelled to go in that direction. I really don't have any choice in that matter.
BB: Which artists do you aspire to?
AB: As far as entrepreneurial spirit, I admire people like Shotsie Gorman, Ed Hardy, Mario Barth and other good artists that have created a successful business as well. I would also like to acknowledge Guy Aitchison and Paul Booth, who have contributed immensely to our industry on many different levels. And as far as influences, all the obvious shops in the S.F. Bay area. Also Keri Barba and Bill Funk. I've had the benefit of becoming friends with many of these excellent artists over the years. As far as just raw talent, I'd have to say the Dutchman, Don Ed Hardy, once again, Eddy Deutsche, Grime, Filip Leu. There's just so many good artists out there anymore.
BB: What about the fact that there's so many new shops? In towns that used to have one or two shops, now there's 30. With only so many slices in the pie to go around, many good shops are feeling the pinch. What's your take on it?
AB: I came to the point that, rather than be frustrated, I chose to embrace it. Part of it was focusing on my flash. I figured, more new shops means they're going to need flash. I began to look at it from a new prospective, and rather than feel threatened, I said, "More shops? Okay, here's my 800 number."
BB: Some people forget that tattooing came out of the carny tradition, and if anyone knew how to market themselves and diversify to make money, it was circus folks. In the morning, they were the sword swallower and in the afternoon the tattooed man. They used their many skills to make money, which is why I feel that people like yourself are always going to survive, because you carry on the tradition of being innovative business people.
AB: That's how I see it. You've just got to move forward, be positive and make the best you can out of things. It does no good to complain about the saturation of the business. You've just gotta go with the flow.
BB: And what about the future for Aaron Bell?
AB: I'm planning to travel quite a bit. I'm going to Japan and Europe with my family. And go to tattoo events, of course. The art-fusion camps that Paul Booth put together were very inspiring and will hopefully put a new meaning to the term tattoo convention in the future. It is exciting seeing things going in different directions. I am looking forward to your Tattoo Road Trip event in July, because it's something different. I like things that bring us together on an artistic and social level rather than simply sitting in our booths making money. On my last visit to L.A., thanks to you and Baba, I had the opportunity to go around and meet some of the older influences in the area I grew up in, such as Bob Roberts, Tennessee Dave and Greg James. They were such a pleasure to meet. It was really a surprise that these guys seemed so humble and friendly.
BB: You must have a pretty solid, responsible staff to travel as much as you do.
AB: We have a staff of 12, including myself and my wife, Melissa. Six are tattoo artists. Some are former shop owners who were tired of the headache of running a business and wanted to focus on the art. They're a real asset and bring to the shop a unique perspective of having been on both sides of the fence. The environment at Slave is different than some other shops in the sense that we run it like a business. It's a fun and busy environment, but accountability is a must. There is no room for artsy-fartsy prima donnas here. We all express our love for tattooing, but also recognize that it is a job, and with that comes responsibility.
BB: With all you have to do, how to you handle such a large staff?
AB: To stay motivated, our crew gets together one day a week at 9 a.m. I
give out homework assignments, or we'll vote on one as a group. The assignment might be something like, have four thumbnail sketches of a Japanese-style backpiece. Once we've agreed on the specifics, we reconvene the following
week to critique each others' work. During the critique session, we narrow our sketches down to one. Then we go through the same process with color comps and eventually end up with a final completed piece of art. We have many
ideas for future endeavors such as collaborative projects and whatnot. We are going to start posting the results on our Web site. Oh, yeah, we're in the process of developing some consequences for failing to complete homework.
So far we've come up with shaving an eyebrow, wearing a dress or even getting together with my friend Baba and custom designing a large wooden paddle.
BB: Any final comments?
AB: I'd like to thank my lovely wife and business partner, Melissa. My beautiful daughter Leah, who, at five years old, has given me my favorite tattoo. My crew, especially the senior-ranking officials who have already proved themselves, Steven Franklin for being there when I needed him, my clients, friends in the business, all the tattoo magazines and editors who have supported me over the years, and to you, Bob, for all the great opportunities and for not being afraid to have an opinion and try new things!