We were lucky to catch up with Alexis McFate recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alexis thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

As an artist, I love to infuse meaning into my projects to give extra texture and connectivity to the viewer. I believe that even when the meaning is not obviously spelled out, you can feel it there. Meaning enhances the emotion that we connect to within a piece of any style of art. When I design a tattoo I approach it the same way whenever the client allows for my input. Recently, I designed a cover up tattoo for a new client and was thrilled to be so in sync with her when we began discussing the piece and cover up possibilities. Our conversation veered into mental health and reclaiming oneself through a tattoo cover up to replace something that no longer represents who we are today. This client is a horror fan and mentioned a movie I had not heard of, so I looked it up. I was struck by the imagery, and more so by the meaning associated with the film. If your curious, the movie is The Babadook by Jennifer Kent, definitely worth looking up. After learning the association with mental health and the film, a little about my clients likes and dislikes and also that she is a self proclaimed cat lady, I had a vision for the piece. I designed a black cat with the Babadook in her mouth. The black cat symbolizes reclaiming your personal magic and healing, so pairing all this together tells quite a story. She loved the design and we have completed the first session.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a tattoo artist and visual artist. For as long as I have memory, I have loved art and have had an overwhelming desire to create art. One of my earliest memories is of a drawing of a wolf that my mom was working on, I was spellbound and for years tried to capture the detail and emotion she was able to in that drawing. I this piece is very important to me and hangs in my bedroom to this day. Naturally, I wanted to get into some sort of creative line of work. When I was coming of age in the 90’s tattoos were suddenly on my radar. I remember a day in freshman year of high school circa 1994, discussing with my girlfriends what tattoos we would get as soon as we were old enough. Then a friend suggested i design them since I was an artist, then another excitedly popped up with “you should do our tattoos!” and it was a magic moment that defined so much of my artistic life from there. I began studying tattoo magazines and drawing what I saw in every style trying to understand what was different translating from skin to canvas. I started visiting tattoo shops as soon as I was of legal age and asked how to get started tattooing. I ended up working as the receptionist in a local shop in my early 20’s and although I was not an apprentice, the artists and owner were supportive of my dream and gave me lots of advice, it really felt like apprenticeship was on the horizon. Then I had a panic attack, which was unfortunately common at the time, and I left because I was scared. At the time I didn’t realize I was afraid of success, I learned that in hindsight. I lost my spark for a while, and in my 30’s a friend asked if I had ever considered tattooing since I loved it so much. I was convinced I was too old, and was corrected quickly by more friends. At this time, I was a single mom and was working as a hairstylist in Portland, Oregon. Oregon is one state that requires school rather than apprenticeship and when I looked into it, I realized that there was actually a way to make my old dream a reality. The time felt right and I went for it in January of 2019, and am so proud of myself for not giving up. I feel that my brand is a blend of beauty and darkness. I am drawn to the macabre and balance of beauty and grotesque in nature. I try to bring this to my designs and execution of my work. My style in the industry is called illustrative, which definitely fits. I also add elements of realism, surrealism and fine line work. I do both black and grey band color work and love to do both. I always aim to listen deeply to what my client wants when I am designing a custom piece, and I enjoy adding ideas and brainstorming with all my clients. I want my clients to feel safe, comfortable and wholly accepted as they are.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding element of being an artist is when my client smiles, gasps and says “ I LOVE IT!”, this is so rewarding and I am so lucky to hear this so often. It is such an honor to help someone else feel like and elevated version of themselves. I believe that tattoos do this for us, and I have so many client stories about the relationship they have to their bodies or to how they feel they appear to others be completely transformed. Adornment truly has magic in it.

Have you ever had to pivot?

This is the story of when I chose to become a tattoo artist and eventually walk away from being a hairstylist. I loved being a hairstylist and loved working with my clients, but it was never truly me. I always dreamed of finding a way to do visual art and be able to make a living, and I deeply regretted letting my panic disorder get the better of me when I walked away from the tattoo shop that could have become an apprenticeship so many years ago. Making the decision was hard, society will tell you not to for so many reasons. For me those were, “I am a single mom, I am too old now, I don’t even draw as much as I used to, I already have a job, etc” and I let that influence me for a long time. When I made the choice to follow my dreams it was really scary, but also a calculated risk at the time. All the elements were in place and I saw the door open, so I walked through it. If I can do it, you can too!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @alexis_mcfate_tattoo

Image Credits
All images taken by me