Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Victor Policheri. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Victor, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I was only fairly recently introduced to the word ‘autodidact’, which is someone self-taught, who learns without formal instruction. I would say this describes me pretty well, as I have self- taught painting, tattooing, guitar, piano, harmonica, Spanish, and Italian. I have always worked well on my own, and been pretty persevering when I set my mind to something. That said, my greatest strides in any of those subjects have been when I was given some amount of direction or advice from someone much better than me at it. I came into tattooing in the early 90s, when the accepted method of entering the industry was by apprenticeship. Being self taught, when I did have questions or need advice, there was no one to answer my questions, and the information was fairly guarded. It was several years into tattooing before I was really working at a professional level, and started working tattoo conventions. Exposure to some of the country’s, and later the world’s best tattoo artists influenced and improved my work drastically! With oil painting, after years of practice and learning I took a 3 week, technical seminar that changed the game for me. My ability to express my vision ballooned. I do love teaching myself, but I also understand that you can’t cut yourself off from outside influence and information. But while that is true there is one thing that is absolutely essential for learning any new skill you hope to improve in and master; practice. You have to do it even when you’re not inspired to do it. You have to do it regularly. All the techniques in the world will do you little good if you do not put them to regular use.
Victor, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I have been a tattoo artist for over 32 years. I got into it very early, in my teens, when I wanted a tattoo and I was determined to do it myself. I started off tattooing myself with razor blades (which I swear is not as gruesome as it sounds), and quickly went on to buy myself proper tattoo gear. I think it is pretty apparent, looking at my portfolio, that I have never really focused on just one style. I do a lot of different types of work. I enjoy interpreting the visions and desires of my clients. I am happy to say that after 3 decades of doing it, I still love doing the work. These days I am trying to focus on painting a bit more. I’ve been painting for many years, but I had never sold any of my originals until just recently. In addition to selling a pair of my originals, I also recently finished my first commission for a doctor friend of mine. Honestly the business side of selling paintings alludes me a bit, but I hope to keep up the momentum. I split my time pretty well between painting and tattooing, and it is my hope in the future to also have my income come from both.
As a painter I believe I’m developing a fairly unique, somewhat psychedelic or surreal vision. I feel like sometimes painting you can magnify time, or illustrate the subtle intersecting of planes of existence. I also regularly revisit themes of galactic space, stars, and cosmology, as I am fascinated by the idea that we are all, and everything around us, made of the stuff of the stars. I believe in painting you can explore and illustrate, to a degree, the very nature of consciousness.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Having tattooed for over 30 years now, I’ve seen a lot of ups and downs in the industry. I remember times in 2003/4 when I would hear artists lament that tattooing was ending and the good times were over. Struggle is part of the journey. I’ve seen times when it wanes, but it has always come back. I can tell you that right now the whole industry is going through a very difficult time! There are so many artists out there! The equipment is easily available online, as well as quality instruction videos online. Information that I worked 15 years to come into is available for anyone, anytime. It has made things harder, and I hear more and more about friends quitting. That was exacerbated by COVID, which took an already hard time and made it an emergency. Like so many other industries, scores of tattoo shops closed during COVID. In order for my own shop to survive I had to change my strategy. I began going out on the road again regularly. Earlier in my career I traveled and tattooed to a hectic degree. But over the years I had to pace that down a bit. But currently I am travelling at least twice a year to the United States to tattoo in my old stomping grounds; Seattle & Minnesota. I lived and worked in both of those places and still am able to work there quite well. I also get up to Sweden or Norway once or twice a year. I have to go where my clients are. I am actually typing this interview between flights at an airport. It is my hope that in the coming years work in my own shop will pick up and I can travel when I want to, instead of absolutely having to do it. Though the truth is, I do still love doing it. But I have a 2 year old at home, and I’m not as young as I used to be, so it’s harder to be away, and it’s harder on me.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
My favorite part of living an artistic life, from my own creativity, is exploring and developing my own vision. When I’m tattooing there are often very specific limits of theme or style that I would not necessarily explore on my own. That can often have unexpected and very interesting results. But in painting I get to take those reigns off and explore in my own direction and create my own world. It can be difficult for many reasons, and frustrating. But keeping at it brings about break throughs and self discovery. It is something I hope to sustain for the rest of my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.viptattoo.com
- Instagram: viptattoo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RainDogsTattoo
