Artist James Barny Watts was born and raised in New Zealand. He came to the UK in the late 80s with his band Static, but after landing a record deal and touring as a drummer, things petered out. He found himself drawn back to his first love, art, and a chance encounter led him into the world of tattoos, his major source of inspiration. We caught up with him in his studio space (conveniently located behind Lal Hardy's famous London shop New Wave Tattoo) where he makes his amazing tattoo-themed carved paintings and engravings.
You're incredibly passionate about your art. Did you pursue any formal artistic training?
No, but I've always been an artist in one way or another. I'm from an artist background. My mum's an artist. She paints in oils. So I'm lucky – I've always been able to pick her brains. As a kid, I was always being taken to museums and art exhibitions by my parents. At the time, I was bored shitless, but obviously something must have stuck! When I first started on the UK arts scene in the late eighties I was making installation pieces. I used a lot of bioindustrial stuff. Then I started making fetish masks for parties and the clubbing scene, using circuit boards and stuff like that. It's always been really difficult for me to be taught by someone else; I have to just do it myself and make mistakes along the way, because that's the way I learn. When the band finished and I had to find something to do with my time I actually took a course in furniture restoration. I did a bit of that for a few years, then I got into full-time carpentry, laying flooring, etc.
How did you go from installation art and carpentry into the work you produce now?
この記事は Total Tattoo の Issue 147 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は Total Tattoo の Issue 147 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
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James Barny Watts
Artist James Barny Watts was born and raised in New Zealand. He came to the UK in the late 80s with his band Static, but after landing a record deal and touring as a drummer, things petered out. He found himself drawn back to his first love, art, and a chance encounter led him into the world of tattoos, his major source of inspiration. We caught up with him in his studio space (conveniently located behind Lal Hardy's famous London shop New Wave Tattoo) where he makes his amazing tattoo-themed carved paintings and engravings.
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