Vyvyn Lazonga
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Vyvyn Lazonga is a tattoo artist who began her career in Seattle in the early 1970s. She was one of the first women to work for herself in the industry, not her husband or another male shop owner.[1] She worked in San Fransisco and was affiliated with Lyle Tuttle, Ed Hardy, and Horiyoshi for several years, before returning in 1989 to open her current studio in Seattle.
She has, along with Madame Chinchilla, advocated the use of tattoos to cover mastectomy scars as an aid to recovery.[2]
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[edit] Historical significance
When she began tattooing, there were very few women who had tattoos, not to mention who were working as tattoo artists. When she opened her studio in 1979, there were only a few women tattooing on the west coast.[3] She had a difficult time being treated as an equal in her craft and acquiring a full apprenticeship.[4] Her work opened many doors for women in the tattoo industry, and is still seen as an example of a fine artist working in the tattoo medium. She was also a pioneer in the use of large-scale full-body tattoos in the West. Victoria Lautman has cited her as an artist who helped "to shift tattoos away from fashionable little rainbows, flowers, and unicorns to the larger, fine-arts-related custom designs."[5]
She was also heavily tattooed at a time when it was unusual to see women with major tattoo work outside of sideshows. Asked about the public's perception of her full-sleeve tattoos, she said "I always felt strong and powerful about it, and I still do. But I try to keep my arms covered if I'm taking care of business -- I sorta wear a uniform according to what I'm doing. I want to get my business done quickly and easily, and I don't like having any hindrance or prejudice against me" (Vale and Juno 1989:125).
[edit] Current works
Lazonga has been featured in many magazines and books[3][4][5][6] and currently writes columns for various tattoo magazines, including a regular column in Skin and Ink.[7] She has also won numerous awards, including the artist's choice award at the 2005 National Tattoo Association convention.[8] She still owns and operates her own studio in a historic building in the Pike Place market, in Seattle.
[edit] References
- ^ Artist Profile: Beverly "Vyvyn" Lazonga. Needled.com (14 June, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-01-06.
- ^ Davila, Florangela. "Redefining beauty: Jackie's journey through cancer", The Seattle Times, March 12, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-01-06.
- ^ a b Vale, Vivian; Juno, Andrea (October 4, 1989). Modern Primitives. San Francisco: Re/Search Publications. ISBN 094064214X.
- ^ a b Mifflin, Margot (October 1997). Bodies of Subversion. New York: Juno Books. ISBN 1890451002.
- ^ a b Lautman, Victoria; Vicki Berndt (photography) (November 1994). The New Tattoo. New York: Abbeville Press. ISBN 1558597859.
- ^ Baxter, Bob (2002). Tattoo Road Trip. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 0764315226.
- ^ Skin and Ink magazine
- ^ 2005 tattoo contest winners. National Tattoo Association. Retrieved on 2006-01-06.
