Ori Vishnia: Tattooing in the New Normal
The Baram House spoke to Ori Vishnia, a Portland-based tattoo artist.
When and how did you start tattooing?
I started when I was in college, a party around 2015 with sewing needles, india ink, and highly questionable sanitation. It sparked something in me and I went home and ordered tattoo needles and some other basic supplies online, from there I started practicing on myself and whoever would let me. Luckily I had many friends willing to be test subjects! My last job before I started tattooing full time was as a daycare teacher in 2017. I was in the infant classroom and feeling a total lack of direction, that’s when I decided to take myself and my art more seriously. I did a lot of research on my own, watched other artists when I got my own tattoos, and met a lot of great mentors along the way.
Walk us through your process, from the inception of the preliminary drawing to laying the ink on a customer’s skin.
I don’t generally like knowing what I’m going to be tattooing ahead of time. I think, for me, the magic of tattooing comes from sitting with my client and figuring out what we are going to make together. I hand over my sketchbooks and some prepared designs and let them flip through to see what catches their eye. Sometimes they choose a drawing as is, but more often than not I end up combining elements of different pieces together or creating something completely new on the spot. From there I make the stencil and we usually spend some time picking placement. I think where you put the tattoo is just as important as the design you choose.
We’re curious about your customers: is there a particular demographic that most frequently requests your works?
I would say generally people in the 18 to 25 year range, but I think over time this has been broadening. I get people who work all kinds of jobs on the full gender spectrum. Lots of queer people! Which is probably due to Portland having a big queer scene, but maybe something about my work too. Everyone I tattoo is lovely.
Your tattoos are heavily line-based, with minimal color fillings. If there is a difference in effect between a line-based tattoo and a color-filled tattoo, what would it be?
I’ve always loved seeing skin throughout the tattoo. I enjoy many styles of tattooing and have a huge variety on my own skin, but I love to make tattoos that breathe, flow, and move with the body. Beyond placement and color choices I think a big way to achieve that effect is that natural skin “glow,” as my friend likes to call it.
Where do you usually draw your inspiration from?
So much! Whatever book I'm reading usually worms its way into my drawings. Poetry, paintings, being outside, travels, film. Creativity comes and goes but I never have a problem finding things to be inspired by.
What challenges have you faced regarding your artwork? Have the recent quarantine measures affected your business?
I spent a lot of worry and energy when I was starting out on developing my own style. I felt the pressure of wanting to create something that was obviously “Ori.” As soon as I let go of that, I actually started making things for myself rather than for any sort of audience. It feels much more authentic this way. Quarantine was hard; I didn’t work for 4 months. Which honestly would have been fine if I was getting unemployment benefits—but that was a mess—didn’t get anything from the government till after I started working again. Ultimately now there is a sort of “new normal,” and things feel good as they can be with the new safety measures.
Any new ideas or inspirations this summer?
I’ve been working with lots of new art mediums! Excited to carry them forward with me into the new year, lately I’ve been messing with painting more—specifically oil paint. It was always a medium I shied away from for a variety of reasons but I’m really enjoying the freedom it gives me to experiment with form.
Where do you want to take your art from here?
I want to work on larger projects, both with individuals and also on a more collaborative scale. A lot of my ideas will have to wait till gathering with groups of people is a safe thing to do. In the meantime I'll keep working on my technical skills and brew up new concepts. I’m excited about the direction my art is going, I think I’m learning new ways to bring out what I see in my head.
Thank you for joining us! We look forward to keeping up with your work.
Thanks for having me, I appreciate the interest in what I do!
Ori Vishnia draws, paints, plays with clay, and makes tattoos in Portland, Oregon.