Monday 16 September 2013

Interview with Quyen Dinh (Parlor Tattoo Prints)

 

Name : Quyen Dinh (pronounced Quinn Din) 
Location : Orange County, CA
Who : artist at Parlor Tattoo Prints

Lisa Jenson : Please tell us about yourself - how old are you? Where you from?
Quyen Dinh : I'm 35 years old (turning 36 in October) and I'm from Orange County, CA. I was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the states in 1980. I grew up in the suburbs of sunny California. I was an artistic child, but was significantly discouraged in being creative. Thus, I never attended art school; rather, I graduated USC School of Cinema-TV with a degree in Film Critical Studies. Disillusioned by the film industry, I decided to go back to my true passion and seriously pursue a career in the fine arts after having graduated film school. I was 27. It took me 9 years to get to where I am today.


L. J.: When you start drawing? Is it your full time job?
Quyen Dinh :  I started drawing and painting as most kids did when they started school. I was in 2nd grade when I won a 1st place plaque and cash prize for a floral watercolor painting I had done in school. It was that moment that I realized that I may have an artistic talent.
My company, Parlor Tattoo Prints, is a full-time commitment.. often times, it's an over-time commitment. But I love what I do so it never feels like work.

L. J.: Surely everyone wants to know what do you use for your paintings
Quyen Dinh : The medium that I prefer to use to create my artwork is acrylic painting on canvas board, which is unconventional for traditional of tattoo flash work; but, it's what I am proficient with.



L. J.: Your style is easily recognizable, what do you feel when (if) someone copies you?
Quyen Dinh : When an individual copies my work because they are learning, I encourage it. A big part of why I do what I do is because I value the ability to inspire. However, when someone copies my work for profit (i.e .selling tshirts of my personal designs), needless to say, it is illegal and I don't condone it. When it comes to my work being tattooed by other artists, it doesn't bother me the least bit but naturally, I would like to be credited. And when an individual wants to use my design as a personal tattoo, I simply tell them it is a nice gesture to buy the art print because it allows me to continue to do what I do.

L. J.: I know there're some projects with your art (hair pomada, t-shirts), what plans for future? Are you gonna be tattoo artist?
Quyen Dinh : Although, I was offered a tattoo apprenticeship when I was younger, an option that was open to me since then, I never took it because my childhood dream was to be a full-time fine artist. Therefore, my goals for the future is to continue to develop and expand my shop and business as a freelance illustrator/designer with a focus on commercial logo design. But ultimately, my goal in seeking professional success is to have the opportunity to give back charity-wise, which I've started to do on my 1 year anniversary of Parlor Tattoo Prints in Aug of 2013. Without that, my work would be hugely purposeless. 



L. J.: What was the most memorable and exciting thing that happen to you this year?
Quyen Dinh : I can't really tell you what is the one most memorable thing that happened this year because so many memorable and amazing things happened. It is the accumulation of these things that have made the best year of my life. I often expect to wake up from it all!

L. J.: What tattoo style you prefer for yourself and why?
Quyen Dinh : I prefer the Americana Traditional tattoo style because it's simple yet powerful in it's aesthetics. But more importantly, it conjures a certain kind of nostalgia that takes me to a place that feels like home.



Thanx for awesome interview!
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2 comments:

  1. Beautiful work, better still that it honors the tradition of tattoo art.

    ReplyDelete

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