Musician, tattoo artist Alex Brooke: Creating walking murals

Grand Rapids tattooist and songwriter Alex Brooke opens up about her personal ink, about tattooing musicians ‘who all the time look cool’ & prepping for the method. Plus, some Michigan musicians share their tats.

‘Fairly Badass’: Among the many lots of of individuals Alex Brooke has tattooed are greater than 50 musicians. (Photograph/Anna Sink)

SCROLL DOWN FOR A PHOTO GALLERY AND SOME SELECTED MUSICIANS’ TATTOOS

I’m sitting in a chair at Brenda Sue’s Tattoos & Fine Art Gallery on Grandville Avenue SW in Grand Rapids, simply down the highway from Founders Brewing Co. You’ll be able to scent the hops earlier than you stroll within the door.

There’s a blizzard exterior, and inside I anxiously await the buzzing needle that Alex Brooke is ritualistically making ready. I’ve different tattoos, however there’s one thing concerning the ache together with the permanence of such a choice to inject ink into my pores and skin that will get me labored up each time.

However then I’m calmed by the truth that life is fleeting and could possibly be minimize quick at any time. Why not make the most of this strolling canvas to showcase lovely art work that resonates with me?

A Badge of Inventive Passage: Alex Brooke’s art work. (Photograph/Anna Sink)

This existential and barely morbid thought will get me to take some deep breaths and chill out a bit.

Alex can also be a chilled presence in her personal proper. She’s been tattooed practically 30 occasions herself and has tattooed loads of people. In 2019 alone, she tattooed 500 folks. This yr, due to COVID-19 and changing into newly pregnant, that quantity is round 180, however nonetheless climbing.

Amid these staggering numbers are greater than 50 musicians. Within the music neighborhood particularly, an Alex Brooke tattoo is a badge of creative passage, an extremely hip and trendy one at that.

She’s additionally occurs to be a musician in her personal proper. Previously, Alex has launched music below the moniker Red Rio, a grungy folk-rock project. She is at present engaged on a handful of tracks that are within the mastering part that will probably be launched as singles below her personal identify, doubtless this yr. She’s additionally been a part of Founders’ FBC All-Stars and previously was a member of The Koh Kohs.

“Music is such a type of self-expression and creativity,” Alex gives. “And, you recognize, by extension, tattoos are the visible illustration of that creativity and self-expression.”

THE ‘GRAVITY OF HAVING ARTWORK ON LIVING PEOPLE’

A tattoo artist since 2016, Alex is as swish with a needle as any painter with a brush. And he or she’s all the time booked up. So I really feel fortunate to be sitting on this chair.

The tattooing begins at my wrist and it seems like hearth. Ultimately, although, my arm goes numb and adjusts to the feeling, after which we’re easily rolling and speaking as if we have been previous buddies.

A couple of months later, I meet Alex at a espresso store on Grand Rapids’ West Facet and we chat some extra between her tattooing appointments. I ask her what it feels prefer to have so many items of her art work strolling round city.

“It’s sort of surreal. I strive typically to take a seat myself down and take into consideration the gravity of getting art work on residing folks. I discover myself in a spot of gratefulness for that. It’s simply actually superb…and generally it’s nerve-wracking, as a result of I’ll all the time proceed to get higher,” Alex says as we sit huddled in a greenhouse behind Rise Baking Co. on an early spring day.

Lined in Tattoos: The mural of birds on her proper bicep is her favourite. (Photograph/Anna Sink)

“I see tattoos from early on in my profession, and, you recognize, there’s going to be part of myself that cringes. However then additionally a component that tries to show myself grace. You realize, I see flaws in my work, that individuals who have them often don’t. It’s humbling and like, actually cool.

“I attempt to keep grounded. I don’t need to be some pompous ass, proper? However it’s thrilling. It’s cool for positive. And I’m actually grateful that individuals need to put on them. And once I see a tattoo, it simply jogs my memory of the conversations, the nice conversations that I’ve had with folks.”

Alex is roofed in tattoos, though you wouldn’t realize it on this specific day. She’s carrying a black jean jacket, accented with earth tones, adorned by a sheriff star on her proper shoulder.

Her tattoos although, each massive, intricate items, in addition to small collectible figurines, are all over the place. There are the self-inflicted hand-poked tattoos on her ft that she discovered the right way to do in Hawaii with a stitching needle.

Her favourite piece, nonetheless, is a big mural of chickadees on her proper bicep. It’s her favourite tattoo, inked by Johnny at Rich Road Tattoo.

“I’d go take walks in my mother and father’ woods once I was youthful on a regular basis. And there was a time the place the solar was sort of shining behind me, so I might see the shadows solid on the bottom in entrance of me,” Alex recounts.

“I noticed a bit of hen hopping round on a department. So I held actually nonetheless. I simply sort of waited there. Then impulsively the hen begins flitting round and it lands on my head! It’s making cute little chickadee calls and it’s simply bouncing round, after which it flew away. It was superb. It’s sort of all-encompassing, like, simply loving nature as a baby and artwork as nicely.”

TATTOOS ALL ABOUT ONE’S PERSONAL STYLE: ‘MUSICIANS ALWAYS LOOK COOL’

Along with her profession at an all-time peak, Alex’s life has modified significantly from the stick-poke days. Her fine-line representations of wildlife are particularly standard. She’s wildly busy.

I’m interested by any unfavorable experiences she’s had. I’m additionally questioning about her ideas on what makes a tattoo unhealthy.

Instruments of the Commerce: Alex Brooke at Brenda Sue’s Tattoos. (Photograph/Anna Sink)

There are blowouts, which happen when an artist presses down too arduous ensuing within the ink being despatched under the highest layers of the pores and skin, spreading the ink out in a haze. Then there’s “awkward placement,” like putting a tattoo on the forearm that seems the other way up when the arm is lowered at relaxation.

She’s had sufferers move out chilly. There’s the traditional few too many drinks, or smoking weed beforehand, which solely heightens sensitivity to the needle. She gives some sage recommendation.

“Simply go to somebody whose work you’ve seen. I’ve some shit items on me. So I imply, I get it. And I like impulse tattoos. However yeah, watch out,” Alex says. “There’s a approach to do it. There are such a lot of pre-tattoo suggestions. No alcohol. Most likely no weed. For the very best expertise. And your mileage could differ.”

In the end, she insists, “tattoos are a part of your private model, you recognize?” And that’s significantly true for musicians.

“The cool half about this job is tattooing folks from all walks of life, however it’s actually fulfilling for me to tattoo musicians. Everybody’s inventive course of is so totally different. I be taught quite a bit with every dialog,” she says.

“Musicians all the time look cool. In case you’re into trend and music and artwork … it’s fairly badass. It’s fairly cool to be part of that neighborhood.”

MUSICAL INK: MICHIGAN MUSICIANS SHARE THEIR TATTOOS

Are you a musician with a tattoo that you just’d prefer to share with Native Spins? E-mail [email protected] with a photograph of your tattoo and the story behind it. We’ll add it to our ‘Native Ink.’

Chris DuPont (Photograph/Gabriella Meadows)

Chris DuPont (Ypsilanti singer-songwriter) – “For me, getting a tattoo is a chance to be totally current and embodied, for the reason that sensation takes up a lot of my consideration. I get a tattoo each time I wrap up an album mission, as a approach to reward myself for the work and put a time stamp on it. Most of my ink was completed by Zera Anderson at Brite Thought tattoo, and I like her imaginative and prescient. Enjoyable reality: I’ve a bit of tattoo of a whale below an evening sky, and three of my tour mates additionally bought this identical tattoo. It was a cool approach to bond over the expertise of seeing the nation collectively.”

Learn extra about DuPont: Chris DuPont ‘uproots and replants’ with ambitious, dark new indie-folk album

Hannah Rose Graves (Photograph/Sara Herzog)

Hannah Rose Graves (Grand Rapids frontwoman for Benzing-Graves Collective) – “This masterpiece is a collaboration between Alex Brooke and me. I needed a chunk centered round my canine’s pawprint. We used my favourite picture of GusGus below a Japanese cherry blossom tree to create this design. Now I can actually say, I put on my coronary heart on my sleeve.”

Study extra concerning the Benzing-Graves Collective on the band’s Facebook page.

Emilee Petersmark (Photograph/Loren Johnson)

Emilee Petersmark (Member of Grand Rapids’ The Crane Wives) – “I lately bought this tattoo from Alex Brooke at Brenda Sue’s proper right here in GR. I’ve gotten a handful of tattoos previously, however this seems like my first piece of ‘artwork.’ I used to fret about having seen tattoos, however now I really feel so excited to indicate this one off.”

Try previous Native Spins protection of The Cranes Wives online here.

Enrique Olmos (Photograph/Julia Olmos)

Enrique Olmos (Native Spins author, chief of Neon Birdhouse) – ”I’m enchanted by Alex’s tattooing. I used to suppose all my tattoos needed to have this intensive symbolic that means behind them (and a few do). However now I largely care about whether or not or not I resonate with the visible illustration of the artist’s work. Alex’s artwork deeply strikes me.”

Learn extra of Enrique’s Native Spins options, profiles and evaluations online here.

PHOTO GALLERY: Alex Brooke by Anna Sink