ARTIST OF THE MONTH

JIME LITWALK
A WALK INSIDE THE MIND OF A MASTER





I first met Jime Litwalk on the tattoo convention circuit in Florida about four years ago. I was impressed with his animated style and his overall attitude towards his art. I had been to his shop, Electric Superstition, in Detroit, Mich. Then while on a trip to Las Vegas, Nev. I got to hang out at his new spot at Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company, and I sat down with him to do this interview.


Where are you from?

Southwest Detroit.

How old were you when you got into the tattoo business and why?

I first started hanging out at shops in my teens. At the time, I was drawing and airbrushing. The guys at the shop asked me to draw tattoos for their customers and charged them extra because they were "custom." I just thought it was funny to see my art on other people. That was when I first started thinking about actually tattooing. I officially started working when I was 21, after a year and a half apprenticeship.




What was the first shop you worked in?

Color Master, and I apprenticed under the owner, Chuck Groulx. He was the one who suggested that I start tattooing.

How did you and Chuck Groulx meet?

At first, Chuck and I didn’t get along. I went over to Chuck's one night because my friend Jason wanted to get a tattoo from him. We all ended up partying while Jason was being tattooed. A couple of bottles later, I woke up with my name tattooed on my arm, misspelled. After that, Chuck and I were friends.

When did your tattooing start to head in its current direction?

I didn't really hear about custom tattooing until about two years in. Chuck and I went over to Eternal one day for Chuck to get an Octopus by Scotty S. Scott. Scott took Chuck’s arm and drew a circle on his elbow and some squiggly lines down his arm.After Chuck agreed to it, they got to work.Two hours later and I’m looking at a really cool ocotpus. At that moment, my eyes were open to greater possibilities to what could be done in tattooing.

Who were some of the artists that have inspired you?

Some of the first artists that inspired me were Bernie Luther, Mario Barth, Eddie Deutsch, and Little Vinnie. I really like Jeff Zuck's earlier work, Gunnar, Frank Lee's earlier stuff, Sparky from Calif., Randy Muller, Joe Capobianco, Eric Merrill, Dave Fox, and my hero, Josh Ford.


How is it working at Hart and Huntington?

It's really not that much different from any other shop I’ve worked at. On television you see the drama and the story lines for the public, but when there are no cameras, the situations are pretty much the same as any other tattoo shop. My attitude has also changed concerning shop owners who don’t do any tattooing themselves. I used to have the opinion that if you didn’t tattoo, you didn’t need to own a shop. Now, I see that the owner provides a clean shop with the interest of the public and the employees in mind. I know a lot of tattoo artists that don’t deserve to have their own shops. I like it out here and so does my family. I make a good living so that I can take care of them and that’s all that matters to me at this point.

What’s your favorite pastime outside of work?
My work is my life. I have my family at home and my work family, who I only get to see when I travel, but I wouldn’t trade my home life for anything. I owe everything to them.

http://www.jimelitwalk.com/