Artist Spotlight: Damien Vines
Artist Spotlight: Damien Vines
For those with the drive to create, it’s part of their very essence. Such is the case for Damien Vines. “It’s part of the soul, I guess. Ever since I was three, it was something I’ve always done.”
Damien, who’s studying as a tattoo apprentice and has a BFA from Spalding University, finds it impossible to separate his daily life from his creative life. He’s always thinking about the choices he could make in his various artistic endeavors, whether it’s tattoo designs, ink and watercolors, or woodburning. When speaking with him, Damien also noted the interconnected nature of his creative outlets: the similarities between the processes for woodburning and tattooing, as well as the parallels in his ink and watercolor art with his neo-traditional tattoo work.
In viewing his work, the bold lines and vibrant colors of Damien’s neo-traditional style are at the forefront. Subsequent viewings, however, reveal other influences. Growing up as an avid comic reader, many of Damien’s pieces oscillate between tattoo design and comic panel. His preference for thick outlines and bright colors drawing as much from the neo-traditional tattoo style as they do from comic book art. Damien’s attention to lighting, angle, and composition reflect the influence cinematography has played, with Stanely Kubrick and David Lynch being integral in shaping his aesthetic.
Perhaps the most inescapable influence on his work is that of horror. Not only in some of his subjects, but also in his approach when depicting some non-horror subjects. This is best highlighted in works featuring mouths, which combine the horror aesthetic with gross-out humor from the 90’s as a means to process recurrent nightmares about teeth falling out.
If you would like to see more of Damien’s work, you can find him on Instagram at @damienvines.
For those with the drive to create, it’s part of their very essence. Such is the case for Damien Vines. “It’s part of the soul, I guess. Ever since I was three, it was something I’ve always done.”
Damien, who’s studying as a tattoo apprentice and has a BFA from Spalding University, finds it impossible to separate his daily life from his creative life. He’s always thinking about the choices he could make in his various artistic endeavors, whether it’s tattoo designs, ink and watercolors, or woodburning. When speaking with him, Damien also noted the interconnected nature of his creative outlets: the similarities between the processes for woodburning and tattooing, as well as the parallels in his ink and watercolor art with his neo-traditional tattoo work.
In viewing his work, the bold lines and vibrant colors of Damien’s neo-traditional style are at the forefront. Subsequent viewings, however, reveal other influences. Growing up as an avid comic reader, many of Damien’s pieces oscillate between tattoo design and comic panel. His preference for thick outlines and bright colors drawing as much from the neo-traditional tattoo style as they do from comic book art. Damien’s attention to lighting, angle, and composition reflect the influence cinematography has played, with Stanely Kubrick and David Lynch being integral in shaping his aesthetic.
Perhaps the most inescapable influence on his work is that of horror. Not only in some of his subjects, but also in his approach when depicting some non-horror subjects. This is best highlighted in works featuring mouths, which combine the horror aesthetic with gross-out humor from the 90’s as a means to process recurrent nightmares about teeth falling out.
If you would like to see more of Damien’s work, you can find him on Instagram at @damienvines.