Art & Life with Vickie Chiang

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vickie Chiang.

Vickie, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I am originally from Taiwan and came to the United States for Art school. With a Fine Art and Illustration background and passion for decorative design, I worked as a stationery and textile designer in the San Francisco Bay Area for many years. A little while ago I moved to Los Angeles and was exploring similar opportunities here, but my path took a wonderful turn. I was lucky to fall into the world of tattooing. I met Justine Serebrin and her team Earth Altar Studio.

My tattoo journey started here. With a great mentor and amazing colleagues, I grow stronger as an Artist day by day. My favorite part about being a tattoo artist is that I get to work with different clients and listen to their unique stories. It is a job that’s very personal. I custom create unique art for clients and it will be on their bodies forever. I truly feel their trust, for which I am so grateful. It has been wonderful establishing my personal style – gentle and botanical pieces.

To know my art is being loved by so many is a beautiful feeling. I give a lot of respect to my client’s tattoo experience at our studio. Tattooing itself can be painful, but the collaborative and creative experience as a whole doesn’t have to be.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I tattoo – an art that stays permanently on your body. I custom design each piece with a client’s ideas in mind and infuse my own style for a beautiful collaboration. Sometimes clients have very specific ideas, sometimes I have the freedom to create an entirely unique design. Many of my clients come with a story. They’re remembering a loved one or an important life experience. I can feel their strong emotion while tattooing. Some sessions end in happy tears when they see the design that mean so much to them has come to life.

My style is botanical and gentle. People come to me for floral designs. I am recreating great nature’s designs on my client’s body. For me, becoming a tattoo artist was a wonderful surprise, not a life plan in the slightest. I see this as an asset. My approach is entirely unique. I was not influenced by the traditional tattoo style and techniques, which is more bold and masculine. With my love for decorative art, my style is more delicate and illustrative.

What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
Simple serenity is present in every facet of my art. With such a heavy influence from nature, each piece is grounded in something more powerful and beautiful than the chaos and fears that exist in the world around us. I’ve found this calm beauty to be increasingly important in these times. I create each piece to help my clients heal.

The art itself and the meaning behind it is an ever-present reminder to stay connected to their true self. I hope and believe that each new tattoo brings peace to my clients and all who connect with me and my work. Those moments of peace have so much value to us all.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
You can see my work on my Instagram account or you can find me at Earth Altar Studio.

A like to my post or just a message to tell me you love my art means a lot to me. It is also wonderful if you decide to get a tattoo by me!

Contact Info:

• Address: 1615 Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041
• Website: earthaltarstudio.com
• Phone: 3234078443
• Email: vickie@earthaltarstudio.com
• Instagram: tattooist_inkandbloom

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