Madame Chinchilla of Triangle Tattoo & Museum
Zora Burden: Do you remember the first time you were exposed to tattoo work? What did you think of it at the time?
Madame Chinchilla: When I was thirty years of age, my mother and I traveled the South Sea Islands. We were in American Samoa when the first American Bank opened. All of the village chiefs attended the special event of the first million American dollars arriving on a big Navy ship. Their Pias tribal tattoos were wonderfully visible. I enjoyed viewing their tribal markings. At that time I did not perceive the Samoan chief’s tattoos as art. They were exotic chiefs and I perceived their tattoos as part of who they were.
My first exposure of tattoos began when I was a young girl viewing the tattooed numbers on the arms of my great aunt and uncle, but I did not consider it an art at that point of my life either. I considered those marks sad, because my aunt and uncle were victims of a heartbreaking crime.
ZB: Has your opinion of tattooing changed over the years? How did you begin to embrace this as work?
MC: My opinion and perception of tattooing naturally evolved over the years through my exposure and my travels. I am more confident now then I was when I started out on this tattoo journey and lifestyle. Mr. G. and I started developing our tattoo skills via traditional apprenticeship. Our first tattoo studio was an old Airstream trailer, which we worked out of in local art fairs and motorcycle runs. Eventually we sold our Airstream to rent our first street studio in 1986 in Fort Bragg, California.
ZB: History has always had a stigma attached to those with tattoos, how do you explain tattoo work becoming accepted by the mainstream in a more general sense?
MC: We embody cultural and historical myths through this ancient art form. Tattoos encompass the elemental and the fierce. They are at the same time mysterious and erotic. They transcend cultural boundaries. Tattooing was not considered a rural business, although we evolved into a tourist business. Most studios were in major cities. I started writing about the subjects surrounding tattooing at the time for local rags, tattoo magazines, and have written three books on the subject of tattoo, been on radio interviews. We were featured on the Discovery Channel’s documentary Tattoo, Beauty, Art and Pain. I tattooed my 74 year old mother on the program and she was interviewed. Soon after that, many older people came in for tattoos. My mother told everyone in the world through the media that it was wonderful to fulfill herself with tattoos. Tattooing was finally coming out of the closets, the backstreets, and positioning their studios on main streets and in shopping malls, even in casinos. Tattooing has definitely become mainstream. It is finally being included in Art and History books, recognized as part of the human condition.
ZB: Why do you think tattooing was mainly art that was associated with the criminal element in its early years?
MC: Tattooing was mainly associated with the criminal element and military in the earlier years. They were individuals riding on the edge, men and women behind steel prison bars separating them from freedom and the military living on the edge of life and death, crossing social precipices, jumping off of the edge and marking that time with a time mark.
ZB: How do you see the opinion and meaning of the tattoo changing over time?
MC: The meaning of tattoos is personally connected to the individual. The reasons of getting tattooed are still the same. As beauty marks, In Memory tattoos, a mark of rebellion, people get tattooed for the thrill of it, for ceremonial, tribal, cultural and religious reasons. They are totems of power, fertility, prosperity and protection.
ZB: This type of art was usually associated with masculine identity, when and why did women start to get them?
MC: In the 1800’s, women stepped up to the plate and wrote books, studied Medicine, Science and became politically active. In the 1900’s girls left their oppressive roles and went to the city, got tattooed. Cultures and subcultures need one another to flourish. Male dominated ethno groups needed the balance of Feminine energy. Tattooing has always been for the adventurists, the open minded and fearless. We are empowered by our tattooed symbols. With a feeling of revelation we are transformed forever.
ZB: What do you believe the psychology is behind tattooing in our Westernized culture as opposed to its tribal origins?
MC: The Psychology is one of liberation and commitment. Tattoos are personal hieroglyphics, similar to a coat of arms, creating a visual definition of a person’s life. In this century, unlike any other, many profound statements are willingly tattooed under people’s skins. The tattoo artist, image chosen and the wearers of that image are conduits linking generation to generation, culture to culture. The need for ritual is ever present in our society. In the ancient world, tattooing was a ritual that depicted both social and sexual status. It was traditional and decided by the elders. Today the choice is individual. Getting a tattoo is a profound act of self-expression.
ZB: What made you decide to open a museum dedicated to this type of art work? How did you do your research and acquire all the artifacts for it?
MC: Ancient rituals and images have been tattooed into the flesh for centuries. The process is always the same, an abrasion of the skin and the insertion of pigments that are in most instances permanent. The materials used are made from different tools. This is why we created our museum. Our collection was continuously growing, on public view, so we rented the other part of this building and created exhibits. Our desire was to share this fascinating old Mother Art with the general public. A lot of our artifacts were donated to us by two particular people; Captain Don Leslie and Sailor Mosko David. We also purchased many items online by eBay and from private persons and our own continuous research.
ZB: Will you describe what the museum contains and why these certain displays were chosen?
MC: The first exhibit in our museum is American Patriotic Tattooing. This subject is key to electric tattoo history from the Civil War to the Present. There is also Tattooing in the South Sea Islands. We have an exhibit of hand tattooing tools, also portraits of tattooed people from around the World, Tattoo Flash Design Sheets, Electric tattoo machines from mid 1800’s to the present, a collection of tattoo books. Tattoos With-out Consent Exhibit; Punitive tattooing examples worldwide. This very disturbing exhibit and includes Holocaust tattooing. Also, Japanese Tattooing. There is the Captain Don Leslie Hallway, In Honor of Tattooed Sideshow Attractions. I just returned from Indonesia and have created a new exhibit. There’s also; The Woman’s Wall: photographs of tattooed women from all eras and countries.
ZB: As a woman what do tattoos mean to you? Will you talk about the ones you have and who had done them?
MC: My tattoos are time marks of my life. Some have deep significant meaning and others are merely for the beauty and sense of well being. The ‘Karmic Embrace’ is an image of me embracing a skeleton, this signifies coming to terms with my mortality, my future. I have several decorative tattoos which enhance my self image. I wear the Hebrew Shin symbol, which is on the mezuzah to protect the home. I consider my body my home and it is my protective mark. Many cultures wear protective tattoos. In a sense tattoos are icons, a tap-root running deeply through cultures for centuries. It’s a lifeline, a point of reference, as well as a form of identification and status, while adorning the human body. My tattoos have been done by over 40 different artists. I like to collect from people I have a good feeling with.
ZB: Will you talk about some of the tattoos you’ve done for others, which ones you’re most proud of?
MC: I have done thousands of tattoos for people. The ones that are most meaningful for me are the mastectomy scar designs. Tattooing these beautiful spirited women was different from tattooing other women, because we were creating a space where beauty could arise from a place of sheer terror, fear and pain. We were celebrating Life, celebrating a Scar. This was a very powerful experience for both of us. Their tattoos represent both the women and their survival simultaneously. We were creating a space for transcendence, a circle of healing. ‘In Memory’ tattoos with cremation ash in the pigment are very important as well. Totems are anything one considers a symbol of personal power.
ZB: How difficult is the art of tattoo on living canvas as opposed to an artist who works on inanimate canvases?
MC: Our bodies are the ultimate canvas for art. The human skin is a curious and exciting medium on which to create a design. It is unlike any other medium in the arts, because the life force behind this particular canvas has the freedom to choose an image of their preference. As a canvas, human beings feel and express feelings of apprehension, fear, irritation and relief. They will always leave with a distinct feeling of stunned exaltation. They will feel “lit”. Tattooing is an intimate art-form. There is a synergetic connection between the artist and his or her canvas. We, as tattoo artists assume the role of facilitator with the person being tattooed. The relationship is many faceted, being psychological, spiritual, medical, and philosophical as well as a technical, creative process. The physical characteristics of the human skin are unlike any other canvas. It varies with each individual in texture, color and temperament. It will puff up with histamines, flood with endorphins, and bleed a bit with the abrasive process. It may rebel, by flinching with involuntary muscle contractions, and sweat. These responses are different than any other medium. This is an intense media for the act of art. It requires total cooperation between the artist and the human canvas. Like a prayer, it is a ritualistic process; like a dance, it requires two people with precise footing. It is a short-term relationship with lasting results. Utter self confidence, expertise and incredible nerve are a necessity for this act of art. Once a line is tattooed, under the skin, it is there to stay. There is no turning back. There is an incredible edge to working with this wonderful and challenging medium. There is a significant and fundamental integration of the ink and flesh, the image with the self. The human form is delightful to embellish. There is no canvas more sensual, beautiful, or intriguing than the human skin. To mark under the third layer of a person’s skin for life is a great responsibility that involves a deep understanding of the history and craft of tattooing. The tattoo is just the pinnacle of what resides below and on other levels. We feel a social responsibility for what we tattoo. These are indelible statements and wherever the person goes, the statement goes with them. We are all affected by our socialization.
ZB: Because this type of art has a deep and permanent meaning to the client, does it create any added pressure or anxiety to the artist? How does an artist cope if the tattoo has not resulted what the client expected?
MC: Sometimes I cannot imagine how I am going to pull off doing a cover-up of an unwanted tattoo. But I know I must do it, because I have made the ultimate commitment, looked the person in their eye and told them I could do it. There is often pressure and anxiety in tattooing, it is right out there on the skin in the open. Unlike a surgeon who can make a mistake and the patient won’t see it, it is there and there is no room for error. I simply will not start a tattoo if I have any feeling that it will be too stressful for me. Most often our clients are more than pleased with what we have given to them.
ZB: Do you feel tattooing and tattoo art has a more profound meaning in the art world?
MC: Like a macabre reference library; We are Keepers of the Images. We carry an archive of images and symbols which have been present worldwide for centuries representing life, death and a vibrant force. These venerated symbols are an asserted ancestral relationship.
Zora Burden: Do you remember the first time you were exposed to tattoo work? What did you think of it at the time?
Madame Chinchilla: When I was thirty years of age, my mother and I traveled the South Sea Islands. We were in American Samoa when the first American Bank opened. All of the village chiefs attended the special event of the first million American dollars arriving on a big Navy ship. Their Pias tribal tattoos were wonderfully visible. I enjoyed viewing their tribal markings. At that time I did not perceive the Samoan chief’s tattoos as art. They were exotic chiefs and I perceived their tattoos as part of who they were.
My first exposure of tattoos began when I was a young girl viewing the tattooed numbers on the arms of my great aunt and uncle, but I did not consider it an art at that point of my life either. I considered those marks sad, because my aunt and uncle were victims of a heartbreaking crime.
ZB: Has your opinion of tattooing changed over the years? How did you begin to embrace this as work?
MC: My opinion and perception of tattooing naturally evolved over the years through my exposure and my travels. I am more confident now then I was when I started out on this tattoo journey and lifestyle. Mr. G. and I started developing our tattoo skills via traditional apprenticeship. Our first tattoo studio was an old Airstream trailer, which we worked out of in local art fairs and motorcycle runs. Eventually we sold our Airstream to rent our first street studio in 1986 in Fort Bragg, California.
ZB: History has always had a stigma attached to those with tattoos, how do you explain tattoo work becoming accepted by the mainstream in a more general sense?
MC: We embody cultural and historical myths through this ancient art form. Tattoos encompass the elemental and the fierce. They are at the same time mysterious and erotic. They transcend cultural boundaries. Tattooing was not considered a rural business, although we evolved into a tourist business. Most studios were in major cities. I started writing about the subjects surrounding tattooing at the time for local rags, tattoo magazines, and have written three books on the subject of tattoo, been on radio interviews. We were featured on the Discovery Channel’s documentary Tattoo, Beauty, Art and Pain. I tattooed my 74 year old mother on the program and she was interviewed. Soon after that, many older people came in for tattoos. My mother told everyone in the world through the media that it was wonderful to fulfill herself with tattoos. Tattooing was finally coming out of the closets, the backstreets, and positioning their studios on main streets and in shopping malls, even in casinos. Tattooing has definitely become mainstream. It is finally being included in Art and History books, recognized as part of the human condition.
ZB: Why do you think tattooing was mainly art that was associated with the criminal element in its early years?
MC: Tattooing was mainly associated with the criminal element and military in the earlier years. They were individuals riding on the edge, men and women behind steel prison bars separating them from freedom and the military living on the edge of life and death, crossing social precipices, jumping off of the edge and marking that time with a time mark.
ZB: How do you see the opinion and meaning of the tattoo changing over time?
MC: The meaning of tattoos is personally connected to the individual. The reasons of getting tattooed are still the same. As beauty marks, In Memory tattoos, a mark of rebellion, people get tattooed for the thrill of it, for ceremonial, tribal, cultural and religious reasons. They are totems of power, fertility, prosperity and protection.
ZB: This type of art was usually associated with masculine identity, when and why did women start to get them?
MC: In the 1800’s, women stepped up to the plate and wrote books, studied Medicine, Science and became politically active. In the 1900’s girls left their oppressive roles and went to the city, got tattooed. Cultures and subcultures need one another to flourish. Male dominated ethno groups needed the balance of Feminine energy. Tattooing has always been for the adventurists, the open minded and fearless. We are empowered by our tattooed symbols. With a feeling of revelation we are transformed forever.
ZB: What do you believe the psychology is behind tattooing in our Westernized culture as opposed to its tribal origins?
MC: The Psychology is one of liberation and commitment. Tattoos are personal hieroglyphics, similar to a coat of arms, creating a visual definition of a person’s life. In this century, unlike any other, many profound statements are willingly tattooed under people’s skins. The tattoo artist, image chosen and the wearers of that image are conduits linking generation to generation, culture to culture. The need for ritual is ever present in our society. In the ancient world, tattooing was a ritual that depicted both social and sexual status. It was traditional and decided by the elders. Today the choice is individual. Getting a tattoo is a profound act of self-expression.
ZB: What made you decide to open a museum dedicated to this type of art work? How did you do your research and acquire all the artifacts for it?
MC: Ancient rituals and images have been tattooed into the flesh for centuries. The process is always the same, an abrasion of the skin and the insertion of pigments that are in most instances permanent. The materials used are made from different tools. This is why we created our museum. Our collection was continuously growing, on public view, so we rented the other part of this building and created exhibits. Our desire was to share this fascinating old Mother Art with the general public. A lot of our artifacts were donated to us by two particular people; Captain Don Leslie and Sailor Mosko David. We also purchased many items online by eBay and from private persons and our own continuous research.
ZB: Will you describe what the museum contains and why these certain displays were chosen?
MC: The first exhibit in our museum is American Patriotic Tattooing. This subject is key to electric tattoo history from the Civil War to the Present. There is also Tattooing in the South Sea Islands. We have an exhibit of hand tattooing tools, also portraits of tattooed people from around the World, Tattoo Flash Design Sheets, Electric tattoo machines from mid 1800’s to the present, a collection of tattoo books. Tattoos With-out Consent Exhibit; Punitive tattooing examples worldwide. This very disturbing exhibit and includes Holocaust tattooing. Also, Japanese Tattooing. There is the Captain Don Leslie Hallway, In Honor of Tattooed Sideshow Attractions. I just returned from Indonesia and have created a new exhibit. There’s also; The Woman’s Wall: photographs of tattooed women from all eras and countries.
ZB: As a woman what do tattoos mean to you? Will you talk about the ones you have and who had done them?
MC: My tattoos are time marks of my life. Some have deep significant meaning and others are merely for the beauty and sense of well being. The ‘Karmic Embrace’ is an image of me embracing a skeleton, this signifies coming to terms with my mortality, my future. I have several decorative tattoos which enhance my self image. I wear the Hebrew Shin symbol, which is on the mezuzah to protect the home. I consider my body my home and it is my protective mark. Many cultures wear protective tattoos. In a sense tattoos are icons, a tap-root running deeply through cultures for centuries. It’s a lifeline, a point of reference, as well as a form of identification and status, while adorning the human body. My tattoos have been done by over 40 different artists. I like to collect from people I have a good feeling with.
ZB: Will you talk about some of the tattoos you’ve done for others, which ones you’re most proud of?
MC: I have done thousands of tattoos for people. The ones that are most meaningful for me are the mastectomy scar designs. Tattooing these beautiful spirited women was different from tattooing other women, because we were creating a space where beauty could arise from a place of sheer terror, fear and pain. We were celebrating Life, celebrating a Scar. This was a very powerful experience for both of us. Their tattoos represent both the women and their survival simultaneously. We were creating a space for transcendence, a circle of healing. ‘In Memory’ tattoos with cremation ash in the pigment are very important as well. Totems are anything one considers a symbol of personal power.
ZB: How difficult is the art of tattoo on living canvas as opposed to an artist who works on inanimate canvases?
MC: Our bodies are the ultimate canvas for art. The human skin is a curious and exciting medium on which to create a design. It is unlike any other medium in the arts, because the life force behind this particular canvas has the freedom to choose an image of their preference. As a canvas, human beings feel and express feelings of apprehension, fear, irritation and relief. They will always leave with a distinct feeling of stunned exaltation. They will feel “lit”. Tattooing is an intimate art-form. There is a synergetic connection between the artist and his or her canvas. We, as tattoo artists assume the role of facilitator with the person being tattooed. The relationship is many faceted, being psychological, spiritual, medical, and philosophical as well as a technical, creative process. The physical characteristics of the human skin are unlike any other canvas. It varies with each individual in texture, color and temperament. It will puff up with histamines, flood with endorphins, and bleed a bit with the abrasive process. It may rebel, by flinching with involuntary muscle contractions, and sweat. These responses are different than any other medium. This is an intense media for the act of art. It requires total cooperation between the artist and the human canvas. Like a prayer, it is a ritualistic process; like a dance, it requires two people with precise footing. It is a short-term relationship with lasting results. Utter self confidence, expertise and incredible nerve are a necessity for this act of art. Once a line is tattooed, under the skin, it is there to stay. There is no turning back. There is an incredible edge to working with this wonderful and challenging medium. There is a significant and fundamental integration of the ink and flesh, the image with the self. The human form is delightful to embellish. There is no canvas more sensual, beautiful, or intriguing than the human skin. To mark under the third layer of a person’s skin for life is a great responsibility that involves a deep understanding of the history and craft of tattooing. The tattoo is just the pinnacle of what resides below and on other levels. We feel a social responsibility for what we tattoo. These are indelible statements and wherever the person goes, the statement goes with them. We are all affected by our socialization.
ZB: Because this type of art has a deep and permanent meaning to the client, does it create any added pressure or anxiety to the artist? How does an artist cope if the tattoo has not resulted what the client expected?
MC: Sometimes I cannot imagine how I am going to pull off doing a cover-up of an unwanted tattoo. But I know I must do it, because I have made the ultimate commitment, looked the person in their eye and told them I could do it. There is often pressure and anxiety in tattooing, it is right out there on the skin in the open. Unlike a surgeon who can make a mistake and the patient won’t see it, it is there and there is no room for error. I simply will not start a tattoo if I have any feeling that it will be too stressful for me. Most often our clients are more than pleased with what we have given to them.
ZB: Do you feel tattooing and tattoo art has a more profound meaning in the art world?
MC: Like a macabre reference library; We are Keepers of the Images. We carry an archive of images and symbols which have been present worldwide for centuries representing life, death and a vibrant force. These venerated symbols are an asserted ancestral relationship.