Clare Hampshire
When I first started getting tattooed a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away getting tattooed was still considered taboo, and so finding a really talented tattoo artist was a challenge. We didn’t have the Internet back then – yes, it was literally the Stone Age! But now, with the likes of Instagram it’s so much easier to find a super amazing tattooist, like the wonderful Clare Hampshire! Bold lines, bold colours and an artists touch allow Clare to bring your skin to life with pets, panthers, pin-ups and anything else you can think of! I’ve been a fan of Clare’s tattooing and artwork for years now and so I was stoked to have a quick chat to the gal about how it all began and where it’s going …
Please tell us a bit about yourself and where it all began for you art wise?
I’ve been an artist my whole life, with my head in colouring books as a little kid, oil painting in high school, tattooing as an adult, and playing music on and off in between all of those things.
I’m not sure if I chose the art life as a way to mentally escape the hellhole that was small-town country Victoria for a weird sensitive kid, or if it chose me, for the same reason.
When did you first start tattooing – what got you on this journey?
I started tattooing when I was 19. I loved tattoos, I loved art, it seemed like a great way to never have to get a “real” job, and to still get to make a living by being creative.
How does painting on paper compare to painting on people – would you ever commit to doing one over the other?
Tattooing and painting can’t really be compared in many ways at all. A painting is something that’s (hopefully) for me, and a tattoo is a service I provide to you. Painting can be undone, tattooing cannot. A tattoo is painful, uncomfortable, loud and abrasive. A painting for me is soft and gentle, smooth and relaxing. I love them both equally however, and I couldn’t choose one over the other.
Who or what would you say have been your biggest influences or inspirations – this can be music/ art/ anything!
My biggest influences all come from the world around me, be it my friends, the art and music I consume, places I’ve travelled to, people I’ve worked with, books I’ve read, views I’ve taken in, and movies. I try to be particular about what I read/consume – you are what you eat.
You opened your own studio – Hot Copper – a few years ago, can you tell us about the catalyst for this, the wins and challenges along the way, and how it’s all going?
I opened Hot Copper in 2015 when I’d been tattooing for 12 years in various shops in Australia and overseas, because I wanted a place that was perfect for me. I wanted a fully stocked supply cupboard that was labelled and organised, I wanted a manager who made the artists’ lives easier, I wanted a crew who were all kind and respectful and had no egos, I wanted a place I could go to work every day and feel comfortable, and hopefully the clients would feel the same. That place didn’t exist so I had to open it myself.
insta: @clareclarity
http://www.claritytattoo.com
http://www.hotcopperstudio.com
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