KORE FLATMO: MASTERING THE LARGE-SCALE, CUSTOM TATTOOS
“I’ve seen the beautiful and the bizarre, the ugly and the noble. I’ve seen so much that it’s hard to extract any one experience,” Kore Flatmo.
Kore Flatmo began tattooing in Hollywood in 1992. What started as an unintentional career became a craft that Flatmo has truly perfected. In 1999 the artist opened his private, appointment-operated studio PluraBella in Cincinnati, Ohio. Flatmo, who specializes in large-scale, custom tattoos, now works with his wife in the shop. Flatmo spoke with savemyink.com about his career, his inspirations, and his one-of-a-kind style.
-YOUR WORK IS LARGE, DRAMATIC, AND JAW-DROPPING. WHERE DO YOU DRAW INSPIRATION FOR YOUR AWE-INSPIRING PIECES?
“I use strong lines, rich color, and dramatic gray tones to create high impact tattoos. I’m influenced in my work by both the Southern California black and gray tradition, as well as by strong, traditional Japanese-style tattooing. …generally the inspiration, or the attractiveness of doing the tattoos, comes from interacting with the clients and making something that’s actually out of the good ideas that are being thrown around. That’s why I tend to work the way that I do, trying to do larger, more complete things so that the ideas can be more fully realized. That day-to-day experience with the people is what provides the inspiration.”
-PLURABELLA OPERATES IN A VERY UNIQUE, PERSONALIZED STYLE. WHAT DROVE YOU TO OWN THIS TYPE OF STUDIO?
“Our mission here at PluraBella is to work with our clients to create tattoos that are designed with the unique form of the individual in mind. We see each project as an opportunity to craft something special as a combination of our styles and approaches around the request of the client.”
-WITH THE GROWING POPULARITY OF TATTOOS, DO YOU EVER SEE YOURSELF OPENING PLURABELLA TO THE PUBLIC?
“I can see farther down the road possibly creating a studio that’s open to the public, as well as having the private aspects that we have now. That would have a lot to do with timing and circumstance. The business of tattooing is changing so quickly and the condition of the economy is so indeterminate, you never know what’s going to happen next lately. I prefer to hold back for a while, but I can see eventually opening to the public.”
-AS A RESPECTED ARTIST IN THE INDUSTRY, WHAT ONE THOUGHT WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEAVE WITH OUR READERS?
“If I can leave the readers with any one thought, it’s that tattooing is individualistic; that your experience is what matters- the individual’s experience, the client as well as the tattooist. Over the last five years or so, tattooing has kind of formed a mainstream pop culture sort of center. That mainstream center is very collectivized, and it’s very comparative. What I mean by that is the collectivization of it is that the tattoo, now more than ever, seems to exist for the other person, for the viewer. While that’s important, it’s only a small facet of what a tattoo is. There was a time when tattoos sent a message out to other people that said, ‘Don’t talk to me. Leave me alone.’ I’m not saying that was exactly right, but we’ve come a long way to all tattoos now being a message to say, 'Come over and talk to me. Tell me what you think of them. Tell me what you think in comparison to the ones that you’ve seen. Is mine as good or as bad as other ones?' While these things are important, they’re not nearly the whole experience. Too much emphasis has been placed on this. I would like to leave the reader with the idea that if they’re satisfied and if they love their work, that’s paramount and if they’ve had a good experience, that’s paramount. …I would urge the readers not to get hung up on the collectivization and the constant comparing of tattoos. Tattooing is far more than just a social function. It primarily has an individualistic and spiritual function, and I think that’s what needs to be remembered.”
To see more of Flatmo’s work, check out his website: http://plurabella.com/
IG: @koreflatmo_plurabella
