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DEE DEE SERUGA
FOR YOUR PLEASURE
by Max Brand
Photos courtesy of Dee Dee Seruga
From the January 2006 issue of Prick Magazine.
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While on the road in Florida and at various tattoo conventions, PRICK has continuously run into a young
lady with a portfolio that punches you in the face with color as soon as you open it. Dee Dee Seruga of
Pleasure Points Tattoo in Spring Hill, Fla. has a style that is evolving by leaps and bounds in front of our
eyes. Whether she's taking on a full sleeve of color bomb fantasy reptiles or tackling a realistic nature piece involving the
smoothest of gradations, Dee Dee has become a force to be reckoned with. Recently we were lucky enough to sit down
with her and get a new perspective on a blossoming career.
Max: I heard you decided to start an apprenticeship before even having a tattoo.
Dee Dee: My first thoughts of actually getting a tattoo came when I was in college. I didn't follow through with it.I
graduated college with an associate's degree in advertising, but that wasn't the career for me and I wasn't sure what was.
I jumped on the Grateful Dead tour and tried to figure out my life. I bought tattoo magazines here and there and started
thinking more seriously about persuing it. I still remember sitting in a hotel room in New Orleans with my good friend
Rob and a tattoo magazine and telling him "I'm gonna learn, and I'm going to have pictures in a magazine one day." Then
it happened, Jerry Garcia kicked the bucket, and it was time to pursue.
So you eventually got your first tattoo. Tell me about that, and tell me about the first tattoo
you did.
Getting my first tattoo wasn't anything too exciting. I sat for three-and-a-half hours on my spine and got a tree turning
into a woman. Now I want it removed. Go figure. Most of us want our first ones removed. Time goes on and we
learn what good work is. As for the first tattoo I did, my so-called teacher turned me loose on an unknowing customer
one day. I had only about two months of training, so of course I wasn't ready for a live body. The guy wanted some tribal
and I was told to do it. "No buts, just do it! It's yours!" But you gotta start somewhere, and pig parts and grapefruits
don't compare to the real thing. My boss told the customer to go next door and have a shot while I got ready. That's
the way it went down, and I'm sure it was shitty, but at least fixable.
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Who were your influences while learning to tattoo and who are you influences now?
When I was first learning, I saw Little Vinnie's work and I was impressed enough to go to Maryland and get tattooed
by him. This was really my first true lesson with color work. It never occurred to me that you could mix ink like paint.
He has no idea how much he helped me. I was also influenced by Jon Clue. Guy [Aitchison] has always been an inspiration.
As for today, there are so many amazing artists that I couldn't begin to name them all. There is so much talent
around these days I feel that we all pull inspiration from one another. I think getting tattooed by a fellow artist should
be a tax write-off. It's like a lesson. Just about everyone who has tattooed me has taught me something.
How did you end up in Spring Hill and how did you end up at Pleasure Points?
I was living in New Jersey for four
years and I had had enough. My parents
were building a house in Spring
Hill, Fla. and couldn't seem to sell their
house in Michigan. They were going to
put both houses up for sale and see
which sold first. Two weeks after I got
to Michigan, they sold the house, so it
was off to Florida. Pleasure Points hadn't
opened yet, but was in the making.
I actually had my mom go around to
different shops and check them out
for me. I told her to only get info on
the nice, clean shops. Pleasure Points
contacted me after seeing my portfolio
and said, "Bring it on." Spring Hill is
now home.
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How does working with a
group of females influence and
inspire you?
Years ago I thought it would be
great to have an all female crew, but
was I wrong! Just kidding! It's actually
a pretty equal number of men and
women at the shop, but I like it. Since
this field is male dominated, it's nice to
have women around. We did lose our
female piercer, Nikki, though. She's
recovering in Cape Coral from a bad
car accident. (Soon our shop's new
site will be up and there will be a
donation button on there if anyone
would like to help her out. No insurance
and a month in the hospital made
for ugly bills.) Michelle tattoos with
me and we have a female apprentice,
so there will be another one of us
soon.
So I heard you're obsessed
with garlic.
The garlic, huh? Well, I love garlic.
What else can I say? I cook with it in
excess. It comes out of my pores. My
good friend Chris Blinston did my
awesome Sacred Garlic tattoo with
broccoli rabe, cilantro, and butter. My
husband and I joke about it and say
that when we go to sell our house one
day, only an Italian would buy it
because of the smell.
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Who are you going to get
tattooed by in the future?
My left sleeve will be finished by
Mike Cole. I'll have Tony Ciavarro finish
my other arm. I've been talking to
Cory Kruger about doing my leg.
Definitely getting some Nick Baxter,
and I still want Bob Tyrrell to do a
Jerry G. portrait for me. After that,
who knows?
What do you see in your
future as an artist?
My future as a tattoo artist won't last forever. My hands are taking a beating. I've
been getting back into painting and I really hope that it takes off.
Tell me about the other
mediums you work in.
I paint with watercolor and acrylic
and I'm going to venture into oils again
(I haven't done one in years). I also do
stained glass. I'm getting ready to start a
glass piece for my friends, Gabe and Kim
Ripley, for their new shop.
Gabe is the
creator of tattoonow.com.
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OK. Anything else you'd like the world to know?
Well, some guy, Ty, is claiming my work is his own. Who knows who else's work he is ripping off? Beware of who you get tattooed by. Do your homework. I'd also like to thank my friend Mr. Ciavarro for introducing me to the wonderful game of roulette!
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Pleasure Points Tattoo
10537 Spring Hill Drive
Spring Hill, FL 34608
352.666.6802
For more info on Dee Dee, visit www.pleasure-points.com.
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