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STEVE BYRNE
IN NAME AND BLOOD TATTOO
by Geoffrey Stephenson
Photos courtesy of Steve Byrne
From the November 2008 issue of PRICK Magazine.
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A highly skilled and down to earth tattoo artist, such as Steve Byrne, is
always a pleasure to come by. Byrne is the owner of In Name and Blood,
a custom only tattoo shop located in Leeds in northeast United Kingdom.
As an artist, Byrne has honed his skills of blending traditional and Japanese styles
into solid and striking tattoos. He also respects his peers and elders, staying humble
and working hard on perfecting his craft.You can find him at his shop, traveling
around the United Kingdom or even doing guests spots at various shops in
the U.S. We were lucky enough to get the chance to ask Byrne a few questions
about his life and thoughts on tattooing.
How long have you been tattooing?
I started tattooing in 1997, so it’s 11 years now.
How did you get your start?
I worked in a street shop in Leeds for just over five years.
It was a fairly typical start I suppose, you learn how to tattoo
fast in that environment. How to deal with people is
one of the most important aspects of this job, and you’re
going to come across all kinds of different people in
there. I would say it’s pretty much compulsory for anyone
starting out to do it. I enjoyed it a lot, but there comes a
time when you want something different.
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Why did you decide to open In Name and
Blood and how did that come about?
Through necessity really, as I wanted to travel with work.
I was spending a lot of time in Spain and Belgium at that
time, this was around 2000/2001. Basically, I wasn’t able to
hold down my spot at the shop with my schedule so I just
opened my own place, somewhere I could just shut down
for a month or three, whatever I felt like while I was traveling.
I work on my own in the UK, it’s hard work but I
love the environment I’ve created. I opened in 2002 and
kept my head down for the first year or so and just established
it, but I miss being around other artists so I find it
difficult to say no to a guest spot. I’ve had some great
people guest with me here over the years...Adam
Barton, Eli Quinters, Steve Boltz...It’s been perfect.
How would you describe your style? What are
your favorite subjects to tattoo?
I would describe my style as western traditional with hints of Japanese...I’m certainly
not trying to kid myself that my Japanese style tattoos are the way the old masters
would do it, but I try and be respectful and I feel like I know where the line is…same
with the old classic flash work, I pay particular attention to it. My favourites are
Christian Warlich, Owen Jensen, Ralph Johnson…there’s many more but I’m aware that
these guys refined it and I’m not to go too crazy doing my version of it. I suppose I just
want to do what I feel is right and if someone looks at it and can see it’s mine then that
makes me happy.
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How do you feel about the current state of tattooing in the United
Kingdom?
Generally I think it’s pretty good.There’s a lot of work out there for me so I cannot
complain. Many of the younger tattooists are getting things done a lot faster these days,
I mean, their standard is as good after two years as mine was after five but...I suppose
it’s because of the internet and the immediate access to tattoo portfolios all over the
world. It’s encouraging to see, but I can’t stand seeing a lot of watered down versions
of the same tattoo again and again...like, she’s copying this guy and he’s copying this guy
and he’s copying Grime and it just ends up looking terrible.
How often do you come over the pond to do guest spots in the U.S.?
I’m in the USA a lot--New York, Baltimore, Jacksonville, Orlando--My favorite place to
work so far has been in Austin at Rock of Ages Tattoo. That is an amazing shop with a
very cool atmosphere and I’ve had a great time every time I’ve been there. It makes me
feel really fortunate when I think about all the great tattooists I’ve had the opportunity
to work with and learn from, even if it was just for a few days and I only learnt one
thing. These are guys that I looked up to before I even started tattooing so it means a
lot. Mike Wilson, Jason Brooks,Timothy Hoyer...there’s a lot more and I appreciate anyone
giving me the time and space to work with or for them.
Who are some of your current influences?
My all time favourites are those that got me into the art form in the first place, like a
lot of tattooists my age I was heavily influenced by the San Francisco Bay area scene of
the early and mid ‘90s: Dan Higgs, Chris Conn, Jef Whitehead, Colin Stevens, Scott Sylvia,
etc. I traveled halfway around the world to meet and get tattooed by some of these
guys! Recently though, I’m finding myself constantly influenced by my peers and its
amazing to see everyone’s enthusiasm for progressing and sharing ideas, painting swaps,
and tattoo trades. I was lucky enough to be involved in a book, Revisited - A Tribute to
Flash from the Past, which Bert Krak and Steve Boltz put together. It turned out really
cool. That got me excited about painting again, which I really don’t do enough of.
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What is your favorite thing about being a tattoo artist?
Well, I like to work hard and I think tattooing is a fantastic job if you don’t mind that.
If you’re a lazy fuck then it’s probably the worst job in the world because tattooing is
hard to do well! I think if you can wake up everyday and not be thinking about how
much you hate your job you’re a really lucky person.
What do you like to do outside of tattooing?
My family is all I really care about outside of work, but I am becoming a bit of a collector
of artworks, antiques, prints, and early 20th century memorabilia. I’ve got so much
stuff now it’s beyond a joke. Sadly, some of it is going into storage for now as there is
nowhere for it to go until we get a bigger house.
Any future plans or final words?
Just to keep getting better and staying mindful of everyone that’s worked even harder than
the current generation of tattooists to give us this life. I think there’s a core of tattooists
out there who are keeping tattooing real. I want to be considered one of them.
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