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Ania
Jalosinska says she’s "amazed, flattered and
grateful" that people let her create artwork that is
permanent at her body art studio in Bay View.
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As tattoos have transformed from the
symbol of loyalty (and pain) of sailors and bikers to mainstream
self-decoration, it was only a matter of time before the influence of
fashion made its mark. Ania Jalosinska’s background in graphic
design, printmaking and clothing and jewelry design informs her custom
tattoo art as one-third of Thirtysixtytwo, an appointment-only atelier
in Bay View.
Jalosinska’s style, which often
incorporates words and lettering, is unique to Milwaukee, with a
handful of others in Europe working in a similar genre, according to
Jalosinska, who was born and raised in Warsaw, Poland. Her clients
find her mostly through word of mouth or through an online gallery (www.Thirtysixtytwo.com).
She shares a studio with tattooists Lane Turowski, Jalosinska’s
husband, and Scott LaShay.
"People who like my style are
designer background, designers, architects — mostly art
people," she explains. "They are the same people who were
attracted to my clothing style. I was surprised how much people are
searching for a new thing, something fresh. Graphic art is simple,
bold, readable … expressive."
After earning a fine arts degree from
Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocaw and studying design at MIAD, Jalosinska
worked as a commercial designer, doing everything from logos to
packaging, but she was always been more interested in 3-D, hence the
clothing design.
"The initial stages of tattooing,
including the tracing of the body and shaping the paper, are very much
like making a sewing pattern," says Jalosinska, adding that
although her fashion and design background was helpful, it was still
an extreme transition.
Each tattoo is a unique design that is
the result of a collaborative process between the artist and client,
beginning with an initial meeting. Jalosinska then creates a design on
the computer, makes hand sketches and changes, and then it’s back to
the computer to perfect the design. Like any relationship, there can
be an instant connection with her clients, as though she’s reading
their mind, while other designs need to go through many incarnations.
But once she applies needle to skin there is no going back.
"There is lots of human
interaction; sometimes people (are) at their most vulnerable from the
pain or exhaustion from a long session. It’s a very intense job, but
very exciting," she says.
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