The Huntington Beach-based tattooer took part in the recent charity auction/art show.
While much of the nation paid tribute to the 15th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in one way or another, the Sullen Art Collective held a unique fundraiser in Southern California.
Dozens of the world's best tattoo artists were handed retired firefighter helmets to design however they saw fit for "The Ultimate Sacrifice: 9/11 Fire Helmet Art Show," and the results were nothing short of incredible. With money from each helmet going to the Junior Firefighter Youth Foundation, the event raised thousands of dollars for charity while providing amazing tattooers with an artistic challenge unlike anything they'd ever done before.
Brian Correia of Huntington Beach's Tattoo Gallery was one of the 30 top-notch artists asked to contribute a helmet for the event, so Myspace sat down with him to chat about his helmet, his history, and his love of the simple and complex Polynesian tattooing.
What was your experience in Sullen's September 11 fundraiser art show like?
A friend of mine hit me up at the last minute and invited us [Correia and his coworker, Charlie Coffin] to do it. We had probably less than two weeks to get it done, so that made it interesting, but we need to be pushed like that anyway. We came up with some ideas, we put some time into it, and we were excited about the respect thing for the 9/11 anniversary adding to it. That made it really cool. I figured with the Polynesian [style of tattooing], they're warriors and their symbols have to do with protection and family. I felt like that would go along with being a firefighter and having that kind of presence. I wanted to kind of get out of the box and add some texture to it, so I have a tea leaf chin strap on it to kind of change it up.
You specialize in Polynesian tattooing, which isn't something too many people do. How did you get interested in that rather than more common tattooing styles like American traditional or black and gray?
When it comes down to it, I love the Polynesian culture. I lived in Hawaii on and off for 10 years, and it just drew me in from day one. I love the feeling of wearing Polynesian. It has so much depth and meaning even though it can be so simple sometimes. It's almost our culture to have traditional tattoos with all of the old sailors and stuff being around here, but it's definitely nice to be able to do that other style.
How did you first get introduced to tattooing?
I started in the industry around 16. I started making body jewelry for body piercers, and then I started apprenticing under one of them at a tattoo shop. I'd always been into art, so one thing led to another and I realized I needed to be making art, not just poking holes in people.
Even on tattooer standards, you're pretty heavily tattooed. What's it been like to see how people's perceptions of tattoos change over the last couple of decades?
I don't even really notice it anymore. I've been tattooed for so long that I just kind of put the blinders on and don't pay attention to it. It is kind of funny like when I walk down the street to go to Target and just watching everyone still turn around and look at you. I forget people still trip out on us sometimes. There are definitely more tattooed people in Southern California, but you still get the people who will trip out when they see you. When I see someone with a head tattoo, I still want to stop and look because you just don't see it. I'm sure everyone does that to me too.
What do you think of the increase in popularity of younger people getting tattoos on their throats, faces, and heads?
In one sense, it's awesome that people have progressed to being so heavily tattooed, but in our generation you had to earn that. That was a sign of paying dues. I didn't get my first hand tattoo until I knew that I was going to make it as a tattoo artist. I came off of my apprenticeship and I was working consistently, so my reward to myself was when I knew I could make it and I started having a clientele, then I'll get my hand tattooed. I only got my throat tattooed a few years ago, because that means you're done with any other industry. You better be rich or a rock star.
How have you seen the industry change in the decades you've been tattooing?
There's new styles and old styles being reinvented. There are new techniques and new machines making it evolve. A lot of the new stuff is either super realistic or super primitive now.
