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By Emerald Salazar, Special to The Manila
Times
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Tattoo
artist Julie Ann Grafia
displays her body of work |
Women with tattoos have been stereotyped as
“bad chicks,” intimidating and permanently stained. If only
respect and tolerance went further than skin deep. But ever since
the growing popularity of the reality television shows Miami Ink and
L.A. Ink and their now-famous host, the alluring tattoo artist Kat
Von D, understanding, respect and appreciation has grown. A new
archetype of beauty has arisen—that of a woman as a walking
canvas, her sensuous curves accentuated by design and her boldness
permanently proclaimed in ink.
In the Philippines, Julie Ann Grafia, or Juki as
most people call her, has been a freelance tattoo artist for almost
three years now. She got her first tattoo when she was 20 and has
since been adding to her body of work. She is addicted to the
needle. No pain, no gain.
She surrounded herself with tattoo artists and
they became her friends. Their passion became hers. Fascinated with
their artistry, she began to inquire about basics of tattooing. The
first tattoo that she did was on her own skin, a butterfly on her
right leg.
A perfectionist, Grafia honed her craft before
joining the Philippine Tattoo Artist Guild. Even today, she keeps
herself sharp with the latest styles, techniques and technology.
Tattooing is not for everyone. But Grafia is a woman apart, an
individual as unique as her body art. With her passion and
discipline, she promises to be one of the finest female tattoo
artists.
“For me, tattoo is a serious kind of art,
because your canvas is skin and it marks permanently. You can’t
afford mistakes, and it really takes lots of skills and talent to be
able to work with machines as you work with your craft. A single
mistake can damage the whole artwork, so for me tattooing is one of
the most serious and difficult kinds of art,” she declares.
Grafia gets skin deep with her clientele. It is
she they trust to draw their blood with a thousand stings and mark
them for life.
Having a woman perform such an intimate art on
their naked flesh brings about various reactions from men. She
confides, “Others find it really cool but others feel awkward and
intimidated and a bit hesitant.”
Grafia reveals that with her female clientele,
she can go where no man can. “Some of them are more willing
because I guess they find female tattoo artists more approachable
and they feel more comfortable especially when they’re having
tattoos done in a hidden area of their body,” she intimates.
However, she emphasizes that she does not
believe her femininity gives her an edge over her male counterparts
in terms of artistry: “We’re all equal in terms of talent, the
only thing that counts is who has more experience in this
industry.”
Julie Ann Grafia is making her mark is the art
of tattooing. Both as canvas and as artist, she represents the new
woman.
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