Meet Jeff Johnson | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jeff Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeff, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Work/Life balance has long been a challenge for me. I am the type of person that focuses on one thing and stays focused so I have always had trouble with this. In the early years of my career everything was tattooing, if I wasn’t working I was drawing, or researching tattoo by going to other shops talking to other tattooers, later on I traveled and worked conventions extensively. My personal life was all about work and most of the people I associated with were tattooers. I then got into oil painting so my personal life suffered more, tattooing all day and painting all night,trying to have a social life in between once in a while. Eventually after opening my shop I got into a serious relationship and had a child. For the first couple years I still worked alot then as my child got a bit older I found ways to make time to be a father. We were in a very bad car accident a couple years ago and that put alot in perspective about work/family life. These days I work a lot less and spend much more time with my son and wife. I guess in the end I never really figured the balance out until I was forced to.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
My journey into the world of art started as a child, my mother would draw blank human figures for me to complete, to keep me busy while she dealt with my baby brothers. I would draw the faces and clothing etc. and I took interest in this, an interest that would last the rest of my life. As life went on I always had a fondness for art. Drawing through most of my classes, until an art teacher in high school took notice and interest in my art, helping to develop my skills. Later in life (well after high school) I bumped into an old friend that had been tattooing a few years and he offered to apprentice me. This was the start of a now 21 year career. In the late 2000s I took a few oil painting workshops from a fellow tattooer who was also an established painter and teacher. This medium peaked my interest so I began painting regularly, selling works when i could. Eventually both tattooing and painting became loves of mine. In 2015 I opened Dire Wolf Tattoo and Fine Art in Thousand Oaks California. Owning a tattoo shop has had its its own lessons, learning how to deal with people depending on you, running the back end of the business etc. It has all been a great adventure, I have found as long as you are honest and fair the people you work with, as well as your clientele, you become much more than friends, I have a family at the shop, and the situation is better than what I could have ever hoped for in the beginning. About my work…Tattooing- I enjoy doing both black and grey and color illustrative tattoos. . I enjoy tattooing snakes, skulls, floral themes, waves, reapers, and taking on custom designs if I feel they are in my wheelhouse, all drawn in my unique style. As far as my paintings, I go back and forth between illustrative watercolor/liquid acrylic on paper, and realism in oil. These days I have been gravitating more towards the oil. The thing about working in an artistic field I enjoy is the impression I leave on the viewer/client. Every time one of these folks looks at the tattoo I gave them, or work of art they got from me, they remember me, and the experience they had with me. It is a way of sharing my gift, and if presented correctly, creates lifetime memory for both myself and the client.I have forged great friendships though art, both from fellow artists and collectors/clients, and to me thats special.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If a friend was in town a few places Id take them would definitely be-

Beaches, mostly north of Los Angeles (Leo Carillo and surrounding areas)
Concert at the Hollywood Bowl ,or anywhere there is mexican street hot dogs outside after the show
The Getty Museum
LACMA
Hikes Through the Santa Monica Mountains (most notably Boney Mountain)
BBQ at Ruffhouse BBQ in Ventura

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First and foremost Id have to shoutout/thank my mother Donna for getting me interested in drawing at a very young age. Later in life, when I started my professional career I was mentored by tattooist and tattoo machine maker Carson Hill. Carson was imperative in getting me started in tattooing and introduced me to various styles of tattoo, taught me how to apply tattoos, and took me to my first conventions. I worked along side him for 2-3 years. Shawn Barber at Memoir Tattoo in Los Angeles is also someone I consider a mentor, good friend and a great influence in my artistic journey. Through Shawn I learned about oil painting, tattoo history and a general outlook on life as a creative person. I am still talk with both Carson and Shawn, and am forever grateful for both their friendships and things they taught me throughout the years.

Website: www.direwolftattoo.com

Instagram: @jeff_johnson_tattoo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeffjohnsontattoos

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dire-wolf-tattooing-and-fine-art-thousand-oaks?osq=dire+wolf+tattoo