Meet Camille Krilanovich | Tattoo Artist

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

Hi Camille, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I think of risk taking as motivation. I see it as an opportunity for freedom and open ended possiblity.
I opened my first tattoo studio during 2008, and the idea that I could create a space that was in line with my aesthetic and community vision was so exciting that it outwheighed the doubt that comes with starting a new business in some ways that went against tradition at the time. I was incredibly motivated to possibly elevate tattooing and control my path as an artist. There were certainly many sleepless nights, plus I had a 2 year old at the time and was a sinlge parent-what was I thinking! But honestly, I remember the motivation of this possibility keeping me going.
As the years have gone by my tattoo studios have changed from street shop to private atelier, changed business models, I’ve moved, gotten married, travelled , had another child and I still have the same relationship with taking risks. I also think of risk part of an assessment of my life. Do I like where I’m at and do I have what it takes to make changes, because I am the only one who can- and life is short.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ll start with, no it was not easy but I wouldn’t change much about my winding path.
I had always made art since I was a child, and I loved it but I actually wanted to be a science major/Marine Biologist until I realized how much math was involed-so I went to art school.
I studied at three diferent schools over about six or seven years with travel breaks in between (Academy of Art in San Francsico for drawing and painting, Cabrillo Community College & UC Santa Cruz, sculpture)
Throughout all of this I was always painting, doing Open Studios, First Fridays, taking commissions, entering festivals, the usual fine art hustle-and this was ahem, before Instagram!
I recall constantly wondering and solving how I was going to make a sustainable living as an artist.
For me, I had put so much into my evolution as an artist that there was no other option than forward. So when tattooing fell into my realm of possiblities I realized I could create art as a commission type of art service which would be consistent and lucrative.
My initial dream was that tattooing would support my painting. I would open a tattoo studio, raise a child, and then paint all the time, easy! .Well, if there is something I am proud of it is my flexibility and grit or optimism for when plans fail or change. It ended up that creativley I needed to put everything into the business and my tattoo style/aethetic, plus my time to be the best mom I could be, and put painting on the back for a time.
All the differing education and life experiences have made it possible to make the tattoo work I do now. I describe my work as naturalistic illustrations of figures, flora and fauna with an art nouveau influence. I utilize the academic training from the Academy, conceptualism from UCSC, determination from the fine art hustle, plus customer service skills to make custom work for individuals that is the type of art I want to make.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m up in the Bay Area and my go to’s are nature, art, culture, food. So I would say for Oakland/San Francisco; Golden Gate Park, stop at the Academy of Sciences, Arboretum, all the big museums. Take the ferry around the bay, go out to Rodeo beach or Stinson Beach, hike in Muir woods. And both the city and Oakland have incredible food options.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shoutout to my hardworking, salt of the earth parents and my very creative and supportive extended family! I have so many artist/musician/writer aunties cousins and uncles who modeled entrepreneurship before I even knew the word.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/camilles_art_life