JEFF RASSIER
Interview by Chris Chapel
Based on the foundation of talent, passion for art and creative energy, Blackheart Tattoo has become a tattoo shop that is continually evolving and creating a work environment that is most beneficial not only for the artist, but also the clients. It is owned and operated by tattoo legends Tim Lehi, Jeff Rassier and Scott Sylvia.
So Jeff, tell me a little about your self? Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Minnesota and Santa Barbara. I started tattooing in Santa Barbara in 1990.
You opened Black Heart Tattoo a few years back with Scott Sylvia and Tim Lehi. What’s it like owning your own shop with amazing artists like them? Pros & Cons of being an owner?
Opening the shop was just a natural progression for us, you know. You want to have an outlet for your own vision. The business end of the shop is the least important factor of the partnership. We try to focus on the art, so it may not run so well all the time, but we always have a place to draw and tattoo in a really creative atmosphere.
Any rivalries between you?
Naw.
San Francisco and the Bay Area have so many great tattoo shops. Who are some of your favorite local Tattoo artists?
Besides the ones I work with, there’s Eddy Deutsche, Jef Whitehead, Freddy Corbin, Ed, Theo Mindell, Grime… There are so many, plus a lot of guest artists coming through. It’s a really great place to work. I’m really lucky.
Does Music influence your art at all?
It used to. Punk rock was my reason for starting in the first place. Tattoos were part of the uniform, but now I mostly listen to old time radio shows when I draw. Not sure why, but I dig’em. At the shop music is good to set a mood and a speed.
It seems to me that one of the greatest aspects of being a Tattoo artist is the travel opportunities. What is your favorite shop/country that you’ve worked in that wasn’t your own?
I go to Italy every now and then to work at Ink Addiction in Verona, but it could be anywhere I like it, because one of my best friends Beppe owns it. It’s more the experience than the geography for me.
What to you think attributes to the high number of shitty tattoos kids are getting these days? Didn’t their parents teach them that “Good tattoos aren’t cheap and cheap tattoos aren’t good?”
You show enough people a turd and tell them its a diamond. Sooner or later you will see one on a ring. The TV shows don’t help for the most part. There are some good artists on those shows, but also a lot of shit, just like the percentages in the real tattoo scene.
What do you do to unwind in your spare time? Any unusual hobbies?
I draw and sometimes get drunk on the roof and look at the moon through a cheap telescope with my wife and dog.
