Bonnie Dobbin
Here at Frank151, we’re always in awe of a good tattoo. So when we got the chance to get Bonnie Dobbin to lace us with some words, we jumped at the chance. Bonnie may just be one of the top tattoo artists (male or female) worldwide. She is also known to have one of the lightest hands in the game. People love her work, because it’s very detailed, but applied with just enough ink to get the job done. Bonnie happens to work out of Vancouver, Canada, but you can find her travelling the world, tattooing some of the biggest names in music and extreme sports. Some of her canvases have included the bodies of members of Green Day and Neruosis, as well as a slew of professional BMX riders and Skaters, including the legendary Art Godoy. In addition, she has amassed quite a career as a fine artist as well, doing shows with Sheppard Fairey and Alex Grey. Read it all straight from the artists mouth after the jump.
Frank151: Tell us about yourself, so our readers know where you’ve been and what you’ve done.
Bonnie Dobbin:
I started tattooing in 1994 and at that time, the world of tattooing was a lot different than it is now. Actually, if i was told then that it would become like this, I would have laughed in disbelief. The industry was much more ‘closed’ to the outsider and being heavily tattooed was not an easy thing to deal with on a day to day. It was a realm for the ‘deviants of society’ and frowned upon by the mainstream. Now, it seems that everyone wants to be a tattooist and our trades are being glorified on the TV networks to mainstream culture. I am sure that many people in other sub-cultures (hip-hop and punk rock being some of them) that can identify with the sudden bursting open to the mainstream media after a long and arduous journey of having the things you stand for shunned by those who judged before they comprehended.It was a hard but interesting road travelled to get to the place I sit now and all of it…good and bad, added to the interesting chapters of my exsistence. I have travelled to of places and I have been able to work with great artists in Canada, Europe and the United States. I have also been fortunate enough to tattoo some influential people such as Green Day, Neurosis and a load of band members from various independent and up and coming artists. I have also tattooed some professional extreme sport athletes such as BMXers Taj Mehalich, Joe Rich, Chase Hawk, and others, plus pro skateboarders Jamie Thomas and Art Godoy (whom i worked with for many years). I have had my work published in various tattoo magazines but don’t actively seek to have my work published for the most part. I am happy to be able to pick and chose my clientele and am fortunate to have such a steady and good roster of clients at that.For more info, check , www.bonniedobbin.com
I also have the other outlet that I need on a regular basis…painting. I have had various shows in Vancouver, BC and have also participated in a bunch of shows with other artists such as Alex Grey, Robert Venosa, Sheppard Fairey, and a list of other really amazing artists. I am always happy to participate in the art community in whatever way gets people to share in the language of art. Be it music, painting, sculpting, dancing…whatever.. I feel that all the artists of the world have a responsibilty to feul the universal communication of positive thought. I could get into the deep end of this theory but I would end up needing way too much space. So, on that note, I will just let the images speak for themselves. To all those artists that make the world such a colorful andaudio rich environment to exist in, I salute you. Keep spirits high.
