If more people had Kateryna Zelenska's disposition, the world would be a better place. The tattoo artist understands the power of colour and uses it in her everyday work. Remembering my own fascination with poster paints, coloured paper and large sets of crayons, I understand how hard it is to resist trying different inks when studio shelves are full of them.
Krysia TATTOOFEST MAGAZYN
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Some time ago you decided to move to Warsaw. What motivated that decision?
I lived and worked in my hometown of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, for many years. After eight years at one studio, I felt the need for change. I had outgrown the place, like old clothes or teenage thoughts and judgements. Zaporizhzhia felt too small. I wanted to broaden my horizons, gain new experiences, visit unfamiliar countries and meet interesting people. I decided to send my portfolio to several tattoo studios in Warsaw and see what happened. Why Warsaw?
Several factors influenced my choice. First and most importantly, it is difficult not to fall in love with the city. The combination of old and new has always attracted me. Walking through the winding streets of the Old Town feels like travelling through time. Language and customs also mattered: our nations are quite similar, so things are easy to understand here. Third, but no less important, my paternal grandfather was Polish. I thought, why not get to know the country where my ancestors lived? As soon as Dirty Lust Tattoo Warszawa invited me, I left for Poland. I still work there and am grateful that I could become part of the team.
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Kateryna Zelenska and her watercolour tattoos
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You chose an appealing aesthetic. Your tattoos seem to evoke only positive feelings. What drew you to that direction?
I dream of world peace, and good, positive emotions mean a great deal to me: they prolong life! What could be more positive than bright, colourful tattoos? I have always loved rich, vivid colours, expressive lines, dynamic brushwork and spontaneous splashes. Saturated colours also retain their attractive appearance longer and bring their wearers pleasure for years. In my home country I rarely encountered that aesthetic; realistic work was more popular. After moving to Poland, I decided to try something new. I took the risk of changing countries and styles, and I am happy with both decisions.
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Art in different forms
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On paper you use pencils, markers and paints. Have I missed anything?
To express myself, I use every tool and medium available: the more, the better! My favourites include Copic markers, technical pens, watercolours, coloured pencils, pencils, oil paints, tempera, acrylics, spray paints, calligraphy inks, Ecoline liquid watercolours and ballpoint pens. If I get bored with those, the list will surely grow. I do not shy away from new technologies either. I recently became the happy owner of an iPad Pro and am still excitedly testing its tools and possibilities. I hope that when I am older and my trembling hands can no longer cope with a tattoo machine's vibrations, illustration will fund my retirement in the Maldives :).
I know a little about retouching and enjoy collage, mixed media and decoupage. But apart from watercolour tattooing, my favourite is photography, especially old analogue photography rather than digital. It is my own time machine. I love shutting myself in the darkroom, switching on the red light and watching images appear on paper from seemingly nothing: figures hurrying somewhere, faces happy and sad, outraged and spiritual, tired of everyday chores or lifted by dreams. Old abandoned houses attract me too, as do sunlight briefly illuminating grass and a neighbour's dog's attentive, sad eyes. I will finish with a quotation from Henri Cartier-Bresson, the father of photojournalism: "Photography itself does not interest me. I only want to capture a minute-long fragment of reality."
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Perhaps I am mistaken, but lately you seem to appreciate the power of outlines more.⠀
I have never been a fierce opponent of outlines. Under certain conditions, any styles and directions can be combined in a drawing; the most important thing is finding harmony. Harmony in form, line, colour, patches and tones, when present, guarantees success. My style is not yet fully formed or defined. I am constantly searching for something new that will help me fulfil myself and completely satisfy my inner artist and critic, who is strict and demanding. I think a long, thorny road and all my best work still lie ahead.
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Women, flowers and bold colours: Kateryna's character
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You often draw women on paper, but do not transfer them to skin. Birds, flowers and various animals dominate your tattoos.
Human beauty has always attracted me. It is so varied and changeable that I want to portray it again and again. Looking at my tattoos, you can see not all my clients share that love. They more often want portraits of their pets, birds or fish. It also seems natural that women cannot pass floral motifs without noticing them: impossible! That is fine; I do not mind at all.
I think our profession's appeal lies in never knowing what idea a client will bring, or what fantasy we will bring to life next. My love of animals began in early childhood and went beyond drawing them. Almost every kind of creature lived at our home: dogs, cats, hamsters, gerbils, crows, pigeons, parrots, snakes, mice, starlings, bats, chipmunks, various fish and ferrets. The apartment sometimes resembled a zoo or circus. I brought one creature with me from Ukraine, and it is quietly snuffling beside me now.
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You like strong, bold colours. Do those words also describe your personality?
The people around me could probably describe me better. I have different sides. I am used to solving my own problems, which I think has made me a little rough around the edges. On the other hand, I am quite sensitive. Even seeing a homeless dog can bring me to tears.
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Future plans and hidden tattoos
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Do you have a list of professional goals: people to meet or places where you would like to guest tattoo?
Oh, that question is so important and relevant to me! Yes, yes and yes again! I want to learn new things. You can learn something from everyone: people have their tricks as well as little and big secrets. For various reasons I have not yet worked outside Poland, but I have plans. Dreaming is harmless, after all. I would love to work in Barcelona, Denmark and Germany. I will certainly visit Switzerland one day, where my cousin lives: tattooing runs in our family. He has his own studio there, so not visiting would be a big mistake. It would be fascinating to meet artists such as Pablo Ortiz, Victor Chil, Luka Testadiferro, Marko Pepe, Ben Banzai, Jamie Ris, Ivana and Russem Van Schaiek. I could go on forever!
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I could not find many photographs of you, and I am curious about the tattoos you wear yourself.
I keep my private life well hidden (laughs). Compared with other tattoo artists, I am a blank book with only a few illustrations. I brought two tattoos from my homeland: a Celtic design on my back and Indian mehendi on my arm. I got two more in Poland, made by two wonderful artists, Iwona Koźlarzewska and Olie Siiz. Both are neo-traditional, and I expect they will not be my last pieces in that style. (Forgive me, Mum. I love you, but I love tattoos too!) In the tattoos I wear, I want what I try to convey in my own work: lots of colour, strong contrasts and positive energy. I will happily welcome anyone who shares that view to our studio.
Instagram: @TattooZelenska
Facebook: @TattooZelenska