Needle, Ink, Repeat
Nestled in native ngāhere, on the hill in Whitianga, Lee Jones creates masterpieces with ink on skin. Lee has been a professional tattoo artist for two decades and has won awards in New Zealand and Australia. Over the course of his career, he has completed hundreds, if not thousands, of tattoos in all shapes and sizes, on people from all walks of life.
An art form that was once considered undesirable has moved into the realm of fine art, and tattooing is now a respected and valued profession. Tattooing can offer many things to different people – from defining identity and adorning the body to commemorating, celebrating, healing, and sometimes just a bit of fun!
Drawing was Lee’s first form of artistic expression, and it has been an innate skill since childhood. It was a form of entertainment during an upbringing in the bush of Ōpōtiki without electricity (therefore no TV to stifle creativity!).
Tattooing was a natural progression from drawing when, while working as a butcher, he met his teacher and mentor Marcus Wilkinson, a well-known tattooist in the Bay of Plenty.
He was a natural from the start, with an eye for precision, a steady hand, and a natural understanding of good design and placement.
Marcus taught Lee to solder tattoo needles together, prioritise autoclave sterilisation and hygiene, and deconstruct and reconstruct tattoo machines – much of which has become obsolete in contemporary tattooing. Design work was done by hand, often using a lightbox, and stencils to apply designs to skin were made with tracing paper and blueprint paper.
Lee has continued to refine his craft over the course of his career and move with the times by designing digitally with an iPad and design apps, and using quiet, battery-operated machines rather than noisy, plugged-in ones.
All equipment now comes pre-made and sterilised, and stencil-making machines have streamlined the preparation process.
After establishing a tattoo studio in Gisborne, Lee went to work in a large studio in Queensland in 2014 for 18 months with some highly accomplished artists to further his skills. This was inspirational for Lee, and he learnt much. He then decided to return to Aotearoa and, with his partner Tiffany, opened Evolution Tattoo Studio NZ in Coromandel Town, which was well supported.
They later moved it to Whitianga, where they employed other artists and created a thriving business. They sold this at the end of 2021 to current owner Nathan McMahon to simplify life, have more time for family, and fit in a bit more surfing.
Lee’s strengths as a tattoo artist are his versatility across different styles, his ability to listen and deliver clients’ visions, and his skill in doing successful cover-up work – rather than stamping a new image over an unwanted tattoo, he skilfully uses existing areas of light and dark ink to create a new piece. His preferred styles are realism and surrealism, in both colour and black and grey. He enjoys large-scale work but is equally happy working on smaller pieces.
He often creates sleeves on arms and legs and full back pieces and enjoys the challenge of designing unique, beautiful art for his clients to wear. Many hours go into his designs, and Lee is particular about getting each one just right. He has a talent for art that extends to other mediums – airbrushing, mural art, paint pens – but always returns to tattooing.
He feels very fortunate to make a living from tattooing and to be utilising his creative talent. He’s also very grateful for his client base and past clients, many of whom travel from far afield to get inked by him. Lee enjoys the entire process – the design, the application, and the people aspect – and finds his job deeply rewarding.Please reach out if you’d like a tattoo from Lee or advice on your next piece: leejones.tattoos@gmail.com
words by Tiffany Reed
Coromind: Coromandel’s Collaborative Magazine
Help us take Coromind Magazine to new heights by becoming a member. Click here
Change the Weather for Your Business: Advertise with Us.
Advertise your business in the whole Hauraki Coromandel in the coolest Coromandel Art Magazine, from Waihi Beach/Paeroa /Thames up to the Great Barrier Island.
Advertise Smarter, Not Harder: Get in Touch
