48-year-old Matthew S. Kennedy from Paso Robles in California creates ceramic tattoo art by using a tattoo machine to draw images onto clay. He specialises in handmade one of a kind memorial and celebratory plates and urns…
Were you a tattoo artist before you worked with pottery? Or do you have a background in art? No, I have never worked as a tattoo artist tattooing on people. I am fully self taught in ceramics by reading 100s of books/movies on the subject and just working hard to create my own style. Not a lot of background in traditional art in school or anywhere else.
How did you make the move to ceramics? Or have you always worked with this medium? I have been working with ceramics now for about 23 years. Ever since I got sober from alcohol. My AA Sponsor suggested I get a toy potter’s wheel and to take a up a new hobby. I was playing pool for a living at the time. About 2006 I was watching a reality show called Miami Ink on TV. About a month later I was attending a tattoo convention in Pomona Ca. and noticed a tattoo kit for sale. I wondered to myself, “could I could use that on my ceramics?” I bought the tattoo machine, took it home and the rest is history. Find out more here.
What inspires your designs? Do you do commissions? I have a coloring book on Amazon called Ceramic Tattoo Art Coloring & Maze Book: Color for Balance. It is a book of my designs. I started drawing geometric shapes about six years ago while I was going through a rough time with my Mother. I just started drawing them and then coloring them in my AA Meetings to help me cope. I now add them to my ceramics. I do special commissions all the time. I usually do special orders for memorial pieces. I just recently created this piece for a woman that was 37 years old a recently passed away from cervical cancer. Creating pieces like this really gives a special meaning to my art and I feel blessed to be able to do it for people.
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