Words by Remy Nurse & Chloe Rogers
Photography by Felix Bartlett & Atelier Four
Produced by Art School Media
Credit: Atelier Four
Cornwall, like many seaside communities, has a long history with the art of tattooing. Although the era of inked pirates and voyaging sailors may have passed, Cornwall’s tattoo scene is growing faster than ever. Remy Nurse is an illustrative tattooist whose story demonstrates just how thriving our local community really is.
With her roots in a Falmouth illustration degree, Nurse now creates bespoke grey and black tattoos from her studio in Truro. Influenced by anatomy and spirituality, Nurse works alongside her clients to create conceptual pieces that are completely personal yet distinctly her own style. We recently had the pleasure of talking to Nurse about her story and how she was able to break into such a unique industry.
People often say that tattooing is quite a hard industry to break into- what made you decide to become a tattoo artist?
“I was just so obsessed with the idea of drawing on skin. I think my mum and my art teachers thought it was a phase that I’d grow out of but it was always just burning away […] I used to watch a traditional tattooist from my hometown doing these huge back pieces. I asked him ‘how can I do this? what do I need to do?’ What he said was such a significant piece of advice that set me on my path (I was about 17 at the time). He said; there’s an influx of artists now that have studied art and have their own styles before taking that into tattooing. So I knew I needed to focus and find out who I was an artist, which led me on a path to studying Ba(Hons)Illustration at Falmouth.”
Photo Credit: Atelier Four
That’s great advice, I studied in Falmouth too. A lot of artists I knew wanted to stay in Cornwall, but felt like they had to move to London to find a creative job. What made you decide to stay and carry out your practice in Cornwall?
“I was very lucky to get an apprenticeship down here. It wasn’t really planned, as I was completely and hopelessly desperate to get into the industry and thought I would have to leave Cornwall to do so. I came across Atelier Four and instantly just wanted to talk to these people who were clearly driven by the passion of tattooing […] I took my portfolio in and was offered the chance to learn. I jumped on it and never looked back- ran down the street balling my eyes out as I never thought that day would actually come. It all just clicked into place; Atelier Four gave me a chance and I knew I’d found the right place to learn.”
It’s a testament to all of your hard work and they are clearly lucky to have you! Cornwall is such a rural area that people often forget there are interesting opportunities down here. Now that you are a part of it- how would you describe the tattoo scene in Falmouth?
“The tattoo scene seems to be growing more popular in Falmouth, but I think that’s true for tattooing everywhere. It’s an exciting time to be part of the industry- its definitely very saturated but I don’t think it's necessarily a bad thing. As more people are accepting of tattoos and more people want to get tattooed and it's driving artists to push the boundaries of what tattoos can be and the artwork behind them. But for Falmouth specifically- there’s some new faces about and I’m always recommending the lovely guys at Time and Tide for all your bold traditional needs and Black Betty for Meg’s sweet twist with bold colourful neo trad work.”
Falmouth is definitely a dynamic place, how would you say it is affected by the presence of such a large and artistic university?
“I think the arts university down here creates a constant buzz and energy of fresh ideas- not just in tattooing but in the local community. It’s also really fun to have clients to work with who are open-minded in the creative process.”
So would you say that the university positively impacts the tattoo scene in Cornwall?
“Definitely […] I think uni is a big rite of passage and I think a lot of young people take this as a poignant stage of life to symbolise in a tattoo. So there’s a massive client base brought in by the university. Speaking on a more personal note I think it makes my job even more lovely connecting with local creatives and sharing experiences of art and uni, sharing what inspires them and me. Time in the chair can bring really intense and intimate conversation and I’m lucky to sit with the people I do. I think it’s so lush to support fellow creatives work, to congratulate and inspire and never stop learning.”
Nurse’s story proves that although tattooing may be an old seafaring artform, it’s relevance to modern day Cornwall is only growing. Every year more students flock to the coast in pursuit of creative learning, bringing with them a wave of fresh energy and new perspectives. The artistic community in Cornwall is fluid and continually changing. Away from the pressures of large cities, artists like Nurse are free to find their own style in their own time. Fuelled by the talented individuals that are born and study here- the cultural landscape of the south west is definitely pushing in a compelling direction.
