HOULTON, Maine – An Aroostook County tattoo artist’s new studio offers a hip nostalgic bent. And it’s the bold outlines of old school Americana tattoos that artist Richard Bettencourt brings to Houlton’s already buzzing body art scene.
“There’s a resurgence of a lot of sailor style tattoos that have come back into popularity, although a bit modernized,” the Massachusetts native said.
Just this week, Bettencourt’s new studio, Ritual Ink, in downtown Houlton got the state health inspector’s approval and he is open for business after several months of getting ready. There’s the licensing, the equipment, the forms, the state required blood borne pathogen training, not to mention the vivid black and lime walls and subtle symbols Bettencourt created on the shop walls.
This is his first go at running a business and he was surprised by all that goes on behind the scenes, he said.
Naming his studio was through gut instinct, he said.
Art has always been a refuge and a personal ritual for him and he believes that it is the same for the people who are getting a tattoo.
Their process of choosing and their reasoning behind it, is also a ritual, Bettencourt said.
“Some might be just a silly tattoo, but I have seen women turn mastectomy scars into a beautiful tattoo,” he said. “That’s a permanent change to your physical appearance and the ritual is different for everybody.”
Tattoos and body art, once considered taboo in America, have gained significant acceptance in the past two decades. It is not surprising they have become popular because they are about social connections, according to Illinois State University socialist David Lane, whose life work focuses on tattooing. History shows that tattoos have long marked famous and infamous bodies like Winston Churchill for example. And Otzi the Iceman was covered in 57 tattoos, according to the Smithsonian.
Even in rural Houlton, body art is a hot item. Ritual Ink is the fourth studio in one downtown block. And studios like Sammi’s Tattoo Studio, Crowe’s Tattoos and Shirewood Tattoos are within walking distance of each other, but all are busy with some booked several months ahead, according to their Facebook pages.
At first Bettencourt was hesitant about opening a shop knowing this, but they all have a steady clientele and there is still such a great demand, he said.
“I’ve only been open a few days, but there have been walk-ins and messages left and right,” Bettencourt said.
Art has been his refuge for most of his life and he got started tattooing about 21 years ago as an apprentice in a gulf side Florida shop. But since moving to downtown Houlton five years ago with his wife, Kim Bettencourt and their four children, he has been working at Smith & Wesson.
Still, it kept bugging him that he wasn’t doing something art-related and he finally took the leap, he said.
When a client comes into his shop, the spicy scent of incense is calming and he said he wants his studio to be a comfortable space where everybody is welcome even if it’s their first tattoo and they are scared to death.
“I want them to be able to come in here and talk about it,” he said. “I like to have a lot of communication with the client. Sometimes they come in with exactly what they want or sometimes they have a vague idea. It’s the ones with vague ideas that are a lot more fun and there is a lot of back and forth of drawings and ideas.”
For those not quite sure if they want a permanent tattoo, Bettencourt also does Henna tattoos, giving them a couple of weeks to look at something on their skin. Henna tattoos, also known in Indian cultures as mehndi, are made from the dried leaves of the henna plant.
Bettencourt makes his henna from the ground up plant and then he adds sugar, lemon juice and essential oil, like lavender to bring out the natural dyes, he said.
“I mix it into a paste, let it sit for 12 hours and then roll it out into cones to make a fine point and just squeeze it out on top of the skin,” he said.
In his 20-plus years of tattooing things have changed for the better, he said.
“When I started we were using traditional coil machines, a loud buzzing machine. Now I am using a wireless pen style and the needles are membrane needle cartridges, all one piece,” he said. “They have a membrane inside that prevents any ink or blood from back flowing into the machines. It is all self encapsulated so everything is a lot more clean and safe.”
Bettencourt prefers to take his time with the tattoos and so he generally charges by the project, not hourly. There is a shop minimum of $100 and that can be for something tiny to a couple square inches. A detailed palm-sized piece could be about $200 to $250, he said.
“Moving to Maine has been a great decision, we love it here,” he said. The town of Houlton and all these small businesses working together, it’s been a beautiful thing.”
Studio hours are Noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, with special appointments on other days. For more information, 207-742-8549.
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