SKATE AND TATTOO; Conversation with Chris Tenorio

Chris Tenorio is a skater, featured on the skate teams of Noah, 5Boro and Labor Skate Shop. Today, he tells us about his ink and how it connects to his work.

Interview by Azra Schorr

Photography by Quinn Batley

Featuring Chris Tenorio

Dressed by Noah

Azra: Your name and where are you from?

Chris: Chris Tenorio from Moorseville North Carolina.

How long have you been skating?

I've been skating for 17 years now.

And the story of how you got into it and what you're doing now.

I came up on a free board from a guy that I went to like a community pool with and he saw taking interest to it. So he just gave me his whole board. Yeah, super rad. It's so random, but yeah, got a board from him and then yeah, I just took to it and just kept doing it year after year. I moved to New York three years ago and to be closer to the culture. A lot of like skate history is in New York. I think it's like important to go and be a part of something like that. I also like the textures and the creativity. So, yeah, it was kind of like a no brainer coming here.

Let's talk about your tattoos. How did you first get into it?

My father is ex military, super tattooed. I thought it was so sick from a young age, like, seeing him with tattoos. And I have other family that have tattoos.

So I was kind of around it. I thought it was rad and I've always been like interested and always been drawn to tattoos.

So then when did you get your first?

I was 17 and I went with my dad to his tattoo artist, and I got my first tattoo.

And you got them together?

No, he just went with me just to sign me 'cause I couldn't under 18. So he took me, 'cause he had an artist who had done his whole arm in North Carolina and I got my first tattoo with him. Which is rad.

Is it still like visible?

Yeah, I got this little Mark Gonzales artwork. I got that and then after started going once every four or five months, and sometimes I would get like two at a time. I turned 18 and I moved out. I started on my legs and was only getting tattoos on my legs at this shop in Raleigh, called Blue Flame. This dude, Kevin Collins, is like a rad, rad dude from Philly and moved to North Carolina. He's done a lot of my tattoos.

And how did you choose them? What drew you to like American traditional?

Yeah, I don't know. I don't really know why I picked American Traditional, I think, because I was on the East coast. That's primarily what I saw and kind of what I was drawn to.

Do you have a favorite tattoo?

I got my mother's name tattooed on me. That means a lot. She thinks I have maybe too many tattoos, but I got her name on my arm, and she was stoked. So that one, that one meant a lot.

What do you think your next tattoo will be?

Um, I want to start my front, so I'm not too sure. I’ll figure it out kind of when I go and and talk to the artist. A lot of the times I'll go in without a plan and then we'll look at a bunch of drawings and come up with ideas and then see what fits in the spot and then go from there.

A lot of it is pretty spontaneous or random. Sometimes I'll think something through and have an idea before I get it.

How do you narrow it down?

I think it's kind of like, whatever I relate to most maybe during that time that I'm getting the tattoo. I try not to get anything that's too shaded in. I like more like open tattoos where you can see your skin.

And a lot of skaters are tattooed. Why do you think that is? What is the connection?

A lot of skaters get tattooed because the communities kind of go hand in hand. It's kind of like skating and graffiti. Just a different way to express yourself. Honestly like a lot of skateboarders will stop skating and start tattooing or Still skate and tattoo at the same time. So there's a bunch of crossover there.

Have you ever thought about getting into tattooing?

Yeah. I would like to, but it takes a lot of dedication and time. I wouldn't want to just get a machine and start doing it. I like the history of like somebody showing you and being an apprentice.

It's kind of like passing the torch. I think you gotta like, fully commit to it. I have a lot of respect for people who do that. I feel like you have to give up a lot of other things to like, really show respect to that community.

Would you say it's the same for skating or similar?

Yeah, it's very similar to skating, I think.

You know, it's an individual thing that you do, so people can help you and critique you, but at the end of the day, you're the one that's in charge of what you put out.

Okay. One more I just thought of. If you got a blank slate, like if all of your tattoos were gone, would you do the same thing, like the same style, or would you get them completely different?

Oh damn, that's sick.

I feel like if I could do it over, I would still only get black and gray. Same style, just different. Of course, there's some tattoos that I have that I'm like, not hyped on anymore. Maybe just kept it more simple.

Yeah, yeah, so I don't know. I like getting tattooed and the best part is like, now you have like, something that you can look at and go “Oh wait, I was doing this during that time.”

Perfect.

Thank you.

That's it?

That's it.

That was great. You can stop it.