Daily Inspiration: Meet Isaac Ortiz-Riendeau

Today we’d like to introduce you to Isaac Ortiz-Riendeau.

Hi Isaac, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
So my story starts back in the early ’80s. For the most part, I grew up loving art, I was really drawn to comic book art. I collected comics of all types and genres, the artwork was so fascinating. I drew what I saw and the older I got the better I got. Growing up, we didn’t have much money, my mom worked multiple jobs to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table.

Being Hispanic in a predominantly white school was a big challenge for me. But art was my release. I could escape to the fantasy worlds of the comics, and let my imagination flow onto paper. As I got older my focus changed. I started to fall in love with the lowrider culture, the custom cars, and the paint jobs, tricked out stereos. It was a new form of art which I took to immediately. After I graduated from high school, I was without direction. Unsure of where my life was headed I began down a bad path of drugs and alcohol. Eventually, I found myself in trouble with the law. At 17, I was given an opportunity to change my life, I went into the US Army.

I spent four years in the military once I got out, I was again at a crossroads in life. I moved to the Midwest and tried to find work as a mechanic. I was less than successful. One thing I had learned in the military “no” was not an option, I ended up turning to more criminal ways to make money. Unfortunately, there are no successful drug dealers or criminals in general. So after about a year and a half of living hard and fast, it finally caught up to me. I found myself serving a 3 months sentence in a federal penitentiary, in the middle of nowhere. With no family to visit me and nothing but time, I was able to reflect on my life and eventually found my release in art again. I spent a lot of time drawing. It wasn’t until my last week and a half that I witnessed a tattoo happen.

It was the most mediocre thing I had ever seen. I’m talking this crazy-looking contraption with a homemade needle made from a sharpened paper clip. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen. I knew I needed to learn more. Once I was released I ordered my first tattoo kit off of eBay. It was cheap but it came with everything I needed. Once everyone knew I was out it was like back to business but this time I was selling tattoos, not drugs. I was completely self-taught at first, I did lots of horrible tattoos on people back then. Each time, I did one I’d figure something out and the next one would be a little bit better.

In 2004, I was blessed with the birth of my first daughter, I put the tattooing on the back burner, and got a job working in a factory running CNC machinery. I would still tattoo on the weekend’s anyone wanting to get tattooed. By 2006, I had decided to pursue an apprenticeship so that I could get licensed and start making real money. I had a family to support after all. I ended up getting an apprenticeship at Artistic Inc., in Montpelier Vt under Tyre DuVernay.

I spent 7 years working and learning the craft under Tyre. In 2013, I moved to TN, I worked for a few local shops in Knoxville before opening Knoxville Tattoo Collective in April of this year.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s never a smooth ride, if it was life would be boring. Definitely dealing with addiction throughout the years was always a bump in the road. And by addiction, I’m not always referring to drugs.

The tattoo industry provides lots of temptation, especially to younger artists. I definitely had my bumps along the way, but it made me who I am today, and I’m better for it. Eight years sober and going strong!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
So, I’ve always found the art of tattooing to be fascinating. Coming from a comic book graphic novel background, my work definitely reflects that. I enjoy tattooing big eye-catching images that capture your attention from across the room.

I never wanted to specialize in any one style, so I try to stay fluent in all. I’m mostly sought out for my black and grey realism and my coverup work. I do lots of coverups! I’m most proud of the environment I’ve created for both my clients and my artists.

I focus on the experience, giving each client a personalized one-on-one interaction. We focus on quality over quantity which is what sets us apart from the rest.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Yes, the recent pandemic has definitely forced us to improve in the way we do business and interact with clients. Sterilization practices as well as the everyday operations of the studio. Social media has become a much bigger part of the industry than ever before.

Contact Info:

• Email: KnoxvilleTattooCo@gmail.com
• Website: Www.KnoxvilleTattooCo.com
• Instagram: @KnoxvilleTattooCo
• Facebook: KnoxvilleTattooCo