Newport tattoo artist and shop owner tries to reflect the area’s maritime heritage in her work

By KATHLEEN O’CONNOR/Lincoln Chronicle

Thoughtful, introspective, empathetic, serious – these are the qualities that Melissa (Mel) Melody Frazier, brings to her work as a tattoo artist. For the past decade she has owned Sea Serpent Saloon in Nye Beach, drawing on the extensive training she received in Florida and Texas.

After finishing a degree at Portland State University and spending a year at the Portland Art Institute, Frazier moved to Florida to pursue photojournalism, serving tables as she worked to establish herself. Everything changed when an experienced tattoo artist saw her sketches and recognized her talent. He offered her an apprenticeship that became a turning point in her life. Although drawing had always been part of who she was, he was the first person to encourage her and believe she could make a career from her art.

Frazier began training immediately — in an old-school tattoo parlor in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., home to Elgin Air Force Base and two Navy training facilities. The shop was owned by Jim Wolfe, a demanding mentor who believed that tattooing should be taught with discipline and respect for tradition. In those days tattooists generally chose their apprentices, and the art was carefully passed down, often to family members. Training was intense — protégés were expected to fully immerse themselves in their work, studying the designs of accomplished artists and continually creating their own.

At first, Frazier was only allowed to create tattoos no larger than the size of a quarter, and each was reviewed by two senior artists. As her skills grew, she graduated to tattoos the size of silver dollars, then the size of baseballs, then grapefruits, and finally a whole shoulder or forearm.

Just as important as learning technical skills was understanding her clients, and what each tattoo meant to them. Many tattoos represent a deeply personal chapter in someone’s life. She committed herself to learning the rich history and cultural significance of tattoos.

Question: What role do tattoos have in storytelling?

Answer: Throughout history tattoos have been a way for people to carry their stories with them. Across many cultures and traditions travelers, sailors, explorers and adventurers have used tattoos to mark rites of passage, milestones, journeys and experiences. They became visual records of where people had been, what they had survived and what mattered to them.

As a tattoo artist I have the privilege of hearing these stories. Every person who sits in my chair brings a piece of their history with them and the tattoo becomes a way of preserving and honoring that story. At the same time, tattoo art has a unique quality: it exists only as long as the person who wears it. Every client eventually passes on, and their art is buried with them. That awareness is one reason I sometimes create woodcut art and watercolor paintings, which can become a physical legacy.

Q: What was it like to start your practice in a military town?

A: There were seven tattoo artists in our shop and we stayed busy all the time. I was the only woman tattooist in town. I was not allowed to sit near the front of the shop, visible from the street, and I was called Mel, not Melissa.

It was reluctantly acknowledged that some people would prefer a female tattoo artist — a new challenge for the other artists. The culture of that shop – and in most tattoo shops at the time — was “be quiet, listen and learn.” I was definitely an apprentice in the traditional sense of the word, and as a result, endlessly learning for the 10 years I was there. Mr. Wolfe was the glue that held the shop together, and his high standards shaped my tattooing path. I made many friends in the military during that time and was recruited by some of them to travel to Germany and Spain to offer tattoos to the soldiers who were decompressing from difficult tours of duty. For many of them, a tattoo was an important part of recovery.

Q: What was it like to open a shop in Newport?

A: By the time I moved to Newport I had a strong foundation in traditional tattooing and sacred geometry, which set me apart.

There was no one in the area specializing in those styles, but there were many people looking for that type of work — so that gave me a start. I began visiting port towns from Alaska to southern California to try to understand the culture of fishing and maritime commerce so that my art could reflect that culture accurately and respectfully. Those visits made me realize what a unique place Newport is – built with three elements that work together. First is education – we have the Oregon Coast Community College. Second is science – we have the NOAA researchers, the Hatfield Marine Science Center, and the aquarium. And third is adventurers – the commercial and recreational fishermen are all adventurers, as are all the other outdoorsmen and the coast guardsmen. Together they make this a vibrant place to live. I wanted my tattoos to reflect that dynamic spirit as authentically as possible so later I also spent three months visiting maritime museums in 11 countries in Europe and Scandinavia. I wanted my ships to be accurate, my sea creatures to reflect ancient history, and my sacred geometry to be true to its origins.

Q: How do you help people decide what tattoo is best for them?

A: When someone new comes into the shop I first consider whether a tattoo is appropriate for them from a health standpoint. There are certain conditions that make tattooing risky – blood disorders that prevent normal clotting, for example, or immune disorders that prevent the body from fighting infection, or allergies to tattoo materials. A person’s age is also important. Newport is a retirement community, so many clients are older with more fragile skin. In that case, I may recommend a technique called dot work, which is less invasive.

We often discuss why the person wants a particular tattoo and where they want it. This is especially true with younger people who might need to think carefully about the permanence of a tattoo. But it applies to everyone – especially a person who is using a tattoo to commemorate a life event. Depending on the life event, one might not want to look at that tattoo on their forearm forever. Learning the “why” of every tattoo helps me guide the client with respect to the longevity of the art.

Q: How has tattooing changed in the past 20 years?

A: There are several ways to tattoo.

The oldest ways are hand-tapping and hand-poking – these techniques are still practiced by a few skilled artists. I use a coil tattoo machine, which is highly adjustable and can be fine-tuned to produce a wide range of lines, shades, colors and dots. I was taught to understand and maintain the machine. Most tattoo artists today use rotary wands, which are much simpler to learn and easier to operate, but don’t have the same level of customization.

About half of the tattoo artists today are women, but when I started there were very few. I was desperate to connect with them. About five years into my career, I published a book called Female Tattooists, Ladies and Ink to document their work. It’s become much easier for all of us to keep in touch and support one another as the internet has grown.

Tell us a secret.

I’ve been asked to serve as a mentor several times, but the only person I’m willing to teach someday is my daughter. She’s in high school now and living in Texas, but I’m hopeful that when she’s ready she’ll make her way back to the Oregon coast.

• Sea Serpent Saloon, 232 N.W. Coast St, Newport, OR 97365; Website: seaserpentsaloon.com; Instagram: @seaserpentsaloon; Facebook: melissamelodyfrazier and email: [email protected]

• Kathleen O’Connor is a Waldport freelance writer who can be reached via email at [email protected]