Meet Kyle Shrivastava | Tattoo Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kyle Shrivastava and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kyle, what inspires you?
I’m most inspired by the power tattooing holds to affect people’s self image. Tattoos can be such a beautiful and powerful reflection of personal change and growth, and I’m always honored to be in the role of stewarding that transformative process when someone chooses me as their artist.

Being able to be a part of people’s journey, and being trusted to transform skin with geometric and ornamental art constantly motivates me to continue pushing my work forward and showing up for clients in the absolute best way I can.

I love how Rick Rubin discusses art in his recent book The Creative Act: A Way of Being. He talks about how artists are vessels for receiving and transmuting energy in the universe. I try to embody that ideal and see my work as receiving the energy and ideas of my clients and transforming it into art that will resonate with and reflect how they show up in the world.

Having a positive impact has also been a big motivator throughout my career. However for a long time, I didn’t quite understand how I could contribute. I worked with the Peace Corps and various non-profits, without really feeling deeply impactful. With tattooing, the influence I’m able to have on peoples lives feels concrete. It’s led me to the realization that we can only truly influence and impact one another in two ways – by building trust and by setting examples through our own behavior. I do my best to keep these in mind as I work to be a positive influence and to be positively influenced by everyone that comes through our studio.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I tattoo in two styles – ornamental and geometric, both of which intersect around the principle of finding a really ideal fit to the natural curvatures of the body so that a tattoo looks like it was intended to be there.

In my ornamental work, I focus on using ornate combinations of dots and small shapes to create striking but delicate compositions. In my geometric work, I focus on high contrast tessellations and mandalas that show depth and utilize symmetry as well as asymmetry around various focal points.

I’m most excited about moving towards larger projects and compositions. While these aren’t an exclusive focus, I’ve found that working with a full portion of the body really allows for an unparalleled level of balance, readability, and cohesiveness.

I’ve come to this point through a consistent attitude of continuous learning and analysis. At every point in my career I’ve put all my energy into making each piece the absolute best that I can create, and then spent time analyzing my work and seeking the advice of other artists. As I continue to develop my style and approach, I see all my work as one constantly growing and developing body, with a clear consistency in its progression and evolution.

I want every person who walks into my studio to know that they are appreciated and a crucial part of this work. If you’re in my studio, you are my most important client/project. I want everyone to feel welcome and at ease, and most importantly, to know that we’re going to create some beautiful artwork together.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My studio is in Fort Collins, Colorado which is a beautiful small city on the northern part of the Front Range. For anyone visiting town, Horsetooth Reservoir is definitely one of the best places to check out whether it’s for a swim or to just hang out its the small beaches/coves (or for a winter cold plunge). Just make sure not to get in the water with a fresh tattoo!

Just behind horse tooth is Lory State Park which has some awesome trails, including Arthur’s Rock which leads you up to a lookout from which you can see the whole city of Fort Collins.

There are also over 28 breweries around town, all with their own unique vibes. While I don’t recommend drinking before or after being tattooed, if you’re around town for other reasons, Stodgy Brewing Company, Mythmaker Brewing, and Intersect Brewing are some of my favorites, although the bigger operations like New Belgium and Odell also have really nice outdoor areas to hang out in. Elliot’s Martini Bar and The Sunset Lounge also have great vibes if you’re looking for some delicious cocktails. For food, Philippe French Bistro in old town is one of my favorite brunch spots and Japango is an awesome upscale sushi restaurant that recently opened.

For evening activities, I would recommend catching a show at the Mishawaka Amphitheater, which is a small-ish venue 20-minutes up the Poudre Canyon with its stage right on the Poudre river. The Aggie Theatre and Washington’s are also great options in town for live music.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
All my success thus far has been thanks to the trust of my clients. Permanently altering one’s appearance requires a huge leap of faith, and for someone to look at my art and tell me that they want to carry a piece of it around with them for the rest of their life is incredibly meaningful. Without clients willing to make this huge decision — having confidence in me and trust in my process —I wouldn’t be able to do any of the work I get to enjoy every day.

Equally, my wife Izzy deserves so much thanks for supporting me through my tattooing journey. I’m affected by each tattoo I make which admittedly can take me on some real emotional rollercoasters, and she rides each of them with me. She was one of the few people that didn’t look at me weirdly when I told them that after graduate school and years of work, that I wanted to leave my career to start tattooing. She dealt with me commuting three hours a day for over a year to have an opportunity at a great studio. And she looks at all my work with me, providing both loving support as well as her own artistic expertise. As anyone who knows her will tell you…she’s the best.

Website: https://www.kyleshritattoo.com

Instagram: @kyleshritattoo (for ornamental tattoos) and @kyleshrigeometry (for geometric tattoos)

Other: You can also check out our studio space @foundtattoostudio or www.foundtattoo.com!