Corson Hayes has been tattooing in the Bow Valley for 13 years; honing his craft, mastering its delicate work and building strong relationships with clients.
Now Hayes has put the years of dedication into Primitiveimprint Tattoo (1001, Sixth Ave. #213) his personal studio venture. The father of two young daughters wants to elevate the custom tattooing experience to not only include a personalized and stress-free experience, but also offer one-of-a-kind art that deeply reflects the landscape and culture found in the Bow Valley.
He describes his artwork as spiritually-oriented tattooing. It’s private and it’s deep, and the transformation that goes along with the tattoo is based on holding that private space between himself and the client.
“When a person decides to mark their body it’s a talisman that one carries through life and going through this pain, one learns what they’re made of – essentially, you get this decoration to remind you that you are a part of nature, that you look more like nature, that everything is all connected,” Hayes said in describing the art and personal esthetic he brings to his clients.
“The tattoo process shows we are in control of our own destinies; pain is a part of it, but it can be used as a teaching lesson for a person to find out what they are made of and that they can endure hardships and that we’re spiritual beings in physical bodies.”
Hayes’ style is inspired by our surroundings and where we live – the trees, the mountains, the fresh air. He’s exploring how our environment affects us in terms of making us blend in with it, making us look like we’re a part of it.
“I want something where if someone is hiking, or climbing a mountain or riding their mountain bike, I want them to look like they’re a part of their surroundings,” Hayes said. “For us in Canada, we don’t really have a reference to a longer history of art esthetic compared to other countries and parts of the world.”
He’s often trying to stylize landscape, putting repetitive patterns into his pieces, and working with a lot of the mandala art medium – a circular pattern, a spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism, representing the universe.
“It’s a meta pattern and that pattern is infinite and therefore resonates with all of us because it’s the same as our cells, our eyes, the sun and represents everything being connected. A lot of my work can be classified as geometric. Every culture has some form of geometry in it and proof that we’re all made of the same materials,” Hayes said.
“I’ve been an artist my whole life, but didn’t start tattooing until I was 30 and this valley, tourism and mountain culture helped me a lot with the people side of things, how to give someone a good experience, a joyful experience and respect them as a human whatever their characteristics are – it’s nice to empower people.”
He’s the first to point out he needs human to human contact to feel out what’s right for each individual client. Only after talking directly with a person and contemplating on the client discussion will work begin.
“I’ll take their idea everywhere with me, I might be out for a bike ride deep in the forest and all of a sudden have an inspiration for a person,” Hayes said. “I joke around saying tattoo means two people; obviously it doesn’t, but there’s a real strength in making that connection with the person and sharing of ideas and having that Buddhist mind state of transparency where they feel so comfortable they can say anything, and I feel so comfortable where I can say anything.”
For a consultation with Hayes, phone 403-707-8286, or visit www.instagram.com/primitiveimprint/?hl=en to view his latest creations.
