Chris Borchers

Chris’ journey with art began at a very young age, drawing was always an outlet for him, he always found himself drawing and doodling in class, and art was the only subject he enjoyed in school. Once in college he began taking painting classes and his love for art began to take off. After college he knew what he wanted and was going to work for it. He began working as shop help in Venice Beach, CA, then started his apprenticeship 6 months later, focusing on American Traditional, as he was drawn to it from the very beginning. Loving the bold lines, bright colors, and simplicity of the art, as well as having the artistic freedom to not always have to create a serious subject matter. He spent the next year and a half studying the traditions of American Traditional tattooing under his mentor Jeffery Gombosi, learning not only the artistic traditions, but also to always stay humble, and to never let your ego get in your own way.      Chris admires and respects many of the old timers in the American traditional world of tattooing, not only the art, but the hard work and dedication that comes with the title of an ‘American Traditional Tattooer.’ He is inspired by all forms of art, especially those that are outside of the box and don’t conform to the norm. He loves the history behind every aspect of tattooing, and is always eager to grow and learn everyday as an artist himself.       Over the course of his career he’s worked at 3 shops, and is now beyond humbled to be working alongside Alexis Vaatete, Latisha Wood and Franco Vescovi, to name a few, at Franco’s Studio, Vatican Studios, in Lake Forest, California. Chris feels extremely blessed to be a part of the Vatican Family, working with, and learning from such amazing artists daily.