Jun 19, 2020

What I got up to on lockdown, with Wayne Bewley.

So many of the Yayo team have been keeping busy ion lockdown. While their tattoo machines lie silent their artistic juices are flowing. Yayo sent resident blog boy Matt Haddon-Reichardt out to meet Wayne Bewley to find out what he has been up to on lockdown.

“I’m doing really good on lockdown, to be honest. I’ve enjoyed a long break from work, first in 11 years, and I decided to make it a positive time. Spending quality time with my son Ocean and my partner Nicole is a real pleasure. This is a once in a lifetime gap in time we can enjoy! Professionally I’ve expanded doing commissions which I’ve not done for years due to time availability.”

“We lost our dog after 14 fantastic years, so my art project actually started as a productive way to utilise grief."

Exercise and art have been keeping Wayne busy.

“I’ve been keeping busy with art and walks. We are lucky we have woods behind our road. So many hours spent jumping streams and walking in corn fields.”

For Wayne life on lockdown has had it dark moments.

“We lost our dog after 14 fantastic years, so my art project actually started as a productive way to utilise grief. I drew some special moments and everyone started wanting commissions. It wasn’t actually intended to happen that way, but it’s a nice positive.”

Wayne has been working on three different projects.

“The first is a book on our exploits as a family, then I’ve been looking at commissions and Kirk has got me doing Yayo superheroes which are great fun.”

“No I think we will be very busy!"

Wayne is like many of his Yayo brethren, in that the down time from tattooing has allowed him to explore other artistic mediums.

“I really enjoyed getting back into doing some other fields of art I always used to enjoy drawing comic book stuff and it’s been a very long time since I’ve done so. And for years have used photo shop and the large Syntech tablet which is at work so I had to adapt and learn to use Procreate. I’ve also spent this period being off work getting to grips with a whole new medium which has been fantastic.”

Of the three projects wayne is most proud of the one that focuses on his family.

“Without a doubt the most proud of starting a lockdown them memory memorial book that my son will I will be able to look back on when he’s older.”

“No I think we will be very busy! My gut feeling says one of the industry’s that will be prosper Is tattooing. They say tattooing is addictive and some people have withdrawal symptoms from so much time away from the needle.”

“Well even though I have enjoyed the lockdown."

With the UK moving out of lockdown and back into normal life Wayne reflects that in his opinion, things could have been handled better by the UK government.

“Well even though I have enjoyed the lockdown, I am in the group of people that thought we should’ve just cracked on and got through it and they should’ve isolated and shielded the vulnerable only; instead of bringing the whole country down. Now of course either point of view the lockdown being good or bad has its positives and negatives. So I suppose damned do and damned if you don’t. But the best thing to do either way is to make the best of the situation that you possibly can turn everything into a positive one way or another.”

I like Wayne’s positive attitude and all the Yayo artists I’ve spoken too during lockdown have been keen to keep positive vibes flowing. With tattoo studios itching for the green light to reopen Wayne has been busy preparing.

“Funny enough just been to the shop today making sure everybody’s stations are exactly 2m apart reception desk has shielding although I actually think for the better we are changing our consultation policies and doing them online for the foreseeable future. More than likely we will be no cash in future, which intern also makes life easier. But we are technically ready to go all depending on when the government say we can and if they put any extra restrictions in place because we deal with blood and other biowaste. But over the next few weeks I am slowly starting to do more work related issues, rather than relax related issues so that I’m already to go. I’m excited to find out what I will tattoo first!”