By Jennie Fitzgerald

Tattooing is an art. Chloe Vanessa Girouard-Martel is an artist. So it makes perfect sense that Chloe is now an independent contractor tattoo artist happily working with Art Gecko Tattoos in West Boylston, pursuing what has proven itself her true passion. “When I was younger I would every once in a while go through short periods where I felt like maybe I didn’t want to do it anymore, but I always came back to it. And now it consumes me. When I’m tattooing it’s like meditation; I can totally zone out and be at peace.”

Chloe began following her heart (and hand) early, starting art classes at age 4. Born and raised in West Palm Beach, Florida, she was home schooled until age 12, and her parents made sure to involve her in everything from karate to piano lessons ~ but Chloe’s main focus was always art. When she and her family moved to MA, she immediately enrolled in art lessons at Worcester Art Museum and took as many art classes as possible at North Brookfield High School during her four years there. In fact, she still credits her art teacher, Melissa Roszkiewicz, for being a major inspiration.

After high school, Chloe apprenticed at Art Gecko, and now eighteen years, a lot of private training, and many semesters of Worcester Art Museum instruction after she first realized art was in her blood, that’s where she’s found the perfect combination of doing what she wants, where she wants. About tatting up her clients with custom and flash designs she says, “I find tattooing to be rewarding in that customers come to me and actually want my artwork on them forever. That is a great honor.” Part of the reason Chloe loves tattooing is because it keeps her “on her toes” and she can’t picture herself ever becoming stagnant in this career: “If that ever happens, it would be time for me to move on to the next stage in my life.”

Although tattooing is Chloe’s first love and her career, she’s also involved in glass blowing, painting, and photography, and has plans to get into doing comic book art. So stay tuned!

So if you’re thinking of getting a tattoo, you might want to stop by Art Gecko to talk to Chloe. You can also check out her designs at www.myspace.com/chloevanessatattoos