Marlo Kaleookalani Lualemana

Marlo Kaleookalani Lualemana was born and raised on Oahu, Hawaii, and visits family there several times a year. The culture is a major influence for her as a tattoo artist. In Sand City, she and her husband, Billy, co-own Earthbound Tattoo, where she prides herself in creating a welcoming and familial atmosphere, known in Hawaii as ‘ohana.

Lualemana has been drawing her whole life. She started tattooing family members more than 12 years ago in her Salinas home. Unlike others in her field, with the exception of one tattoo she got in her mid-20s, Lualemana did not get any more tattoos done until after she herself started tattooing.

Lualemana spoke to the Weekly about being a woman artist, tattoo culture and the importance of family in Polynesian and Hawaiian culture.

Weekly: How did you start tattooing?

Lualemana: My husband tried to get me to tattoo him five years before I started, but I had a stereotypical idea about tattoo artists – that they are brute and rugged. My husband saw my passion for art and wanted to get a tattoo from a piece I drew, but the shop wanted a few thousand to do the linework and shading. My husband came home upset and became obsessed that I could learn how to tattoo. He bought a tattoo machine for $100 and bought me three honeydew melons and told me, “Tattoo the shit out of them.” I did one melon a day and on the fourth day, he was the first tattoo I ever did.

Was it a natural transition from drawing to tattooing?

For me, it was. The stress comes in if you think about messing up. It’s permanent and I was fixated on that, which scared me. I became obsessed with doing it right.

What is the significance of your neck and face tattoo, with lines and shapes?

It represents my grandma on my mom’s side. She was the glue that held us together. I was chosen as one of the ones to be near her and help her. It was my mom first, then my cousin Patrick, then I was chosen. Hawaiian culture has guardians and I was most drawn to the lizard, which is a powerful female guardian. My grandma had the gift of seeing things and practiced holy medicine. A lot of my tattoos are dedicated to family. Polynesian tattoos are very representative with who you are, your family and your ancestors.

How would you describe the current culture around tattooing?

All tattoo artists should have some sort of artistic background. I notice a lot of young tattoo artists getting into it for the wrong reasons; to be “Insta-famous.” I’m not about that. I’m trying to represent the tattoo culture in a positive way.

What stigmas about tattoos still exist?

People think of shops with booming music and intense artists, which are still out there. I walked into my first shop a few years into tattooing and had the worst experience with the person working, who was supposed to be helping me. They were berating and belittling. Earthbound is the second shop I ever came to, which was years later.

How does Earthbound differ from other shops?

All three of us [Lualemana, Casper Callaway and Justin Flores] are custom artists, which means people get the tattoo they want, but they also have the artist influence it. We can all freehand work. The majority of my clients have to trust my thought process for what I put on them. I rarely use the stencil machine, except for clients who are really particular. If you come in with an idea that we think is inappropriate, we’ll refuse. Other shops might do it to take someone’s money, but that’s not what we do. Our shop has such a good vibe. It’s more like a family. We want our clients to feel comfortable. There’s no bad juju here.

Do you find clients ever get scared to trust artists with freehanding?

Absolutely. I talk to my clients about it. Often it’s with people getting their first tattoo. I joke around with them a lot and it helps ease them.

How has the tattoo industry changed since you started?

Tattoos are becoming more acceptable. Most jobs are more open to people wearing them. It’s just an art form.