Heather Latter
Her love of art began when she was in Al Holt’s Grade 8 class at Robert Moore School.
Now Simone Laser has returned to Fort Frances as an established artist with a brand new business: “Laser Ink.”
The new tattoo shop, which is located within “A Little Off The Top” at 220 Scott St., opened its doors late last month—and Laser is excited to get started.
“I have the best job in the world,” she enthused.
“It’s really nice to be able to make a living doing something I love because sometimes you could really be the definition of a starving artist,” she added.
After graduating from Fort Frances High School, Laser moved to Winnipeg to pursue her post-secondary education, where she earned a fine arts degree with a major in ceramics.
Then she got into airbrushing—working on cars, motorcycles, and helmets.
“It’s a lot of fun,” she remarked, showing off a sample of her automotive works, which include designs featuring Gollum from “Lord of the Rings,” Storm from “X-Men,” Bob Marley, and Hot Wheels.
She even spent some time in Singapore, where she worked on several Lamborghinis.
“You had to try everything in art school and airbrushing was really cool at the time,” Laser noted, adding she soon discovered she had a real knack for airbrushing.
But it was her sister who urged her to try tattooing.
“It made sense,” Laser reasoned. “It’s a way of getting my art really appreciated.
“And it’s detailed-oriented, which I love.
“And really, there’s no greater compliment than having someone want to put your art on their body,” she added.
Laser then landed an apprenticeship at a tattoo studio in Winnipeg and has been tattooing for the past three years.
She said she felt comfortable moving from airbrushing to tattooing since many of the styles and techniques are the same.
“There’s a cross-over,” she explained. “But I think the more you learn, the more versatile art becomes.
“I really think my background in art helped me out a lot.”
While Laser was enjoying her time in Winnipeg, she decided to return to Fort Frances to be closer to her mother, who is in Rainycrest with early dementia.
“She doesn’t get a lot of good days, so I wanted to be able to be here for as many as those good days as I can,” she remarked.
“I know I made the right decision.”
And she’s eager to give her own business a try—even though the cost to start didn’t come cheap.
“But I really think it’s worth it,” Laser stressed, noting she had to purchase the chair, ink, and equipment.
Located in one of the back spaces at the local salon, the tattooing room features all the necessities and even a large-screen TV to provide some entertainment for those long sessions.
Everything she uses is disposable, Laser stressed, and the room will be kept very clean and sterile.
“In Winnipeg, there are a lot of regulations and I’m going to keep to the same standards even if it is not required here,” she vowed.
Laser will be offering an array of services, from cover-ups to custom work and portraits.
“Portraits are my favourite,” she enthused. “You don’t have to do the same thing. . . .
“And I like it when I can give someone a unique design,” she added.
“Sometimes people come in with images, sometimes they come in with ideas, so I will work through it with them to make sure they get want they want.”
And with a seeming increase in people wanting tattoos, despite others offering similar services, Laser feels there’s enough business to go around, especially when you consider the whole district and even into northern Minnesota.
“Competition is great,” she said. “It makes everyone step up their game.”
She added that when she was in Winnipeg, some people from Fort Frances were travelling the four hours there to have Laser do their tattoos.
“So now they don’t have to go anywhere,” she noted.
Laser will be charging $100 an hour (plus tax), for tattooing, which she said is less than the going rate in Winnipeg.
“I’d rather be busy,” she explained.
“Laser Ink” won’t have any set hours at this point, but rather will be open whenever people need it to be—whether it be evenings or weekends.
In her free time, Laser plans to continue with her art as she loves painting, especially portraits—some of which already are adorning the walls of the shop.
She encourages people to stop in and check out her work.
Laser also can be reached at simonelaser@hotmail.com or by calling 1-204-997-4145.
