The April issue of Inked Mag is just out and it features my Icon profile of one of the godmothers of our tattoo generation: Madame Vyvyn Lazonga.

I was a bit star struck during our phone interview because she's not only one of the first female tattooers of the modern tattoo movement--being a part of pushing tattoos as a fine art--but she's also one of the first women of our times to be heavily (and beautifully) tattooed. Vyvyn has had sleeves by Ed Hardy before many of y'all were born. She's been an inspiration to me and it was wonderful chatting with her. Here's a taste of our talk:

How would you describe your own tattoo style?

Most of my work is non-literal, organic. I'm intrigued by the idea of changing the skin so it looks more like fabric or wallpaper--a fusion of different things but more decorative than symbolic. Often people come in with so many different symbols and things that are meaningful to them but ruin the whole artistry of what they are trying to convey. So more often than not, I have to tell them not to include as many symbols, to keep it simple and bold. Tattoos don't need a great, grand story. I want to go the opposite: I don't want any of my tattoos to mean anything. I want people to see them as walking art, which is different than trying to convey many messages on your body.

For more, pick up the April issue on newsstands or read it online at Zinio.