Featured Artist: Annita Maslov

Please welcome Annita Maslov, a Melbourne based illustrator, tattoo artist and co-owner of Scarlet Temple, a beautifully curated jewellery, oddities and tattoo studio tucked away in the leafy suburb of North Melbourne.  

Known for her meticulously shaded, finely detailed dotwork art and glowing oil paintings, Annita's work depicts an enchanting host of historical figures, mythological beings and animals, often presented in an unexpected or melancholic light.  Darkly surreal yet profoundly sensitive, Annita's artworks are rich with emotion, creatively reimagining familiar narratives in a way that emphasises the humanity and vulnerability of her subjects. 

Drawing on a technique historically used by Old Rennaissance Masters called chiaroscuro, Annita masterfully employs a stark contrast of light and shadow to great dramatic effect, cloaking the realms of her subjects, whether physical or spiritual, in an aura of intriguing mystery.  Her deep-rooted historical influences, evident in both subject matter, composition and technique, lends her luminous oils and etching-like dotwork pieces a timeless, classical elegance.

Annita has steadily grown her profile as a respected artist on the Melbourne art scene, having hosted a number of successful exhibitions at BeinArt and Outré Galleries, with a new solo show planned in 2025.  Since Scarlet Temple is just a stones throw away from Image Science, we've had the pleasure of printing and digitally reproducing art for Annita and the other, very talented resident artists at the studio.  And now - on with the interview!

Hi Annita, thank you for chatting with us today!  We’d be fascinated to hear about your journey to becoming a practicing illustrator and tattoo artist. Did you study art formally, or are you self-taught?
It’s such a pleasure! Thanks for having me.

I did briefly study Visual Art and Illustration though I didn’t complete the courses. I wasn’t entirely sure what career I wanted to pursue in the arts, and what would be financially feasible. I thought the courses would inspire me. They didn’t. 

I did freelance illustration for a bit before finding a tattoo apprenticeship and immediately fell in love with the craft and environment. 

Looking back, what were some early influences or experiences that steered you toward a creative career?
In my teen years I was equally infatuated with Lowbrow/Pop Surrealism art, and the illustrative works of artists like Vania Zouravliov and Aubrey Beardsley. I suppose those were my stylistic influences at the time, but in terms of steering me into a creative career, it kinda naturally happened. People started paying me to draw them pictures for their band, for a tattoo design, for their mum, so one day I was like, “hmm, I suppose I’m a freelance illustrator now.” 

You have a remarkable talent for reimagining historical and preternatural figures and narratives, presenting them in a way that humanises their stories and reveals unexpected, sympathetic or deeply vulnerable perspectives.  I’d love to know what initially draws you the subjects you choose to portray, and where you source your inspiration?
Thank you! When it comes to deciding subject matter it’s usually a parable, lore or history that excites me enough to bring it to life in my own way. Other times it’s characters I’ve created that reflect my own vulnerabilities or emotions at the time—this is a retrospective realisation due to my stubbornness, or perhaps fear, of admitting to vulnerabilities.

Can you share a particular artwork or tattoo project that holds special significance to you, and the story behind its creation?
During the first COVID lockdown I finally had time to learn oil painting, something that I had wanted to delve into for a long time, so my first completed oil painting, Infractus, has a special place in my heart. It took an infuriating few months to complete and I fucked it up countless times during, so it’s definitely a love hate relationship, but a special relationship nonetheless. 

You've previously said, “I think the day I find my work perfect is the day I should stop doing art”.  How has this philosophy shaped your evolution as an artist in terms of your creative process and art style over the years?  
This philosophy is an exhausting one, because it feels like running on a treadmill with a perfection-donut dangling on a stick in front of you. Like, I want the donut. 

With my dotwork illustrations I started to feel stagnated in what I was able to achieve. My illustrations weren’t perfect by any means, but they started to feel tedious, like I was completing ‘dot-to-dots,’ literally and figuratively. Hence my urge to explore a different medium—oil painting, which is my current unobtainable donut. Unobtainable Donut would be a good band name.  

You are also the co-owner of The Scarlet Temple, a beautifully curated gallery, oddities and jewellery store with a private tattoo studio upstairs, located in the heart of North Melbourne.  Can you tell us about your vision for the studio and the story behind how it got started? 
The vision occurred during a night out with my good friend and now co-owner. (We may or may not have been impacted by a substance of the psychedelic nature). We had drawn up a business plan for a tattoo studio that, in our mind, took hours of meticulous planning. Not long after we came across the opportunity to make it a reality and revisited our ‘business plan’. Turns out it was just a crude drawing of a bird. Or from a different angle, maybe a fish. 

Anyway, if the bird represents the creation of a safe space facilitating the loveliest crew of incredible artists then I think we’ve done a pretty good job.

How do you balance the demands of being an illustrator, tattoo artist and business owner?  What does a typical week in the studio look like for you?
It would be cool to say I’m just really good at time management but that isn’t the case at all! I’m on a hiatus with illustrative jobs and I have now cut down to tattooing only three days a week so I have more time to paint for upcoming exhibitions. We also have a wonderful manager at the studio who has helped dilute the responsibilities for myself and the other co-owners. 

A typical week consists of tattooing, internally screaming about why the paint isn’t doing the thing I want it to, and spending time with my partner and dogs. 

How do you manage to find a balance between artistic freedom and managing client expectations in your tattoo work?
As a tattooist it would be quite selfish to expect or demand artistic freedom at all times. I love working with clients to bring their vision alive and I’m very lucky to have clientele who trust me enough to modify their bodies, so I would never push anyone to get something tattooed they weren’t completely happy with. It is a collaboration, though, and at times it’s necessary to consult with clients to modify their idea, usually for more appealing compositions or better ageing of the tattoo.

I do occasionally have clients who will give me complete free rein—most of the time this scares the absolute shit out of me. Everyone has different likes, dislikes, backgrounds and aesthetic preferences, so if I’m not familiar with the client I worry they would agree with the design based on politeness. The times I’ve accepted complete artistic freedom my email correspondence with the client feature anxiety fuelled questions like: “you don’t have a phobia of snakes do you?” or, “are boobs okay?”

I’m content satisfying my artistic freedom through paintings and drawings. 

How do you see your art practise and tattoo business evolving in 2025?  Do you have any notable upcoming projects or exhibitions on the cards?
I still have a lot to learn in the art of oils so I’m keen to stick with it for a while. 

I have a solo show opening at Beinart Gallery on the 25th of October. The show will be running alongside a group exhibition, Tattoo Artists, that I will also showcase work in. 

In terms of tattooing, I’m still in love with the craft, so I’ll be in the industry as long as clients will have me!