Philip Lambert works on a full back piece at his studio Sole Tattoo just north of Seeley Lake.
One of Lambert's clients wanted to cover up their tattoo that said Authentic (above photo). Lambert knew he wanted an owl and sacred geometry. He also knew that he has two children that were his world. Lambert created an owl with the second stage in the flower life from the seed of life, breaks off like a cell (bottom photo). "[The circles around the owl's eyes] show that his focus is his kids," said Lambert. "When I showed him the art, he thought it was cool. But when I explained that to him he said 'that is awesome!' Having meaning gives people more pride in their tattoo."
Lambert offers replication, cover up and original art. He loves it when his clients bring him an idea and give him the freedom to expand on it. This is just one example of the use of color. To see more examples of Lambert's work, visit soletattoo.com
SEELEY LAKE – Tattoo artist Philip Lambert opened Sole Tattoo on Elaine's Way north of Seeley Lake Jan. 1, 2016. Lambert has been tattooing for 15 years and loves when his clients bring him an idea and give him the freedom to expand on it. He strives to give people the highest quality work at a reasonable price.
Lambert attended the Art Institute of Pittsburg for special effects. After graduating with an Associate's Degree in Industrial Design Technology he realized how difficult it would be to get a job in that field.
He started his tattooing career at American Skin Art in North Tonawanda, New York after quitting a job "and not having a backup plan." He saw it as an opportunity to still do artwork, allows him to set his own hours and pay scale and do any artwork he feels like.
About four months into the apprenticeship, his boss asked him if he was ready to start making some money.
"That usually happens after a year or two," said Lambert. "I got some killer practice on walk-ins. It was great to learn in. It got me all the basics I needed to know."
After working as a tattoo artist for a year in New York, Lambert moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. He got a job at Big Deluxe, one of the most well-known tattoo studios in Salt Lake City. Reed Leslie, a tattoo artist from Alaska that worked at Big Deluxe, looked at Lambert's portfolio and told the owners that he had serious potential and if they didn't hire him they were out of their minds. Lambert got a call on his birthday and was told he got the job.
"[Leslie] took me under his wing," said Lambert. "I think he was impressed that a year into [tattooing] I was decent at line work and saturation. I also showed them my original artwork. When he looked at them combined he thought 'so he's figuring tattooing out but he obviously knows how to do art in all these different realms. If we can just close the gap on the two then he's going to be unstoppable."
Lambert grew tired of the percentage cut of 60/40, poor working conditions, heavy metal music and attitude of other tattoo artists. However, he loved the freedom tattooing afforded him and the ability to travel the world while tattooing along the way. He started Sole Tattoo nearly seven years ago.
"Now I get to run my own studio with me and my clients. I get to relax and allow them to listen to whatever music they want to [except pop and heavy metal]. It's that much more comfortable," said Lambert. "I named it Sole Tattoo because it is me, myself and I."
After he and his girlfriend decided they wanted to leave Salt Lake City, they decided on Montana because they wanted to "live somewhere where I felt like I'm on vacation all the time."
They first looked at Helena in June 2015 and were unimpressed. However, after talking to people who told them Missoula was the place for hippies, they headed to Missoula to check out the area.
The last day before they returned to Salt Lake, they found the perfect property on Elaine's Way.
"It was just one thing after another that was too good to be true," said Lambert.
Before opening his studio on Elaine's Way, Lambert was required to get a license through the Missoula County Health Department, prove that he has taken his blood born pathogen and sanitation credentials as well as be certified in first aid. Lambert feels cleanliness is a number one priority and uses all disposable needles and parts.
Lambert loves it when someone knows his work and has a basic idea of what they want and they tell him, "Here's my basic idea, take that and make it look awesome. When I have that freedom then I can do really cool stuff. It makes work not feel so much like work."
Lambert can do replication, cover up and original art and is capable of large scale work including a full body suit. Lambert will not do tribal and traditional Americana tattoos. He encourages his clients to plan out their tattoos to avoid the patchwork look.
If someone wants touch-ups done to an existing tattoo he encourages them to go back to the original artist. If they refuse, he is willing to work with them.
"It's awesome to be able to transition people's awful work into something they are proud about," said Lambert. "The coolest part of tattooing is being able to make someone that didn't feel that great about themselves now feel amazing."
Lambert's shop minimum is $100 and he charges $100 per hour, cash only. When a client comes to him with an idea he makes sure he's the right artist for what they want so they will both be happy with the tattoo in the end.
"I'm not the kind of guy that takes everything on. If the artist isn't happy, it will reflect in the work," said Lambert.
Lambert only takes one client per day with the one requirement that they are punctual. He will touch up his work after a month but beyond that he considers it normal wear and tear.
Lambert wishes people would think more about the investment they are making in a tattoo because it says something extraordinary about them personally.
"I would do research, I would find an artist, I would fly to exactly where I needed to get that done properly," said Lambert.
Lambert is trying to promote people travelling to see him. Eventually he would like to turn his property into a tattooing air bed and breakfast where clients come and enjoy Seeley Lake while getting their tattoos.
For more information visit soletatoo.com, email phil@soletatoo.com or call 406-239-SOLE (7653). Lambert can also be found on Facebook and Instagram.
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