Maui Artist Profile: Tattoo Artist Rachel Helmich (MauiNow.com)
Rachel Helmich of the Maui Tattoo Company started tattooing in 2001, when her then-boyfriend – now husband – approached her and asked if she wanted to learn.
“I’d graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and had enrolled in an engineering program.” Helmich explained. “We’d gotten to the part where we were making models, and I was bored stiff. I thought about Craig’s offer for a couple days, and ultimately told him ‘yes’. Then I went and withdrew from the engineering program.”
With her art background, Helmich is a natural, and the fit suits her.
“I’m in love with my career,” she says. “It’s my life. I can’t imagine doing anything else. I don’t get to paint and everything like I used to, so tattooing is my creative outlet.”
Formerly based in Pittsburgh, the Helmiches moved to Maui in 2002 and the rest is history…sort of.
Originally hired by Samantha Fairchild at Alley Cat Tattoo in Wailuku (now closed), the couple later opened their own business in March of 2003. The Maui Tattoo Company is located in Kihei Kalama Village on South Kihei Road. Fairchild now tattoos there with them, and all three have their own unique approach. Helmich mused that a little bit of both her husband and Fairchild’s style comes out in her own work.