The Devil is in the details, what does that phrase make you think of?
I love that phrase. There are many ways to interpret it, but in my case, I am suggesting that if you neglect things that at first sight seem to have no importance, you can condemn yourself. Forgetting or missing the details of a project can compromise and affect the final outcome of it, so I always plan ahead and pay close attention to the details. Anyway, I think there is no such thing as perfection when we talk about tattoos, on the contrary, the tattoo is just what it is because of its imperfections and the different personalities of those who wear them on their skin.
Are you a self-taught artist or did you learn through an apprenticeship?
In general, I am self-taught. My mother is a visual artist and teacher. At home I always had all the material I needed to draw, paint or make wood engraving, I do it since I was very little. While there were people through my career that influenced me to follow a certain path, I consider myself a person in constant learning. It was not like I woke up one day and said "I'm going to be a tattoo artist” a series of decisions that I was taking without knowing led me to this place. And the same with illustration, what I dedicated myself for many years before I started to tattoo. I have been fortunate enough to be raised in an artistic family environment in general, although I never knew (and still do not know) exactly what I would do, never doubt for a second that I wanted to create my career within the artistic field. To this day I still consider myself an apprentice in everything I do, and I don't think I'll ever stop doing it.
Tell us about where you currently tattoo.
I currently work at Goldstreet Tattoo, in the center of the city of Barcelona, Spain. But I am actually from Argentina and my beginnings in the world of tattooing started there. I decided to move to another country because I am a very curious person who needs to be in constant movement and I felt that if I wanted to redirect my career and not stay stuck I had to leave my town and travel. It was something that I was taught as a child: "You have to study to travel the world," my parents told me, but although the truth is that studying at the university was really not my thing, they were right about traveling: it opens your head and makes you grow as a person. It is one of the things I love most about this profession, the freedom of time and schedules to be able to do what I like in any part of the world.
How would you describe your style to someone who hasn't seen it before?
I think it's a pretty graphic and detailed style. And to be very specific just always recommend to my clients to look before deciding whether to tattoo with me my previous work so they can understand the style and see if they feel comfortable with it. If not, I usually recommend another tattoo artist who can better deal with their ideas. I don't force my designs according to the ideas of the clients. It has to be a pleasant process for both parts.
What attracts you to doing black and grey tattoos over color?
I could not say it clearly. Although color attracts me a lot, I do not see it reflected in my personality. I can see color tattoos that I like a lot and even get color tattoos in my body, but when I have to do it, it's just not my thing. I prefer black and I feel more identified with blackwork. In spite of that, maybe one day I'm feeling more interested in it and starting to experience new things.
How do you express yourself through your art?
I do it by being one hundred percent faithful to my ideas and emotions in each piece I get to tattoo, if I cannot feel totally comfortable with the client's idea, I do not do it. I think that this kind of though benefits both sides.
What's the best advice you have gotten?
Once my mother gave me a book of illustrated botany and she wrote on it a dedication that said: "When you feel you have no inspiration, come back to nature." There are all the answers, it is something that never ceases to amaze me and every time I feel that I have no creativity, making contact and observing nature saves me. The colors, shapes, patterns, and mechanisms of plants and animals always have something exciting to tell and show.
Can you tell us about your new project, the real bodies illustration?
Real Bodies is a yet unfinished project that we are working on together with a photographer who is a really close friend of mine. We hope to finish it before the end of this year. It is basically an intervention of photographic and illustration material in order to make visible all the bodies that the media and society in general always try to hide, showing them in a beautiful and natural way.
What inspired this project?
Exactly what inspired this project is the idea of reaching people by making visible the naturalness and humanity of hundreds of different bodies that are currently discriminated against by the media and the patriarchal society in which we live. We want to promote different types of beauty with stunning and real images, demystifying the preconceived idea of perfection, mixing new and different artistic techniques.
And let's end with your advice for new tattoo artists?
My advice for new artists in any field, not only tattoo artists, would be that they never take anything for granted and that they remain humble first of all. We are facing a moment in which social networks seem to have more importance and reach than interpersonal relationships and the real training of professionals. Followers do not mean talent. Never turn your eyes away from your goals, in a healthy, non-obsessive way. If people want to do this because they think it's easy money they're wrong, it's a long road and requires a lot of time, work and dedication.