We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Art Vasquez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Art, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Like a lot of artists before me I drawing from an early age. would mostly draw cars and moved to drawing on my arms lol Had my first tattoo by the age of 12
Of which I did on myself from a crudely made machine out of a Walkman motor, guitar string and 9 volt battery
By 15 I had an entire backpiece and went to my first tattoo convention
Invited by my friend David Gama who did my back tattoo. Who still tattoos to this day btw
He would show me some things about his machines and processes.
In a sense, he was unknowingly to me my first mentor. As a teen up into my early 20’s I started tattoing friends on occasions, but never took it serious enough for it to become my profession
It was more of a hobby.
I had become a father by the age of 18
and definitely didn’t have the time or the resources to become an apprentice and learn the proper way so I thought.
Eventually, tattoing for me died down and like a lot of people, life gets in the way so to speak and you have less and less time for hobbies
I later met my mentor Amanda Garcia
And would get tattooed by her.
Eventually, we became friends
She once asked me if I wanted to learn the proper way and in truth I freaked out because her work intimidated the hell out of me lol. I didn’t consider myself an artist, more like someone who drew on occasion.
By then I had worked in warehouse as a forklift driver and eventually as a shipping supervisor,so in my mind that tattoing ship had sailed.
And I was stuck in a 9 to 5 that made me good money but was never something I wanted for myself.
But still, being around people in the tattoo industry who had achieved what I had not was cool to see
Spent a lot of time hanging out my mentors shop until eventually by the age of 35 after so many years of not taking the risk and wanting to do it.
Took her up on her offer and eventually started my apprenticeship
On weekends while still maintaining a full time job and after 2 years I had achieved what I had day dreamed at my desk for many years.
I was finally a tattoo artist
This is my first year tattoing professionally and a few times during my apprenticeship their were doubts about this working out
But I’m glad it did
The biggest risk in life is the one you don’t take

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a tattooer first and my style is based on the old school chicano black and grey style of tattooing I eventually want to get into portraits
Ive also always been a car guy
Love lowriders I feel it a big inspiration in my life
And it’s part of my culture
I occasionally paint/make things inspired by the custom car culture of the 60s and 70s alot of shiny metal flake paint and what are called Kandy colors pinstriping

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

I don’t get it lol

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I want to continue to do this for as long as I am capable and continue to improve and hone my skills Ibeen having fun since my apprenticeship began and this is probably the less stressed if been in my life its been a drastic change to me working 60 plus hours a week in what was basically a trap I had set by not allowing myself to do what I ttuly wanted.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Bandido_arte