My journey as a tattoo artist began in the late 80s. I used to create designs for my friends and observe the professionals at the shops as they inked them. I was fascinated by this art form and wanted to try it myself.
I searched for a mentor for six months until I met Sweed from “Swedes Skin Art” in Mesa. He was not keen on teaching me at first, as he was planning to retire soon. But after seeing my work and talking to me a few times, he agreed to take me under his wing. The catch was that he charged me 5 grand for the training. That was a huge amount for a young artist back then. I had to sell my wife’s jeep to afford it. Two weeks later, I was ready to start learning from him.
In 1989, I opened my own tattoo shop called The Green Iguana. I ran it for 10 years in two different locations. But then I became bitter and disillusioned with the business. One night, I closed everything down and walked away.
I took a break from tattooing for a while. I moved to a new house and tried to forget about it. But people kept asking me to tattoo them. They liked my style and wanted me to continue. So I decided to give it another shot.
Now I see all the amazing artwork on the internet and I feel motivated to improve my skills. I am still passionate about tattooing and I produce some of the best work I have ever done.
I appreciate your interest in my art.
Thanks for looking.
