interview with tattoo artist ivano natale
Hello Ivano
Natale! Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. It really
means a lot having you here. Please start by telling us something
about yourself, how it all started? Ever since I can
remember I've always liked tattoo art. I must have been 10 when I saw a tattoo
on person and I knew
it would have been just a matter of time before I got my first piece
done. Had no idea how painful it would have been tho. I started
drawing on my friends and myself with a ball point pen, I remember
people lining up for it, good memories! Years later I got my first
tattoo as a teenager, hated to sit for it but nowadays I still
say: it hurts so good! Even tho my heart told me to become an artist
my head was telling me a different story. So I finished school and started
working as a salesman with my dad until I couldn’t take it anymore!
After all if I could do well at what I didn't like I could have
tried and done better at what I enjoyed doing, so it took off from
there. I gotta thank my father if I took that step since he was the
one pushing me towards what I liked the most.
Q: Was it hard to learn the basic skills?
A: My journey in the tattoo world started at the age of 22. I set up
my first station out of my garage, tattooing my friends, like many
others in the industry. I loved it but I knew I had to get out of my
neighborhood if I wanted to take it to the next level so I started
traveling. I must have been fired a dozen times because of my
attitude back then. I wanted to improve so much that I would
sacrifice time and money to do it and the second part wasn't really
part of my employer's plan. I moved on to better myself putting my
tattoos as the centre of my life, without caring much about anything
else that came with it (back then nothing good) other than getting
better at what I do.
I never apprenticed but I’ve always travelled to see my favorite
artists at work weather it was at conventions or at their shops
,just so I could learn more...I'm back home now here in Naples,
Italy where I opened up my dream place: The Gallery Studios!
Q: How your style changed over the years?
A: I always had a thing for black and grey
but it took a lot of tattooing in different styles before I could
focus on one thing only. I’ve always loved the look of b&g, that’s
one of the reasons why I’ve travelled to Cali in the first place. Most of my favorite artists where tattooing there. I wanted to
watch and learn, not an easy transition tho. I started studying
photos from the 40’s and 50’s to understand more about contrast, I
would practice drawing everyday. I came from a graffiti influenced
way of drawing so I had to fight my instinct in order to make my
pieces look realistic other than cartoony.
Q: What's the longest session you've had with
a client?
A:
I work hard every day and night. I come in at noon and get out at 4
am in some cases so long sessions are my thing...
Q: Do you plan to experiment with color tattooing? :)
A: I have actually, I did two rappers portraits and I enjoyed the
result but as far as tattooing in colors on a regular basis I think
that's too messy for me.
Q: You worked with many great tattoo
artists, including Carlos Torres, tell me more about this. Are you
working on something new?
A: I have had the opportunity to work with some of the best and most
inspiring people in the business and that of course made me grow as
an artist. Working along side some of those people that have inspired
my
style and growth helped me develop my own vision. Nowadays I find
myself working on collectors who have ongoing projects from great
artists and adding your art to other amazing pieces can also turn
into a collaboration, actually some of the best tattoos in general
can happen by mixing your piece with somebody else’s work. Recently
I worked on a collaboration piece with Macko, one of my best friends
in and out of the tattoo world and also with Riccardo Cassese again
another great artist and long time friend.
Q: Italy, one of the most beautiful
places in the world! Art, music everything... so much inspiration.
How is the tattoo scene there? Are we gonna see more tattooed Italians? :)
A: Naples raised me and it is one of the richest cities I know when
it comes to art and architecture but I had to get out of it to learn
more about tattooing as all the artists out here were either bad
artists or they were doing styles I couldn’t relate to. In terms of
art, there’s a lot but I didn’t really
appreciate walking by a medieval castle or a baroque church before I
dedicated my life to art. I’d prefer getting in trouble as a kid.
Now I have to say my hometown has influenced my art a lot. I can
walk places and take my own references of baroque style churches,
statues, all kind of religious art together with street art and if
you look at my work that’s exactly what I do. I tend to build a
story with dark images, religious images, sometimes showing the dark
side of religion, other times I work on street icons or images that
recall that lifestyle and add my own twist to it. Even my shop looks
like that, the whole place is 5000 sq ft, part of it is an art
gallery and the vibe is more similar to a museum, while the tattoo
rooms are private and have a street look. Italians will be Italians
lol out here everybody is tattooed but now you can see more
collectors.
Q: Do you think that we are living in a new tattoo era?
There is so much progress, what's your opinion?
A: I think that those who started tattooing a little bit over 10
years ago brought game changing ideas to this beautiful world of
ours. Nowadays, you can tell that seminars helped a lot of
people. As far as techniques and technology we’re probably facing
the best and fastest improvement ever seen before.
Q: Please write down your studio
location
A:
I own Thy Gallery Studios in Via Solfatara 157 Pozzuoli (NA) Italy.You can contact me via email at: ivanonatale.bng@gmail.com
Follow my IG ivanonataletats or FB page Ivano Natale Official Page
You can also check out my shop and all the resident and guest
artists working here at:thygallerystudios.com
Q: Any advice for the new artists?
A: Don’t start tattooing for the wrong reasons! This is not for lame
untalented people, it's not easy money, it's not to build yourself a
carachter! This is passion and a lifestyle. If you can’t draw but
like tattoos simply collect from real artists! But if you love and
respect this art and think that your art can do well for tattooing
then do not hesitate to start an apprenticeship and be patient!
Paying your dues doesn’t mean 6 months to 1 year stay and then take
off like you know something! Respect goes a long way and if you’re
good at what you do just keep doing it!