interview with Gregory Juarez

 Hello Gregory Juarez! Thanks for taking some time to do this interview. How long have you been tattooing? What inspired you to start tattooing? It’s been 2 years and 7 months since I started. It's been a great experience of development and learning. Since I was a child I was always passionate about drawing and painting because my father loves to paint. I had the opportunity to see it at times and feel attracted to everything it entailed. It was a hobby of mine to draw and paint all the time. I never took it as a profession or very seriously, it was more an escape from reality towards something I liked to do. As a teenager I was into graffiti for a while, I learned a lot, along with my cousin Jesus Alvarado and a friend Rohil Guerrero, they always told me, “You should start tattooing I know you’d do it very well!” Over time I made the decision to start this and it was something very special for me.

Q: Was it difficult getting into the business? What was the main goal?
A: It was a bit difficult because at that time the situation in Venezuela was complicated. My main goal was to be independent and dedicate all my time to tattooing, after about 3 month or so I was able to open a small studio, together with my friend Rohil. I had only a machine and a friend lend me the rest of the equipment to start. Then I made my first tattoo on my own leg. I wanted to know how it feels to inject the ink and feel what I was doing. After that, several friends offered to be “guinea pigs” and I did small things on them to learn a little more.

Q: Did you have any mentor?
A: My mentor was my cousin Jesus Alvarado, he was the one who taught me how to inject, fill and shade. I practiced with him many times making a sleeve with only lettering (which I have not finished yet) because when I was into graffiti, I was good at making letters. I scolded myself when I did something I shouldn't and at the same time I encouraged myself to do better since I work with skins and it is not something that you can erase. I will always be grateful for all the knowledge he shared that led me to do what I do now.

Q: So it is crucial to have help?
A: Discipline, perseverance and dedication are the fundaments to grow as a person and as an artist, patience is also very important. It is a long journey we are taking on, we will never stop learning, so we must be attentive to what we do in order to learn from ourselves.

Q: Just black and gray tattoos do you prefer this type of work or you plan to try color tattoing?
A: I try to perfect my technique every day to obtain the best result, always learning. I plan to start with color after I master what I’m doing, to start studying something different.

Q: I really love how you combine more than one photo in one tattoo design, very creative.
A: Thank you very much. I take into account the references that the client gives me, but for each design, I interpret it my own way. Normally I don’t do more than 2 or 3 designs. I try to create something different and sometimes that can take time, I select a single image and the rest flows while I tattoo, it’s something more authentic since the interpretation of each artist is very important.

Q: Many beautiful portraits, do you have any "dream" piece or a favorite person you wanna tattoo on someone's skin?
A: Lately I’ve been fascinated by portraits, it’s a great challenge when you have to portray a family member and when you finish it, you feel a great satisfaction for the person to whom you fulfilled their dream. I’ve always wanted to tattoo celebrities whether they are singers, actors or musicians, I think they have a lot of great references with which you can create something very special.

Q: We all know that doing the final touch ups and the white ink in the end is the most painful part of the whole session, I've been there! How do you cheer up your clients in those moments?
A: It is very important to treat the client good, so they can trust you and your ability to work calmly with the best mindset. When it comes to tattooing the energy is very important as we should feel the best, to perform our best. White’s always a bit painful but it is a very important part of the process.

Q: Some artists give their clients some time for the skin to heal and then finish the process in a few weeks. This is most common when it comes to big tattoos. Do you remember the longest session?
A: I usually make large pieces in two continuous days of approximately 7 hours each session, the result is very good and quite fast. Of course it also depends on the client's conditions but usually, is it takes 7 to 10 days. I would say that the longest session I’ve done is about 12 hours.

Q: What's the most rewarding aspect of being a professional tattoo artist?
A: Without a doubt, the pride of my parents that’s my motivation. It is also nice to know that I can be a reference and inspiration for other artists who are starting, this is what I love the most and what I dedicate all my time!