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!