Today we’d like to introduce you to Gerardo Flores.
Hi Gerardo, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started tattooing professionally roughly 16 years ago at a small shop in Escondido, then briefly at American Pride in Bonsall- afterwards a friend of mine referred me to someone he knew who was looking for new artists in Escondido My interview consisted of tattooing a quarter sleeve on a friend since I had very few pictures of my work and relied on word of mouth at the time. Thankfully, he agreed to allow me to work doing small tattoos – after a while, I began to gain more clientele and started doing bigger tattoos and eventually made a better portfolio of my work.
Roughly 3 years later, I got hit head-on pretty badly and wasn’t able to work and had to leave the shop. The money I had saved up was running out, and I ended up working out of my apartment for about a year until I was able to meet with the owner of the small shop I started at and worked with him for roughly 3 years at Hidden City Tattoo. While working at Hidden City Tattoo, I also worked some conventions in San Diego, Pomona, and Baltimore. With the experience I gained, I made my way to downtown San Diego and worked at Ikonic Tattoo. Eventually making my way to Lavish Tattoo Co.
Working with Lavish Tattoo Co. is where I saw my work grow the most. The owner of the shop provides an awesome environment for artists to flourish and grow – Always providing constructive criticism.
Around the 3-year mark, the looming pandemic and the rising cost of living – I made the move to GA (where I had been working as a guest artist around the same time I started at Lavish).
I would go back to Lavish to continue unfinished work while living in GA.
The shop was located in Smyrna; I was there for a year before making my way into a shop in Marietta, GA.
While working there, a friend of mine posted an invitation to work in Hawaii at Hale Nui Tattoo, which opened up an opportunity to also work in Philadelphia at No Ka Oi Tiki Tattoo (where I’m currently living).
I’ve had the privilege and opportunity to work with some amazing artists, and I’m grateful for everyone I’ve met along the way.
I’m thankful to be able to work with the people at No Ka Oi and grateful for the opportunity to come back to San Diego to work with everyone at Lavish Tattoo Co/The Chrome Lady.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest struggles I’ve had along the way have been the car accident, toxic relationships, my own toxic habits, and depression
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I consider myself a street shop tattooer, which means I can adapt to different styles of tattooing. From black and grey, color, traditional and fine line tattooing. I also enjoy painting with acrylic and oil, watercolor, pencil/color pencil, and pen drawing.
I’m most proud of my journey and growth as an artist and tattooer. Art has opened up opportunities to travel and introduced me to great artists and people in general.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
My favorite childhood memory would have to be visiting family and sightseeing in Mexico.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @Tatuajes76
