“My Name is Sal and I make tattoo's.”

Succinct and to the point is a good way to describe tattoo artist @sal_s_tattoo. Taking a risk, he quit his job as a screen printer to pursue a career in the tattoo industry after only a few months of practice. Undertaking and completing an apprenticeship with legendary Rick Luder and the crew at Five Star Tattoo in Fremantle. He says his influence comes from “Traditional American, English and Australian tattooing. My style is a homage to the tattooers that came before me.”

We chatted about what it's like putting art on a public stage and other pursuits, have a read below:

You have to be quite gutsy to put your art out into the public for people to judge, do you ever feel hesitant about sharing or showing a client? What helps you move past that?

It can be hard sharing content on social media at times, but it is a big part of business for most people these days. The more I look at my art and tattooing as a business rather than my "self", the easier it is to share my art with confidence.

Some people might not know that you’re quite the musician. Getting on stage takes a lot of guts and touring is a big commitment. Can you tell us a little bit about that part of your life? Any crazy stories you’d like to share?

I played in a band called Break Even for over 10 years. It was an amazing part of my life and I feel blessed to have experienced the things I did whilst in the band. Sadly we did our last tour in 2016.

Craziest/dumbest thing I ever did was stage dive after drinking a few beers into a crowd of 7 or 8 people, resulting in a cracked rib, two fractured elbows and a sprained wrist. I am still currently writing music and hope to have a record out at some stage this year.

Where do you see your art form heading in the future? Do you ever see yourself experimenting, trying new styles?

I am always refining my work and always learning. I do walk-in's every day so I am always getting to try new things or experiment with my tattooing. I am currently learning about the art and mythology of Japanese tattooing which is endless when it comes to reference and inspiration. Hopefully in years to come I will be doing more Japanese inspired tattoos. 

Follow him on instagram: @sal_s_tattoo