Patrick stopped by the studio for some new ink. I don’t know what went on in his childhood, but he only likes tattoos that could’ve been done with a prison machine powered by a Walkman motor. “If it ain’t rough it aint right,” he says. I hope this piece here ain’t too polished for him.

Patrick had some old text on him I had to work around, but I think we managed to give his pec a little definition with this shape. Originally I had the bird facing the opposite direction so its head was on his shoulder, but I think this worked out for the best.

Here’s the rough layout of the bird. As you can see we went ahead and took some time to put in those little details later. Patrick is a good client seeing as he pretty much left it up to me with the design. He likes his tattoos to look like they were done in the joint, but we’re gonna revisit this one and lay some tones on the area around the bird so it doesn’t look as tacked on. And since you’re wondering, yes, that is a piece of tape covering his nipple. My man was serious about not hitting the nipple.

Something I love about tattooing is how permanent my decisions are. It’s a thrill to know I’ve got to get it right the first time. Keeps me sharp. But I thought I’d take a minute and explore a different side of art. Painting is something I don’t have much experience with. It’s never too late to pick up a new skill, even if it’s just to take back some of what you learn to what you do full-time. Painting is a trip because you never have to be “done.” The process goes on as long as the painter decides it does. Totally new experience for me. Here’s some photos of the work I’ve been doing, plus a couple tattoos.

With the news of George Steinbrenner’s passing, I started thinking about people who were institutions in my life. People who I just always assumed would be there. Frank Frazetta, who died earlier this year was that sort of man to me. Bigger than life. I just took it for granted that the man was immortal. If you were a kid into art, Frank’s work was essential. It has every element a young man would want. Half-naked women, men swinging axes, and weird creatures. But it was done with such class and was so high-quality you didn’t have to be a Dungeons and Dragons head to get it. It stood apart, and so did Frank. RIP my man.

All apologies for the lack of updates this past month. Things have been crazy and I’ve been grinding nonstop. Fans of LA Ink have got a lot to look forward to this season. A good mix of great tattoo work and some of that crazy stuff people love.

I’ve been stretching my fine art muscles for the past couple weeks and have started to really build up a real body of work. I’ve been doing commissioned pieces, both on skin and canvas for so long, I almost forgot what it’s like to do art just to do it. So that’s what I’ve been holed-up doing and I’m loving it. I’ll be coming with an announcement soon about where the work will be displayed. Hope you’ll all check it out.

Here’s a closer look at how I’ve been spending my time. Back to tattoos soon, I promise.

Here’s some recent work on the tattoo side of things. Just because I’ve been stretching my inner da Vinci, doesn’t mean I’ve stopped doing what people know me for.

As an Italian kid you’re gonna get exposed to a lot of Frank Sinatra while you’re growing up. Unlike a lot of the stuff your folks make you listen to as a kid, Frank is actually cool. I started to feel a real connection to the guy when I moved out to LA. He came from Hoboken; I come from Brooklyn. He came from a background that must’ve made the whole Hollywood thing seem crazy as hell to him. I feel that. But he made it work FOR HIM. He did it his way. And I definitely feel that.

Our good friends over at Luther’s in Austin,T.X. are

These b&w images are courtesy Estevan Oriol . Shot through the eye of of an L.A. native who has been around the block a few times to say the least..www.estevanoriol.com check him out you won’t be disappointed.

Downtown L.A. is filled to the brim with colorful characters. Thats Pepper the self proclaimed Mayor of the Skid Row he was in full effect to greet me back in town thanks Pepper. Just a few images that i felt capture some of the essence in the air.

If you don’t feel this you need two check yourself for a pulse..

Steff came bye and requested some cherry blossoms on her shoulder with a lil twist so this is what we came up with. We went with a more realistic approach opposed to a traditional design.

These were a few last minute tattoos i worked on in N.Y. before leaving to go back to L.A. to start filming for yet another session .

This ones a cover-up. We revamped it for the homie big Adam.


Andrew came through to Finish off his viking theme tattoo with some background to tie it all together.


Big up to Hex Hector for hitting it hard on our second session. He’s one dedicated dude.