INTERVIEW: SHADE

HERE'S AN OLD INTERVIEW WE DID WITH A VERY TALENTED TATTOO ARTIST NAMED SHADE. JUST THOUGHT I WOULD BRING IT BACK INCASE SOME OF YOU MISSED IT

AFTD:how did the name shade come about?

SHADE:1- the name shade came about back when i was younger picking grapes in the gravine with farm workers in coachella back when i was like 9 or so ?
anyhow it came about instead of getting chased by fucken snakes n shit my grandfather would always request a beer n between the shifts, so at that i would call it an excuse to excuse myself for a minute and chill next to him under a tree and talk for as long as i could to stay out of that damn hot ass grapefield believe me if u ever worked in those vine yards i recall it being hell!! through the years he refered me as his shade and at that to i would time to time draw under it for hours ... so with time it stuck to notoriously hold proudly and rep it till this day .... but honestly it was given to me in spanish which is -sombrita- "lil shade"
and been banging it on through graffiti in the hood and in the fine art galleries- so for the record i did not get it because of my shading its more like i grew into it under the shade!!

AFTD:is there a certain tattooing style that you stick with
or do you venture with different styles?

SHADE: ive done it all from traditional to new school, to tribal, japanese all that.........but what i practice like religion in my heart is fine line tattooing .... i grew up doing graffity in my teens and drawing from references of prison mail i use to receive from friends along from teen angel magazine and other subject matters but being sicilian mexican i added a renaisance spin to it and at that began discovering myself to a style no one has ever seen ..... the art of shade in fine line-

i never understood why i should tattoo other cultural shit in my own enviroment when u should be proud of your own culture which has more of a fine taste and at that mean more 2 u- like the japanese receive proudly japanese and as a californian to a southern californian- if u understand what i mean !! Most of all to me when i perform i am fell a connection not only to the style but to the person and relating to it!
i tattoo nothing more than iconic pieces translated into poetry on skin ... the pieces are done so fine and smooth with meaning and gesture, a style of its own,, contrasting a story which u can read throughly as it collages!!.... a chapter of ones life which i translate to urself!!
i respect all styles but u can consider me a native west coast artist!!and at that i stick to it!!

AFTD:what are some of the things that inspired you to tattoo?

shade:i lived in italy for 4 years oil painting and going to the internationall school of fummetti" comic books- so i do also have a stong point as far as influences on another lever of renaisance and illustration when i was there venturing my artform from caravagio and Bernini and other master oil painters translated in essence of skin - but truelly studied also the style and work of illustrationists like michael turner and jim lee and Mr.Mcfarlane to be able to draw almost any movement and gesture with life!! .... i mean there was many more but these where the people i looked up to and made a path for me!!.....but far most of all prison art!! when it came to tattooing thats where it all came in together because these story lines reason for them to get tattoed where translated into collages of art and accented with fluidity...they went so far just to fufill their meaning which became for what it is ..... so soft and gangster- the day to day people
getting tattoed in jail and in the hood were the main main influences of all ..... because their pieces where so real in meaning and reflected poetry in such form- made with the bare essentials! the real deal!!

AFTD:what are you up to these day's?

SHADE:i am just working on my flash book which ive been at i for sometime now, i am also working to build a body of work for galleries to try to start my carrier as an oil painter ...... but for the most part just bangen some sick back pieces and other large projects on the daily base ... ive done so illustraion and logos for clothing lines last fall , hopefully venturing my own!!, i also have had some wall paper for cell phones for the lil fan base i have out there-
All this takes time and hard work one step at a time but it has been becoming for what it is!! everyday it just gets better and better

AFTD:what can we expect from shade in the near future?

SHADE:nothing more but more of it ....... ive been tattooing a bit of music artists and actors so my portfolio has establish a stronger name-
but all in all more of me painting professionally...

AFTD:is there anybody that influenced you?

SHADE:so many ... but as strongly the God fathers of black and grey which have set their mark time before any of us as tattooists...... i work with Mark Mahoney and Freedy Negretti at shamrock social club on my agenda which is 2 of the godfathers and that to me are my mainfully influences of all time- of coarse not to mention other cats like jose opez chuey quintara jack rudy mister cartoon and so many more but those 2 right there are my main stong points because they have not changed the way it was done then and till today is done now true O.G.s

AFTD:how can people contact you to set an appointment?

SHADE: contacting me is simple but time is essential to it because i always draw everything i tattoo i have to set apoinment for the pieces but for the far most normally they can just call or mainly just send in a tattoo inked inquire which is on my main website page under get inked- normally my apoinment list is at a months prior to apoint .... always open and looking foward for new clientel and new large projects-

AFTD:any shout outs you wanna give out

SHADE:id like to thank those whom have sacrificed their love and faith to me so i can get where i and all the fallen soldiers i grew up with in the neighboor hood that didnt get to see the light like so many more have shown me - to my Big Dogss Big trippy from VNC, lil cricket JT boys, Looney SSI, Rex NSI, mellow SSI, Serrano family, Spanky Loco, Diamonique, Crooked I, Dj sinner, Einztein, Jose LOpez, Astek, and many more i am sorry if u arent called because ther is so many
but far most to all those bastards that have taken a shot at me from time to time literally and those who have nothing left in them to talk down on another chicano, my shoot out to ignorant fools!!all i have to say for the far most is !! who has the last laugh now !!
that homie from the desert empire Esse Lil Shade-