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My name is Félix Carmona Sánchez
I´m a tattoo artist
FÉLIX CARMONA TATTOO ARTIST COSTA RICA
Well, my story is quite different because I wanted to be a doctor
The thing is that my family
did not had the economic resources to pay the career because it was quite expensive
so we chose the side of the artist
that was more affordable and my mom worked on the National University
then I started to work on this
The artistic learning is the basis for any tattoo artist
if you do not learn how to paint or draw well you'll never be a fine artist
I started in a small workshop in my home more than sixteen years ago
first I started painting, drawing and then I took the machine
and I saw it as a way to make money
mainly was because of that I realized that I could paint as best as possible
that people would never buy my paintings
It was very hard The artistic market it's very difficult
and I could have two or three hundred paintings on stock that can only sold three or four a year
That was not too much to make money
For me a tattoo is simply an artistic piece that you will wear
some people see it as a memory, others, as a commemoration
and some see it as a struggle or even as a prize
In the studio it have happened all things that you can imagine
people had passed out, I have attended epileptic attacks
pressure drop,
including people had vomited
people fall to the ground, some cry, scream, bite, scratch... It´s terrible!
Terrible!
I really like this piece: the names of my two children
Ashley and Gian
I have it since nine years ago when my daughter was born
and I really really like it, it catches my attention because
symbolizes my love for them, and it's on my left hand
Since I'm left handed, I made it to remember them always
I tattooed this arm for about ten or twelve years ago
I repainted some things that I like: bikes, speed, spark plugs,
my old tattoo machine, the heart with horns...
The good thing about Latin American artists it that we have adapted to do every kind of art
we can do a Japanese as well as another style or even portraits
that really help us because we know a little bit of everything
and though it costs us more to go out and grab the board that is in the sea
when we got to pick it is quite easy to compete with any other artist
Well, to the new generations of tattoo artists I advise them to study hard
to study a lot and specialize
and do not think that by having a good or even a very good machine that will make them good artists
What I did was to create a new concept, It's not a school, i'ts a studio for people
to feel more comfortable and identifiable so they can create. It has no academic standard regulatories
so they can feel more free and be happy with what they do
One of my biggest inspirations is don Hugo Sanchez
a painter who lives in Heredia, he's a very famous watercolorist
I talked to him and he gave me my first artistic steps
I admire classical painters, Renaissance like Caravaggio, Miguel Angel, Rembrandt
many painters from who I have been grabbing techniques so I can go and do my own style
and basically that's my greatest aspiration
and my dream since childhood was to be able to make their works and painting the closest to them
I know it's very difficult and I have not succeeded yet but I continue one step at a time.
I like the discomfort at the time of painting,
I prefer the half light with a very dim lamp
so I can acclimate like the ancients, for that I like the discomfort
I like to put music as a background but very low so I can barely hear it
because I like to hear that brushes sound
and see the sketches and lines
Culturally, I feel like we have contributed to this country with something innovative
because for many years we have not seen a cultural movement like we do.
There are many artists and tattooists, but being able to do something so specialized and artistic
something detailed, fine and well done
you see it only in Europe or in the States is seen,
but we were able set a standard movement, although many artists are not going to say it
but we were an indispensable part of this movement here in Costa Rica.
The truth is I am very happy and very proud of what we have been doing
for many years and I will keep doing it until the body holds...
and go ahead!