Today we’d like to introduce you to Sergio Sanchez.
Sergio, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am an artist based out of Los Angeles, born in 1976. I grew up on comic books, graffiti, and skateboarding, so art has always been around me and part of my life. I was into graffiti and murals during my teenage years and was part of CBS a well-known crew in Los Angeles, I was also illustrating for t-shirt companies, skateboard and snowboard companies in my early 20s. Anything I could do to make money with my art.
I began tattooing in 1993 and was mainly practicing on friends, wanting to make a real career of it. But I realized if I was really going to make a living with my art and tattooing, I needed to improve my skills and strategy to the way I created work.
So I decided to go to art school and went to study at Associates in art in Sherman Oaks in 2000. it was an amazing school with talented teachers that were actively working in many industries, that was different for many schools and it was a huge benefit. The school was also focused on teaching representational art and a classical approach that was rare to find in those years at many art schools, I feel very lucky to have had that kind of training. I studied for three years there before I was offered a teaching position at the school and then continued to teach a classical approach to learning art at the Art Center college of design in Pasadena, the Laguna college of art in Laguna Beach, and the Los Angeles Academy of figurative art in Van Nuys for over ten years – 2003 to 2013. I taught figure drawing and painting, portraiture, anatomy, color theory, materials, landscape painting, among other subjects. During that time, I was also focused on my own personal work mainly in the mediums of charcoal and oil painting and developing a career in fine art. But unfortunately, I was teaching six days a week to cover expenses, and that did not leave me enough time to be productive enough to make the fine art career work… So I had to switch gears a little from teaching.
At that time, many of my students were young tattoo artists and they convinced me to give tattooing a try again after a ten years break. So around 2013, I decided to take tattooing seriously and began working at Time Line tattoo studio in San Pedro, CA and the Raven and the Wolves tattoo studio in Long Beach, CA until 2021. It was a great experience working with many different artists and traveling the world to many tattoo conventions. I am now focusing on starting a private studio of my own, building a solid team of individuals to inspire and grow together, and getting back to teaching art again as well as continuing to create my own personal fine art.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Making a living as an artist is challenging… you have to be flexible and adapt to the situations, make opportunities happen, be resourceful. If you work hard and love it thats what matters, as many struggles as I have been through, I have still found a way to make things work and get by. It’s definitely a labor of love.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an artist, painting and drawing fine art and specializing in tattooing black and grey realistic and surreal artwork. My designs are known for using figurative and animal subjects and combining those with organic textures and elements from nature and life. I like illustrating stories of history and life that way.
I am most proud of my ability to communicate with my students and clients educating them about the world of art and how it can give perspective to one’s life, art has always allowed me to consider philosophy and psychology, I have benefited greatly from that.
I think what sets me apart is how I approach art with craft, draughtsmanship, a classical structured approach that has been passed down for hundreds of years, along with my unique perspective of life and the world. All of it together is what makes me an individual and valuable.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
To truly find your voice by asking questions and looking at your life for inspiration, we are all unique in the way we see life and tapping into that is the best way to start to find your voice as an artist.
Contact Info:
- Email: sergiosanchezart@gmail.com
- Instagram: @sergiosanchezart
