#Skinart Mexican Inspiration

As part of a series of stories on the Mexican American community in the United States, El Heraldo de México USA visited Dark Water Studio in Chicago. This is the workplace of José Pérez Jr., one of the best tattoo artists in the country.

Entering the place is like diving into a fantasy world. Decorated with a collection of memorabilia from many different places and countries that José has visited while traveling to leave his art on people’s skin worldwide, the space invites imagination and creativity.

He confesses to being a lover of antiques, partly because, as he told us, some items in his collection, despite being over a hundred years old, still work.

“Unlike now, if you buy something, it won’t even last five minutes,” says José with a laugh.

Among the pieces are many skulls in different styles; however, he does not consider them macabre images. For José, they are an important reminder of the temporality of life.

“Underneath everything, we are all the same,” the artist reflects.

He echoes this perspective in his artwork.

The business also has a family touch; while José focuses on tattoos, María, his sister, helps manage the place. Their family hails from Michoacán, Mexico. He and his sister, who also collaborates in the tattoo studio, were born in Chicago, but when they were. around eleven, they returned to live in his father’s country. From the ages of eleven to eighteen, they lived in a town in this western Mexican state before returning to the United States.

His first encounters with tattoos were while living in Mexico. He remembers that when he was sixteen, one of his friends put together a tattoo machine and with the help of a prison tattoo magazine for the designs, he started practicing. His first tattoo machine was his own creation. He built it from scratch, using guitar strings and the little motor of a Walkman; since it worked with batteries, it allowed him to take it anywhere, making it portable despite being rudimentary. This is how he started off in the tattoo world; once disreputable, but now increasingly widespread and accepted as art.

José laughs when he remembers what his family said when they found out he wanted to seriously pursue tattooing.

“They told me to get a real job,” he recalls.

However, this activity has allowed him to travel the world and even finance other activities he is interested in.

He mentions that the public notion of tattooed people has changed recently. While they were once exclusively for military members, gangs, or people in prison, now it is no longer the case; even CEOs of multinational companies, lawyers, doctors, and people from all professions get tattoos, Pérez Jr. tells us.

Creating good works on the skin through tattoos requires dedication and talent. José Pérez Jr.’s style is realistic, so the tattoo’s size, detail, textures, and lines demand that José takes several sessions to finish them. Some of his clients have attended for years so he can complete the works. He even pays attention to the customer’s body structure, bones, and muscles, which can affect the tattoo’s appearance, so José ensures the tattoo flows with the body’s features.

Some people come to his studio regretting a tattoo they got some time ago somewhere else, and José has had to make corrections with creativity and ingenuity. He has even recommended against tattoos that could later be problematic, but he always ensures the client is sure of what they want and respects their wishes. Despite this, some technologies can help remove tattoos, although a perfect result is not guaranteed, and the procedure carries risks.

José Pérez Jr. is also an audio engineer and has a recording and editing studio in the same place. He has mainly worked with hip-hop songs from his friends. Part of the resources he earns from tattooing has allowed him to finance the professional equipment in his audio studio. He estimates they have recorded over 250 songs in his studio, which he says is a very demanding but satisfying hobby.

If you’re looking for a place for quality and highly specialized tattoos, you can find his studio at 501 Willow Blvd #102, Willow Springs, IL, or request information on his social media: @joseperezjrtattoos.