Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristina Gray.
Kristina, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I spent five years bouncing around college, participating in federal debt and academia that seemingly went nowhere, until one day, a friend asked me to come hang at a tattoo shop and draw in my sketchbook. From there I was lucky enough to receive a crash course on tattooing and began to pry every ounce of knowledge I could through the various shops I worked at over the next three years. These would be what I considered the time I spent really struggling to grasp the concept of what I was even doing. The environment, the discipline, the history of tattooing and all the individuals that create the standards for this craft today, are forever a part of that learning for me. It involved understanding life situations that I would never have experienced without this journey to tattoo.
I had never even been in a shop, had any tattoos of my own, or know anything about the new world I was opened up to when I started my short apprenticeship. Suddenly my years and endless classes of art didn’t mean anything to this whole new culture and craft, with its own set of rules that didn’t apply anywhere else. I honestly didn’t know if anything was going to come out of it, and the events that took place had me struggling to continue. Then the moment came that the machines hit my hand and slowly I worked towards doing a rough tattoo, then an ok tattoo, to a decent one, and now I can pull a straight line and fill it in with confidence. Where that takes me is just part of the next step, and there is no end to that climb for me. From the determination it took to reach this point, I know that it’s worth any amount of struggle to continue.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My art is all over the place. I hate defining where it goes stylistically because I feel, personally, that it is still changing. That would probably be my biggest weakness, is a lack of focus on one theme or style. I could say mood and current interest dictates a lot of my drawing and exploration.
I originally drew black and grey realism, since the moment I thought I could draw at all. This developed into discovering color realism, acrylic painting with an emphasis on portraits and surrealism. I was actually really in love with soft painted renaissance art at this time. I took these skills into tattooing whenever I could. I’m now obsessed with cubism and the use of loose shapes to define a thought. I focus on hard lines as well as gauche and watercolor mediums. I stick close to realism, but my work is more sketched out and emotional. I feel I transition a lot of that in my tattooing lately. The mood to my work is either overly gothic and dark, sometimes grimey; to bright or elegant motifs with tons of softness and life in it. I try to let my imagery get crazy, rich, and over the top with too much detail and weird things happening everywhere.
I love that people come to me with ideas that I would never consider drawing before I met them, and that alone is satisfying, knowing that I’m able to be a platform to transform someone else’s concepts and passions into a tangible image they can keep with them forever. That means I’m a part of hundreds of people’s lives in a small way. It’s a surreal feeling of connection between myself and the community, that I hope is rewarding for them as much as it is for me.
The sterotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
I remember I spent my first summer back from art school not doing any art whatsoever. I actually hated it because I had just grown severely in debt and had no current art career to show for it. I threw every piece of canvas and paint that I had in a closet and literally locked it for almost a full year. I was waiting tables, doing all sorts of random work and finding random paths of income, but none has ever been as rewarding as my work now. The drive to find a way to stabilities my income and balance my passion for art is what helped sculp the discipline I have today. I had to admit, that while I wasn’t in the position I wanted in life, that I had to do anything I could for work. At one point I was homeless and moved back with my dad, who allowed me to live rent free, while pursuing something that was making me absolutely zero dollars. At that same time, I waited tables and worked as a vet tech briefly, and began my journey as a tattooed with any leftover time.
However, though I feel I had worked hard and strained to remain above water in my early twenties, I don’t think I have ever worked as hard as I do now. That level of discipline is not even where I want it to be, and remains a challenge that I use to push myself. All I can say is find the fire that keeps you burning and never let it go out. Do everything in your power to help it grow, and don’t let anyone discourage you from your passion.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I post my current work on Instagram @stina.gray and Facebook @artbystingray. I sell my work and take commissioned art through these social media platforms.
Contact Info:
- Address: Mainline Ink 341 El Dorado Blvd Webster, TX
- Phone: 281-996-1153
- Email: stina.gray@yahoo.com
- Instagram: @stina.gray
- Facebook: @artbystingray
Image Credit:
Kristina Gray
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