Joe Capobianco Tattoo

Larger than life tattoo artist Joe Capobianco is responsible for some of the most original pin up style tattoos seen anywhere in the business. By blending his airbrushing skills with 1950’s style pin up images, and adding his own unique touch, Joe has created his very own style of tattooing and coined the term "Capo Girls". Having stumbled into the business on the advice of a friend, he has travelled around the world working in countless shops as a guest artist, had his work published in a number of magazines, and appeared as a featured artist at many conventions. He even appeared as a guest artist on reality series "Miami Ink" and counts some of the biggest names in tattooing as his close friends and influences.

Born in Long Island, New York, Joe began his artistic career by designing biker t-shirts. During a tattoo session that he attended with a group of friends, a friend mentioned to the tattooist that Joe himself was also an artist. This innocent remark started a chain of events that led to Joe earning his place among some of the greatest tattoo artists working today. The artist who had tattooed Joe and his friends later opened his own shop and remembered Joe’s artwork and after commissioning a couple of paintings, offered him an apprenticeship. Joe then gave up painting and began an apprenticeship 6 days a week at "Cliff’s Tattoos".

Working alongside fellow artists Civ, Thom Butler and Joe Olsen, Joe has stated that he gained an extremely strong work ethic from his time at Cliff’s. After a year at that studio Joe left to spend the next 6 years working at "Lotus Tattoo". He then met artist Cory Kruger whose work he became enthralled by, and the two decided to open their very own studio "Color Box" in Seabrook, New Hampshire. The studio lasted for almost a year and a half before he relocated to Connecticut and began work at "Dark Side Tattoo".

Joe is currently operating out of "Hope Gallery" in New Haven, Connecticut, alongside renowned artists such as Eric Merrill, Julio Rodriguez, Tim Harris, Phil Young, and Christian Perez. He is still a regular at conventions and continues to travel and work as a guest artist in studios around the world. Joe’s unique style can be somewhat attributed to his early career as an air brusher. His fantasy comic book style of tattooing and artwork is influenced by airbrushing techniques and he has used this to invent his own method of working. Joe is said to use his own unique color palette and this is responsible for the high color saturation used in his designs.

Working almost exclusively in color, Joe is a master of the pin up genre of tattoos and can use shading and light to create striking images that seem to be straight out of a 50’s retro magazine. His talent for female fantasy art is unrivalled in the business and he has created a number of books and instructional DVDs to help educate up and coming artists. His books include ‘Knock Yerself Out’ which is a collection of artwork by him and Brett Bryan and also ‘What’s Not Ta Like?’ His instructional DVD ‘A Moment with Joe’ is a two hour documentary featuring a candid talk about his life and work, all the while focusing on a hand tattoo being done by Joe from start to finish.

Joe’s work has taken him all over the world from Europe to Japan and even Australia in search of inspiration and knowledge. He has developed his own style and technique and even helped to create his very own tattoo machine. Even though he has reached a level of success than many artists can only dream about, he remains humble and even slightly bewildered by all the fame and adoration. He currently lives in New Haven, Connecticut, with his wife Alethea and French bulldog Molly

Lou Jacque Tattoos Gallery

Lou Jacque is a native New Englander who has been quietly carving out a place for himself among some of the most talented black and gray and realism artists in the industry. Currently operating out of ‘Transcend Tattoo’ in Branford, Connecticut, Lou has had to balance his love of tattooing with his other passion for playing music. An accomplished musician, he has found a way to integrate his two interests and blend the worlds of music and tattooing to create something truly special. Lou’s designs have earned him international recognition and allowed him to collaborate with some of the biggest names in the business. A devoted husband and father, Lou has decide to shun the festival and convention circuit and prefers to spend the majority of his time working out of his shop and with his family in New Haven, Connecticut.

Born in 1974 in Northampton, Massachusetts, Lou was interested in both art and music from a very young age and got his first taste of art by watching his older brother Ryan. He found outlets for his creative talent by playing in bands during his youth and completing sketches for friends. After graduating high school he decided against college and signed up for an apprenticeship at ‘Body Graphics Tattoo’ in South Windsor. Three years later he joined ‘Darkside Tattoo’ in East Haven, where he spent the next eight years among an assortment of talented artists. Throughout his career he has continued to play music and is now an accomplished bassist, guitarist, and drummer. He is currently performing tattoos at his studio alongside respected artists Anthony Plaza, George Carter, and Jeff Mansolf to name a few.

Lou’s work is characterized by an incredible attention to detail and firm understanding of lighting, tone, and texture. Many of his designs have an emotional quality that lends each piece its own individual beauty. His black and gray portrait of Spiderman (above) shows the Marvel character in deep contemplation and is a unique representation of the usually bold cartoon character. The graduated shading in this piece is expertly done and the lighting gives the character an ethereal appearance. His talent for black and gray realism is shown once again in his portrait of two deer surrounded by a forest setting. This design is based on a sketch by his older brother Ryan Jacque who is himself a talented artist specialising in wildlife and animal portraits. The carefully graduated shading in this piece gives a 3 dimensional effect and could easily be mistaken for the actual sketch.

Lou’s love of music and art is brought together in the spectacular musical themed full leg sleeve. Full of color and detail, this tattoo is a masterpiece and would take the viewer a full five minutes to fully appreciate each individual element. The design features a guitar player, keyboardist, gold record, and old style microphone all blended together in a whirlpool of color and lightening. Combining his two passions has allowed Lou to create something amazing and he has still managed to infuse the piece with his own individual style.

There has always been a connection between tattooing and music that has existed for hundreds of years. From ancient ceremonies to heavy metal rock concerts, tattooing has always been a huge part of the music culture and many fans wish to pay tribute to their favourite bands by wearing them permanently on their skin. The frighteningly realistic depiction of nu metal band Slipknot on a client’s leg shows the nine members in all their gruesome glory. Wearing their trademark horror masks, the band are shown in incredible detail surrounded by an organic, swirling background consisting of many different textures and tones. Realistic black and gray portraiture work is a difficult feat in itself, but to be able to add to that the raw spirit and blistering energy of a heavy metal band like Slipknot is an impressive accomplishment.

In regards to self-promotion Lou can be considered a relatively low-key guy. As possibly the last person on earth to not have a Facebook or MySpace page he has chosen to publicise only his work and keep his private life to himself. As well as tattooist and musician, Lou can add painter, illustrator and sculptor to his list of occupations. He also designs t shirts and album covers for musicians and creates impressive digital artwork. Anyone wishing to contact Lou can do so through his website to request a tattoo appointment or commission a piece of original artwork.

For such a multi-talented and unique person to choose to keep away from the limelight is a refreshing change in this fame obsessed society. Quietly performing his artwork and inking spectacular tattoos in the daytime, Lou spends his evenings with his wife Sarah, and daughter, Emma. Quite often the most extremely talented people will choose to live their lives privately without the need for constant attention, and Lou Jacque definitely falls into this category.

Nick Baxter Tattoo

To say that Nick is a tattoo artist, would be an understatement. His talent with a tattoo machine is unmatched. He is known for his powerful use of color and ability to create depth and realism on skin. My own personal favorite tattoo on my own body was done by Nick about 6 years ago.