Conversations with Kaleb Trujillo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaleb Trujillo.

Hi Kaleb, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been around tattooing my whole life. My great uncle Frankie Mejia owned tattoo shops in South Tucson. My younger brother and I used to walk over after to the shop after elementary school and hang out until our mom got off of work to pick us up. I started tattooing at 22, I got started by reading books and watching as many videos as I could until I felt like I could apply ink to skin. At 28 years old I reached out to Victor Figueroa at IF Tattoo studio and was given the opportunity to tattoo professionally and learn under him. Within that time I got sponsored by the tattoo brand Hextat and have been traveling the country doing tattoo expos. I tattoo in competitions and try to bring home as many awards as possible. This past July I moved over to my buddy Mark Melanson’s shop Darkart Tattoo Collective in Ahwatukee to learn more techniques from him as well as the other artists I work with.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I come from a rough place and growing up had a lot of difficult times. At 7 years old my uncle passed away and that weighed heavy on me. My great grandma who helped raised me was diagnosed with dementia when I was 12 years old and losing her sent me down a dark path for a few years. I was drinking and using drugs at a young age to cope with life but I’ve been sober since 5/4/2019! I also live with bipolar disorder and like to use my platform to destigmatize a lot of the thoughts around this mental illness and others like it. You can use pain as fuel and motivation to be better and make something great out of it.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a tattoo artist that specializes in black and grey realism, portraits and psychedelic imagery. I’m most proud of the work I do when I travel, from meeting new people and representing my brand to all walks of life in places I never thought I’d have the chance to see. I put my heart and soul into everything I do and I feel like it shows in my work.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I love to read and learn about almost anything. I go down the rabbit hole on the most random subjects. Also I used to make music and tour the country after high school but that was a long time ago.

Pricing:

• $150 an hour

Contact Info:

• Instagram: truly.gloomyink
• Twitter: Trulyyours666