Daily Inspiration: Meet Jeff Gulino

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Gulino.

Hi Jeff, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
ive been tattooing for 28 years

i did a 3 year formal apprenticeship under under a guy named bob veila ….hahaha not the home improvement guy , ive always been proud of that lineage because i could trace it directly back to sailor jerry

After working at several tattoo shops in the valley , me and a group of friends opened inkbomb tattoo in chandler arizona , it was a huge learning curve

we where young and didnt know how to tun a business but had a vision and we did our best to make it reality

After years of struggling , debt and internal conflict it finally took off and became successful.

then in 2006 i met mikey sarratt (a great american trafitional artist) working in scottsdale , we became friends and then in 2008 we decided we where gonna start a tattoo shop in phoenix , at this time it was very difficult to do this because of zoning restrictions but after alot of public meetings and lawyers we where able to open highnoon tattoo

it started as just a two man shop and slowly grew into a 12 artist shop

we have had many many amazing artist work there , each one adding to the esthetic and reputation of the shop , and i thank everyone who has worked for us over the years , not that there wasn’t struggle along the way.

me and mikey work very well together co owning highnoon as we compliment each others strengths and weaknesses , its a great dynamic

in 2016 i sold my part in inkbomb tattoo and searched for a new opportunity that was closer to home , as i have always been a west sider my entire life.

thats when i opened dust devil tattoo in glendale , it was a struggle given the new influx of tattoo shops in the valley of the sun but i had. vision and stuck with it

today highnoon tattoo is a powerhouse in the local tattoo scene and me and mikey are extremely proud of that and look forward to another 17 years of providing a fun , clean and professional place for getting that tattoo … i cannot stress enough how lucky i an to have an amazing business partner in mikey sarratt , i really couldnt do it without him

im exicted for the future of dustdevil tattoo (who i also have a great tattoo crew at ) even tho the current economy isnt the greatest in glendale , we are poised for a new tattoo renaissance

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
not at all

anyone who thinks opening a tattoo shop is just turn on a open sign and make money is delusional hahaha

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
i specialize in large scale tattoos in almost any style , while staying grounded in american traditional foundation

bold , clean , classic

i live black and grey and color

i was always taught that bring a well rounded artist is the key yo being a successful tattoo artist

i dont do portraits tho hahaha thats for specialists

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
being able to make a living , while honoring the tradition that got you the ability to make that living

Pricing:

• 130-150$ an hour depending on style of tattoo
• 100$ minimum
• i do everything , small stuff, big stuff, first tattoos or planing out your body suit

Contact Info:

• Website: www.highnoontattoo.com and www.dustdeviltattoo.com
• Instagram: @inkbombjeff