Title: Jarrett DeMartino, USA - California style with an inspirational drive.
Callout: Laid back, easygoing, and fundamentally true to his art. Jarrett is a great counter for artistic energy. Give him some inspiration and he'll throw a yankee fast ball of creative spark straight in your direction.

Upon entering, the ebullient Robin Penrith greeted us with her enthusiastic charm and welcoming manor. We gazed at the clean one room display of small and large canvases and inspected with interest, the carefully crafted three dimensional figures fastened to the wall for display. Beautiful. The walls were a clean white, the floor a varnished dark wood finish. The gallery had a small ottoman in the centre of the room to rest while taking in the surroundings.
The buzzing machine on the other side of a light interior wall drew us in even further. We took a visual walk through the open portfolios and were pleased page after page by this talented... no name.
'Who does this stuff? Who's work is this?' we asked looking to compliment this skillful individual. Tucked behind a wall of artwork sat the concentrated artist; Jarrett DeMartino.

Jarrett was busy working on his latest masterpiece, but we managed to get our timing right and he was ready for a short break - and happy to have a chat. We hit it off and ended up tattooing at his studio for a few weeks as a guest artist. It was refreshing to be surrounded by fantastic artwork and artists as well as Jarrett's laid back california demeanor.

Shortly after Jarrett threw his square black hat into the air at high school graduation, he was off to SVA; School of Visual Arts in NYC. Four years later he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. During his degree, Jarrett apprenticed under Bee Cortes.
"Those experiences really taught me how to do things in a hard working, respectful and humble manner, which I maintain today." Jarrett remarks.
It was then off to the west coast for Jarrett and his wife, a fantastic fine artist; Wendy Klein. From there, Jarrett worked at Suicidal Tendencies Tattoo in Venice Beach with Jason Brown while painting more and more as well as doing art shows with Wendy.
In August 2007, the doors for Solid Gallery One opened in Silverlake, CA, however, they re-located to Hollywood a year later. Now, with the fusion gallery and tattoo studio, Jarrett thrives in his dreamt reality.
Here's what he had to say:

Do you consider yourself an artist?
Yeah.  

What makes you an artist?
I guess because I've been drawing for as long as I could remember.  My mother is an artist and high school art teacher and my father was a musician. Growing up in a creative environment definitely helped put me on this artistic mission I'm on.

In your opinion, what/who would be a 'solid' artist?
A solid artist would have to be a solid person first, and then the work would reflect it.  If you're diligent and hardworking and your appointments are made on time; the work will look solid and your clients will feel you have done them a solid.  Not having a big ego helps too.

Tell us about your shop, the gallery and why you do what you do. 
Solid Gallery One is a fusion custom tattoo studio and art gallery. I wanted to create a space where my passion for the art of tattooing, together with influential art forms could flourish. As an artist owned and operated establishment, our mission is to provide a platform where contemporary art and tattooing can be seen together, thus recognizing the influence on one another. Solid Gallery One strives to bring together a unique blend of some of the best talent and creativity there is to offer from both the contemporary art and tattoo communities.  It was time for me to do my own thing tattoo wise and my wife, Wendy, and I had been showing our work around L.A..  We thought it would be cool to have a shop integrated with a gallery the way we do.
What's new at Solid Gallery One?
Actually we just had our two year anniversary show. We do shows about every six weeks in our gallery. We also post pictures from the shows along with the artwork which is available for purchase on our website, www.solidgallery.com. They have been really fun and we've gotten great responses.

What can you tell us about tattoos in LA?
There are a lot of  them.  

What can you tell us about art in LA?
There are so many rippers here.  All disciplines of art too.  With so many galleries and shops everybody is working hard to stand out so it creates a good energy to work on your stuff.  Any day out here you can go see work that will make you inspired.  

These days art fusions are very popular at any convention; have you experienced any?
I participated as an artist in the international Art Fusion Experiment at Alex Grey's COSM in NYC.  I've also done some at Last Rights NYC, ST [Suicidal Tendencies] Tattoo in Venice, and others.  I've done live collaborative painting as well. They [art fusions] are fun and nerve racking depending on who you are doing them with. It works by having a few artists line up one canvas per artist and all work on them simultaneously.  Then, they rotate down the line after every few set amount of minutes while keeping the pallets consistent with the canvas they started with.   I found it was easiest to check my head at the door and just to go with whatever was on the canvases.   It's best to try not to hold onto what you put down because by the time you get back to it, it will have changed so much all you can do is go with it.  It's great to learn different techniques and meet other artists.  So long as everybody doesn't all draw skulls, koi's and bio [mechanic], they can be really unique.  
What do you find most fastenating about your projects?
That I'm lucky enough to do them and happily make a living while doing it.  Tattooing to me is like getting paid to skate or do graffiti or something like that.

Your tattoos are very clean and you seem to have a very systematic technic.  Do you follow similar steps in each tattoo you do?
Nope, I make it up as I go along.  Actually I'll tattoo all sorts of stuff making me have to adjust to whatever is in front of me.  It's always an adventure.

What is your biggest challenge in the work you do?
Trying to keep it all different all the time while trying to having a consistent look to my work.  Being an all terrain vehicle can be refreshing for project to project things, but it can mean a lot of time to get my drawings right.

What do you expect people to feel when they see your artwork?
I've always felt that people will only reflect what's in themselves when looking at art no matter what type of emotion you're trying to put on a viewer.  One man's garden is another's massacre, ya know?

You seem pretty laid back but your shop is immaculate.  How do you balance your laid-back attitude with your stringent cleaning requirements?
I love my crew and we have an understanding to respect each other and to keep our shit tight.  So that all takes care of itself.  I like laid back.  If I want intense I'll move back to NY.

What was your best experience in the industry?
When my mentor Bee Cortes asked if I wanted to learn how to tattoo.  That opened so many doors for me and I will always be grateful.

What is your ultimate goal as an artist? I mean do all of us have a goal? or just do it?
I'm more of a just do it type of person; just being in the moment.

How would you describe yourself best in 10 words or less.
Awesome, handsome, amazing, incredible... just playin' - I like to be pretty ego-less

What's the worst in you, in one word?
Workaholic.
I feel that to have respect and ask  for artwork from someone, you need to respect their goals and expectations as well. Tattoos are not an exchange of money and a sticker. Tattooists put a lot into them. What are your thoughts?
If you mean it's better to let an artist do their thing rather than try to force their hand into doing something that they really aren't feeling, than you're right.  I'll know if a client is going to be difficult after the first rounds of drawings.  If I don't get it in three drawings than fuck it, on to the next project.

Who is your favorite tattoo artist?
There are so many artists that have refined so many styles that you can really take your pick these days.  If I had to say one it would be Filip Leu.  His work has always been a major influence on me.  

What is the process of selecting of your tats?
They just happen like life happens.  I see something or become aware of something and it works it's way into my skin.  I get work by artists I'm friends with that inspire me.  Getting tattooed is one of the best ways to learn.
What is your favorite color? Country? Language?
Color; red. Country; USA (although I've heard great things about Australia and I'm stoked to go). Language; a blend of "yo" and "dude".

What are you bringing to the table when you come to SURF n' ink in January?
Me and my best work for whoever wants an appointment.  

Mozart was a master of creation - he could deliver at any time. Beethoven however, created his masterpieces when he felt most inspired. On an everyday basis what is your primary source of inspiration?
Progression

Any inspiring words of wisdom?
Be the ripple in the pond.

Do you have some personal philosophy about art?  What it is that guides you?
I never thought of a personal philosophy about art.  I suppose it would just be; pay attention to everything and be open.  Open to whatever and Give credit to your influences.   As I said earlier, progression is the push.  Just seeing how much tighter, bigger, longer, and faster I can push my work everyday is what I get stoked on.

Mate.. hope yo have a great time in Oz..... we're buzzing with anticipation. 
Thanks see you there!