Once in Massachusetts, Guzman went to work, focusing solely on the “art” side of the industry and not the actual inking of skin. “But I wanted to learn more, and I really liked her studio and her work.” “(Azzara) had never heard of an intern tattoo artist, which isn’t normal in the industry, I guess,” Guzman said. Guzman learned online that Azzara was looking for help over the summer, which gave her the idea to not only learn the trade but get school credit while doing so. When I got into it, I started wanting bigger tattoos, and then this past summer, something just clicked that made me want to do this as a career.” “I went online and looked through magazines to learn more. “After getting the first one, I decided I really liked the whole process,” she said. Today, Guzman has 12 tattoos ranging in size from small designs to a large band that wraps around her left thigh. Tattoo art first caught her eye when she turned 16, and she was inked for the first time when she turned 18. She’s been involved in several projects at Campbell as well - in 2010, she and classmate Maggie Hopf won honorable mention at the annual Raleigh Street Painting event. “And the fact that I could win for drawing something I really cared about was very cool to me.” “I think I was most proud of that because I really enjoyed doing it, and it was a subject I really cared about,” Guzman said. In high school, Guzman entered an art project on diversity in a contest and won. As a child, she liked “drawing and doodling” more than the average kid, and by elementary school, her teachers and friends were telling her how good she was at it. “But if a student is passionate about something, we encourage them to follow through with it.”Īrt is certainly a passion for Guzman, 20, the daughter of Campbell Associate Science Professor Dr. “I’ll admit, she’s the first one I’ve seen here who’s decided to pursue tattoo art as a career,” said Rodgers. That experience will count toward her studio art internship, making her summer one of the more unique internships the University’s art department has approved, according to Daniel Rodgers, associate professor of art and design. Guzman spent over six weeks last summer in Watertown, Mass., near Cambridge, working with Holly Azzara of Always and Forever Tattoo to learn the trade. The Raleigh junior is majoring in studio art and graphic design at Campbell University, and upon graduation, she hopes to represent a new breed of tattoo artist - the kind with a four-year degree on the wall next to those art samples. These are the stereotypes Laura Guzman says are no longer the norm in today’s world of tattoo artistry. When some think of tattoo parlors, images of dark rooms hidden behind beaded curtains, rusty ink guns on old surgical carts and gruff bandana-wearing bikers/artists often come to mind. Junior graphic design major Laura Guzman looks to represent a new breed of artist
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |