Ryan Gatt has been professionally tattooing for 12-years. He currently owns Salvation Tattoo in Oceanside, New York and Salvation South in Long Beach, New York. He loves the people he works with because they push and inspire him. Ryan feels very lucky to wake up everyday and live life surrounded by crazy talented people, doing what he loves.
Ryan has been drawing since he was a little kid. He holds fond memories of detention, starting around the age of 15, where his art style evolved into a more tattoo-based art. He recalls drawing on his friends with sharpies. It wasn’t long before he found himself getting “super sketchy under-age tattoos in some dude’s house.” After said dude finished his “leg piece”, Ryan purchased both of his “terrible tattoo machines” and starting tattooing his friends. So he’s been self-taught from the get-go.
As Ryan grew up, his artistic influences such as Nick Baxter, Ty McEwen, Guy Aitchison, Brandon Bond, and — “hands down favorite largest influence: Alex Grey,” have assisted in shaping his approach to tattooing, which definitely pulled him away from the “sketchy” in-house tattooing scene.
Ryan doesn’t like to stick to one-style of tattooing, he finds it limiting. He says, “I try to not even have a style, I am looking to cover every area of tattooing from color surrealism to black and gray portraits. If we all do a little bit of everything, we stay well rounded to what walks through the door. It would probably drive me nuts doing the same thing everyday. This way, I stay fresh. In my art, I am the opposite. I stay mostly inside visionary surrealism… And the possibilities there are endless.”
When Ryan isn’t tattooing, he loves oil painting and building all types of anything with wood around the house. He also absolutely loves spending time with his beautiful daughter and girlfriend.
Ryan’s advice for someone looking to get their first tattoo:
“If you’re looking to get your first tattoo, you should absolutely do your research. Spend some time looking at artists locally and maybe even far away if you’re really committed. If you can walk in and get a tattoo, you probably don’t want to get tattooed there. Go in with a clear and thought out idea with references. Do not copy what you saw on the internet, think for yourself and open your mind. After all, your ‘new’ tattoo is going to be there for a while. Good luck!”
Ryan’s advice for a tattoo artist just getting started:
Tattooing is a marathon, not a sprint. You want to always have a big picture in mind and work towards goals. DRAW AND PAINT! And then paint some more. Focusing on art will push your tattooing further. Never get caught up on the rat race or drama: there are enough clients for everyone! Remember that it is a gift to wake up every day and tattoo or paint for a living. Never take that for granted and it’ll stay fresh forever!
Contact Artist
Salvation Tattoo
(516)632-5827
3210 Long Beach Rd.
Oceanside, New York 11572
SalvationTattooNewYork.com
ohshititwalkertexasranger@gmail.com
IG: @ryangattsthirdeye
