Jose Lopez

Jose Lopez' journey as an artist began after leaving Mexico at the age of 12. Settling in Orange County, California, Jose first struggled to adopt English as a second language and tattooing proved to be just as challenging. Following a fateful gunshot wound that left him in a wheelchair, Jose found himself gravitating more and more towards tattooing.

"When I first found tattooing, it wasn't to 'make it' or become famous; it was a past time, something to help me forget about my problems. It was because I loved to do it - that's the reason I'm really here, you know?  Day in and day out, I was tattooing a lot. So many customers came to my apartment. I had so much work and I'm thankful for that. But I wasn't growing or learning or being exposed to other artists and the inspiration that we all need as artists..."

"After 7 years I finally came out of my apartment and went to conventions just to f*ck around...they used to be very selective about who they would let in as artists, and I was no body. I would try to get a booth but they wouldn't give me a chance - that is what forged the structure for me, plus all those thousands of hours of work - because of that, I am what I am now."

Lopez has been tattooing for 17 years. It's an amazing story featuring passion and perseverance. He has come to be known for his huge body pieces which capture his subject with a startling and lifelike appearance. Lopez' works literally seem to jump out of the skin. He cities artists such as Mark Mahoney, Jack Rudy and Paul Booth for inspiring his approach. "They were the guys who were always in the magazines, with these nice black and grey, these massive tattoos. They would really stand out, the way their work flowed under the skin."

"It's interesting because my clients kind of dictate the style; but I want to do the Japanese full body and chest suit tattoos - a lot of my inspiration has come from traveling to Europe and Japan - I mix those influences into my style and go for the 3-D look, where they pop out of the skin."

I've used a number of different inks – and different inks give you different results. I do it the way I work, and Intenze has a great fluidity. When you're doing massive tattoos, the way it heals is really important. You don't want blemishes or the ink to look choppy; for that reason, Intenze is just perfect. They way I apply it to the skin, it heals almost instantly (6-7 days), and its super smooth. That's what I love about Intenze. There is no other product like it!