ARTISTS
DAVID GLUCK
We talked with David Gluck about how his
artistic beginnings in oil painting helped him to
become a more successful tattoo artist. Here’s
what he had to say.
How did you get into tattooing?
I was a gallery oil painter for a number of years, and it was a
bit of a struggle. The funny thing about fine art is, even if you're
a success, you're still not making decent money. I'd always
toyed with the idea of tattooing, but never really pursued it.
Years later, I met Joshua Carlton online thanks to Facebook.
We struck up a friendship based on my admiration for his
tattoo work, which completely reframed my expectations of
the medium, and his desire to learn more about oil painting.
One day he offered me an apprenticeship, so I jumped at it.
I learned a lot from him and have benefited tremendously
from his help. I subsequently continued my learning with my
current employer (Mike Gariepy) in Canada, who has been an
unstintingly helpful mentor. I currently divide my time between
tattooing and oil painting.
How did you find the switch from one medium to
another?
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