The tranquillity of realism-specialist, Eugene Rubuls.

(Interview)

At the end of May, artists from across the globe converged under the monolithic glass roof of Ally Pally in London for the Great British Tattoo Show. Live music, burlesque acts and, most importantly, some of the worlds top tattooists all came together to make the show what it was… a totally fucking awesome weekend!

As you’d expect from a convention held in our capital, the building was alive with a buzz that came from more than just the familiar sound of tattoo machines. Seriously high calibre artists such as icon Sean Vasquez and the smoking hot Megan Massacre helped to bring a sense of excitement and energy that no one in the vicinity could have ignored.

Amongst the camaraderie though there were pockets of calm to be found where artists were getting well and truly immersed in their work and not many tattooists take this calm to the point of serenity in quite the same way that Latvian tattooist Eugene Rubuls manages to do. Surrounded by his beautiful hyperrealistic paintings, Eugene could be found working tirelessly on clients for most of the weekend. His fiancée, Justyna Nowicka, was at hand to speak to most of the people that stopped to admire his paintings and to watch him work, helping Eugene retain that sense of calm in his work-space as if working within a bubble.

Eugene’s dedication to the task at hand and a definite sense of modesty don’t appear to make him the conversational type but we caught up with him in a quiet area to find out more about his background and where he draws his inspiration. His realism work is awe-inspiring and it really is a shock to hear that he only has around four and a half years experience as a tattooist and his waiting list is only one month!

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