Adam Romano

Tattoo, Drawing, Painting,
Digital Art

How long have you been working out of this space? How has it evolved over time?

I’ve had my own tattoo parlor for three years with two years in a studio which was the room next door to this one. Just a few days ago, we opened this new location. Since the move, I have more space and a completely secondary room that has nothing to do with tattooing but is just there for art. It’s a room for drawing and painting. I do a lot of portrait commissions as well as tattooing. Now that I have a full working art studio inside my tattoo studio, I can come in and work on art on a day that I am not tattooing and still feel a part of tattooing.

What tip(s) would you give someone thinking about creating their own studio?

It’s hard to do. Outside of tattooing, just in terms of having a place to do your art, I have always had a place in my home dedicated to art. Even in a small place I had a desk. I even had a living room once that was only desks; it was a like seven desks. It was great. You need to have that at least a little bit so that you can leave your stuff there. For me, the ease of having it all set up, I can come in and let the creativity flow. When it is your profession, you have to give it that respect. For me, having a studio is that respect.

Why do you find it important to have a space solely for creativity?

I used to have a studio in my house and as my family grew, it became a bit selfish for me to have a full room dedicated to all of my art supplies. Also, painting with oils I am using chemicals that smell and fill up the whole household. So while it’s really fun for me to wake up and walk into my painting room, now that I have an actual studio for painting, there is something you feel when you go to a space that is made for your art. Now I am able to focus on it completely. Having a beautiful studio to do that adds to it. You’ve got the lighting, all the artwork I’ve put up in the studio so you feel like you are ready to do it. When I leave, I can leave peacefully. I put all my ideas in the corner and they can stay right there until I get back. Having a place like that as part of my business is wonderful.

“When it is your profession, you have to give [your art] that kind of respect. For me, having a studio is that respect.”

Is there something you can’t live without in your studio?

My little Daruma dolls are my favorite thing in my studio. When you get the Daruma doll as a gift, it has no pupils. You make a goal and you fill in the one eye. If that goal comes to fruition, you fill in the other eye. One of them is finding my wife. The other one was when I owned my studio.

There are also these sculptures my grandmother made. It’s called Romano’s Gallery so I had to have part of her here.

What is currently your favorite piece created in your studio?

This is a new studio so I haven’t created any solid work in here yet. My favorite piece [I’ve made that hangs here] is my ferris wheel. It means so much to me. I was raised in the carnival. I made this for a carnival themed art show called “The Show Must Go On” in Florida and later got it tattooed on my back. It’s cool because it’s a mix of the traditional style that I started with and black and gray realism that I do more of now.