Robby Latos

Bio

Robby Latos started his career as a tattoo artist in the most unlikely of places: a dentist’s office. In working with metal shaping crowns and bridge work he rekindled a childhood love of artistry, and began making jewelry from various precious metals, adopting the ancient method of wax casting. From there he peddled his hand made creations to stores in his area and eventually found himself in a tattoo shop, where the studio owner quickly recognized his talent and offered Robby an apprenticeship in tattooing. Although he claims his early work tattooing was “nerve wracking and horrible,” he put his nose to the grind and honed his skill.

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What sets Robby apart in the industry is not only his artistry and incredible work ethic, but his obvious enjoyment in the collaborative creative process with clients. He is a self-proclaimed “throw paint at the wall” kind of artist; clients come to him with general ideas about what they want, he creates a collage, and he allows the artwork to speak to him about its direction, the art capturing dark emotions based on clients’ experiences and lives. What is rendered is incredibly detailed surrealist dark art, a beautifully realistic rendering of a sculptural 3D form. A story of recognizing the dark within the light; Robby’s art is recognized the world over for its ability to convey and evoke emotion.

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When Covid-19 shut down the tattoo industry in 2020 and the future of tattooing was in limbo, a simple text conversation between Robby and friend Michael Perry bore a realization: what they missed the most wasn’t the conventions or tattooing en masse; it was having fun with friends and the growth that happens when artists come together. Together they conceptualized Spring Break 99, a way for tattoo artists serious about their craft to recreate the energy of controlled chaos in an environment copasetic to sharing within a whole group. Robby is passionate about continuing ed for professional tattooers and educating the next generation of tattoo talent, so together with Michael Perry and the business savvy Siabhan Downs he ensures both the artists and presenters at each Spring Break 99 event want to grow and create a better future for tattooing. Spring Break 99 is unique among seminar series in the tattoo industry; it’s less of classroom setting and more focused on networking and group sharing.

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Robby has been tattooing for 15 years and hopes to continue for another 15 years. He has a willingness to accept change and a drive to constantly explore. He has had multiple different focuses over his 15-year career and continues to add on to what he’s already embraced as part of his style and work. “Each thing you learn you add to your bag of tricks,” he says. “If you can learn to pull the right tricks out at the right time, you can avoid getting stuck in a rut. I can be a chameleon and dance through many styles at one time.”

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When he is not tattooing in his home studio Damascus Tattoo Company, you can find him riding dirt bikes, travelling the world, or investing in the real estate market with his girlfriend. “I will always tattoo,” he says, “in what capacity I’m not sure. Artists are rebels, we don’t want to conform. We say you gotta let it fuckin ride, let people do what they’re gonna do, then you try to steer.”