GREGORY WALD

My name is Gregory Wald, I go by Vold as a testimony to the original spelling of my family name. Ive been a tattoo artist for 11 years. Unlike most tattoo artists, I didn’t do art before starting my apprenticeship. I didn’t even really think about tattoos until I met two of my closet friends Austin and Taylor. They were tattoo artists, and I really looked up to their lifestyle. The freedom to come and go, no bosses, no ridiculous rules and regulations. I saw a career that could never be work. All I had to do was learn to draw. To this day, that has been the hardest task I’ve ever set out to accomplish, and I still feel like I don’t know how to draw. I’ve tried many different styles throughout my career, but I’ve always been drawn to the Japanese styles. I like any styles that incorporate new or “neo” aspects to the style. After I got my own arm blacked out, it really made me feel whole. It got rid of a bunch of old tattoos that didn’t really suit me anymore. The clean, cohesive, aesthetic of the blackout has inspired my latest style. Blackout, Blackwork, Neojapanese, Dark Ornamental are all terms that embody my style. I like to think of my style as particularly suited to cover ups, but more than that, creating a cohesiveness and flow in the body. I’ve been inspired by artists like Gogue, Gakkin, Fibs, and Daaamnj. I use Japanese art forms like suminagashi, and natural earthy grains in wood and marble and other nature as reference and inspiration. The dark ornamental style I do is also derived from that with aspects from Japanese calligraphy and sharp patterns from modern graphic metal lettering. People frequently ask if I do smaller tattoos and the answer is yes! Most people I tattoo get larger work done, but I love to do smaller ornaments or Neojapanese flash and florals. Feel free to text or message me on instagram, I respond to all messages I see, so if I don’t respond keep trying!