Ink Meets Heritage at Calavera

Adrian Franco, one of the artist at Calavera, cleaning the area where the client will have their tattoo placed. Photo Credit: Dacne Moreno

Just over the Vincent Thomas Bridge, Calavera, a tattoo studio located in downtown San Pedro, highlights the Latino community through the creative expression of the artists, the unique designs they create for each customer, the owner and the name of the studio.

According to Statistical Atlas, San Pedro’s population is 47% Latino. The diverse clientele match well with the diverse artwork Calavera has to offer, leading them to thrive in their downtown location.

Adrian Franco, owner, and Rayanna Enriquez, artist, find the majority of their clients to be Latino which they believe plays into their artistic strengths. Their opposing art styles allow them to represent the Latino community differently, breaking the stereotypical limitations placed onto the culture.

Enriquez’s style features a lot of fine line work which she believes compliments the Chicano style and icons she frequently does.

“Virgin Mary tattoos and sacred heart tattoos are my bread and butter,” Enriquez said.

As for Franco, his art style is a collection of inspirations.

“Since I grew up in Mexico, my art is heavily influenced by the culture but I add my own psychedelic elements to make the art mine,” Franco said.

Franco got his inspiration for the name Calavera from famous Mexican artist, Jose Guadalupe Posada, whose work focused heavily on skull illustrations. When Franco came to the U.S. he brought a book from Mexico that had a calavera/skull on it.

Thus, his love for Posada’s art influenced him to represent the culture he loves through his studio’s name and logo. Calavera keeps growing in popularity because of their unique art and passion for the culture in the community.

Even when making flashes for events such as Friday the 13th, where tattoos are offered at a discounted price, the artists at Calavera focus on making sure that the designs don’t look cheap.

Rather than just tattooing him, Gutierrez said the artist gives their input on what they think would look best down to the little details such as placement and size. The care that each artist at Calavera puts into every client to ensure they leave happy and proud with their new piece is what has built their community of loyal customers and will undoubtedly bring more people to become regulars.