Leanjor Salcedo, is a 29-year-old Venezuelan tattoo artist who has been practising his talent for five years in Trinidad and Tobago and who hopes the passage of the pandemic will allow him to continue making his art.
Born in San Carlos, Venezuela, Salcedo is a father and husband dedicated to his two passions: family and painting.
Between the paper canvas and the skin canvas, Salcedo has been growing and gaining followers, but above all, clients who seek to capture their ideas, memories or feelings on their bodies.
“Since I was a child I always drew, it was normal for me to be able to recreate the characters of the television of the moment, cartoons, anime among others, and at ten years old I reaffirmed my talent for drawing and art by making a portrait of my hippie dad from a small photo in black and white. From that moment I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Salcedo said.
Over the years, Salcedo was observing other types of art and in his adolescence he painted graffiti on walls until he began doing tattoos in 2010.
“In a tuning car exhibition I met one of the best body modifiers in the world: Emilio Gonzales, he was there with his tattoo shop and I was impressed by the art of tattooing to the point of believing in myself that I could do it,” Salcedo said.
[caption id="attachment_900665" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Leanjor Salcedo clientele's main concern is what colour best suits the tattoo design for their skin shade. -[/caption]
His impetus and desire to continue growing as an artist led him to start a personal savings bank in order to buy the tools to start tattooing.
"I bought the equipment for tattooing and I started practising at home from the age of 19, studying all the styles. I was perfecting the techniques."
Combining his art with alternative jobs in his native country, Salcedo understood he had to emigrate due to the economic situation in Venezuela and in 2016 he decided to undertake the trip to TT.
"I came here with the same enthusiasm, working on something alternative and saving to buy better tattoo equipment and I got it with a lot of effort."
When he arrived in TT, he did various jobs as well as doing his first tattoos at home.
Salcedo acknowledges that having come to TT is one of the best decisions of his life, especially for his art.
“I have a large local clientele, even greater than Latinos, with whom I have shared excellent talks and pleasant moments in work sessions. Trinidadians definitely like art and are lovers of tattoos."
In 2019 Salcedo made his maximum dream come true and opened his own tattoo studio on Frederick Street, Port of Spain, to which he has completely dedicated himself to.
However, the restrictions for opening his business have not stopped him from continuing to progress and, in his house with his family, he has dedicated himself to perfecting techniques and expressing his art by painting.
"Right now I am doing a portrait of my son, Salvador, in pencil, he inspires me and helps me to improve."
Salcedo is a fan of portra
