In this interview, we wanted to find out what a tattoo artist wanted to know about another tattoo artist, so we had "Espi" and his cousin Carlos Espinoza sit down with Nikko Hurtado and his wife, Joanne, to pick Nikko's brain about his work and his way of tattooing. Espi's experience in tattooing has given him so much throughout the years, and one of the most valuable things is meeting great people like Nikko. Espi first met Nikko at the Expo Tautaje in Mexico, and he couldn't figure out what had impacted him more... his art or his insight.

Born and raised in Orange County, California, the artist known as Noah has emerged as one of the hottest talents to hit the fine art market and custom art scene. Noah first earnedlocal recognition in the early 1990s for setting up his easel in neighborhood coffee shops around Costa Mesa and painting portraits of famous celebrities for throngs of fascinated patrons. His portraiture caught the eye of collectors like Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Craig T. Nelson, ZZ Top and the Black Crowes.

Krazy Kay was born and raised in Shizuoka, Japan, where he's the owner of Lowrider Tattoo Japan. Kay has been tattooing for a few years and has some special awards under his belt, including Best Black and Gray, and Best Back Piece at the Los Angeles Tattoo Convention. Kay's travels to the States have given him the chance to get tattooed by such artists as Pint, Jose Lopez and Mark Mohoney, who's in charge of the face skull tattoo that adorns his right side. Kay's Chicano style of tattooing has earned him respect as well as lots of clients in Japan. Besides his knowledge of tattoos, Kay's also a great sketch artist and does well with oil paints. If you want to see more of Kay's work, visit his website at www.myspace.com/lowridertattoo.

Born in Durango, Mexico, Goethe Silva Mier is better known in the tattoo industry by just his first name Goethe. His tattoos are rich in culture and history, and full of passion. His passion for the prehispanic culture, especially the Maya and the Aztec civilizations, is evident in his work. Goethe's tattoos are not just flesh art masterpieces that adorn the bodies of thousands of people, they are a way for him to teach the world about culture and history with every piece he creates. Some of his pieces portray the beauty of Xochipilli, the Aztec god of flowers, and some disturbing scenarios like of the unknown world of Mictlantecuhtli, the lord of the underworld.

Born in Durango, Mexico, Goethe Silva Mier is better known in the tattoo industry by just his first name Goethe. His tattoos are rich in culture and history, and full of passion. His passion for the prehispanic culture, especially the Maya and the Aztec civilizations, is evident in his work. Goethe's tattoos are not just flesh art masterpieces that adorn the bodies of thousands of people, they are a way for him to teach the world about culture and history with every piece he creates. Some of his pieces portray the beauty of Xochipilli, the Aztec god of flowers, and some disturbing scenarios like of the unknown world of Mictlantecuhtli, the lord of the underworld.

So we hit up Melt Gallery located in the Meltdown Comics store in the heart of Hollywood, California, where we met up with Galo "Make" Canote. Make's a legendary L.a.-born graffiti artist who has gained international recognition and acclaim. He's known for successfully coordinating art shows and exhibits.

Leobarda "Lucky Hell Cat" Grijalva was born andraised in Whittier, California. She's been doing artsince she was a little girl, and as she got older she started to attend car shows. She was at the Blessing of the Cars and drew inspiration from the artwork that she saw on the vehicles. Leobarda's accessories consist of custom hand-made pieces that can be identified as "low brow art." Her work includes a few hand-painted sculptures, like the Elvis head and the praying hands.

A New Vision Of Painting The Border Towns Of Mexico For All To Enjoy.Gregg Stone is an award-winning professional artist who exhibits internationally. he was born in los Angeles, california, in 1952, a 10th generation californian. his Mexican heritage reflects and inspires his work. Gregg's college education consists of an associate arts degree from orange coast college and bachelor of Arts degree from Art center college of design in los Angeles. Angeles. Following graduation, he worked as a freelance illustrator for various los Angeles publications.

Reynaldo Alegandro Martinez Mojica AKA "El Peque" started his crew, VRS ("Verdadera Realidad Social"), back in the day while growing up in the street of Rivera in the barrio of Las Juntas in the city of Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, Mexico. Peque ("little") got his name for obvious reasons, being the youngest of 13 children. His brother, who now lives in Los Angeles, California, gave him that name and it's stuck with him.

Ivan J. "Chocky" Figueroa is a tapatio from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, who's mixing his culture with the cartoonist style of tattooing, calling it "Comic Mexicano." Chocky's attraction to tattoos began back in '92 when he lived in Tijuana. His inspiration to start tattooing came from the homies who had their bodies tattooed and the various tattoo magazines that he used to flip through. Chocky was amazed by the quality of the tattoos that he saw, and he soon picked up a homemade tattoo gun and started to do tattoos and sharpen his skills.

Ivan J. "Chocky" Figueroa is a tapatio from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, who's mixing his culture with the cartoonist style of tattooing, calling it "Comic Mexicano." Chocky's attraction to tattoos began back in '92 when he lived in Tijuana. His inspiration to start tattooing came from the homies who had their bodies tattooed and the various tattoo magazines that he used to flip through. Chocky was amazed by the quality of the tattoos that he saw, and he soon picked up a homemade tattoo gun and started to do tattoos and sharpen his skills.

Which consists of himself, "Humo" and "Mibe." Tekpatl means "perdanal" or "strong as a rock." They took the name from a novel called Tlacaele written by the great writer Antonio Velasco Pina. The character "Tekpatl" was the best artist within the Aztecs, but was not recognized by other artists due to their fear of what he was capable of creating and was banished.

Alex has moved up the artistic ladder since the last time we did a write-up on him. Alex has been doing work for Snoop Dogg and Silver Star Casting Company, as well as Latin Assassin Clothing in collaboration with Sen Dog from Cypress Hill. He's also working with a new clothing line called Vato Original as well as Mister Kei's clothing line, Homies Japan. You can check out more of his work at www.myspace.com/sinlessfactories.

The artist known as "Zodak," AKA "Louito" Alvarez, is an all-around talent whose work across many mediums is deserving of recognition. The San Diego, California-based artist can inspire others with his words as well as his art. We thank him for graciously answering a few of our questions to benefit other artists and anyone who can appreciate artistic expression.

Born in East Los Angeles 30 years ago, "Pint" and his family ended up settling in the city of Lynwood, California. Pint's interest in art was sparked when he was just six years old by a man who was putting up drywall in his house and who used to draw on the drywall during his lunch breaks. Pint was really inspired by this worker and he would sit down and ask his new friend to draw different things like Mr. T, Heman and things of that nature. Pint always wondered why this artist would draw on the drywall since they would have to paint over his masterpieces with a fresh coat of paint.

Born in East Los Angeles 30 years ago, "Pint" and his family ended up settling in the city of Lynwood, California. Pint's interest in art was sparked when he was just six years old by a man who was putting up drywall in his house and who used to draw on the drywall during his lunch breaks. Pint was really inspired by this worker and he would sit down and ask his new friend to draw different things like Mr. T, Heman and things of that nature. Pint always wondered why this artist would draw on the drywall since they would have to paint over his masterpieces with a fresh coat of paint.

Art is a universal language with mass appeal and the only form of language which does not need the spoken word. It soothes the senses and provides therapy, but most importantly, it's what gives brands, paintings, stores and even candies their own personal appeal. Art is what separates the boundaries and defines a time, and what's more important than the art itself is the artist who makes the magic happen.

Artists from around the world have always been influenced by other artists. In the case of Yasu, who was born and raised in Japan, he tapped into the growing lowrider arte scene. Yasu is not just a master artist; he's a multi-talented individual who owns a successful car customizing shop where he does everything from hydraulics to interiors and custom paint, including candy, flake, pearl, fades and airbrushing.

The rattle of a can chased by the sweet sound of vandalism manufactured by the infamous "Toomer" (AKA "Tloko," "Tloks") has proven to be enough to commission an anti-graffiti task force in every major city where he's touched down. The man's hands are so large that they encompass the entire can, giving the appearance that he's spewing paint from his own flesh like some twisted graffiti super-hero bombing tall buildings, outrunning authorities and avoiding prosecution, all while taking over the entire city, locking down yards and taking flight only to devastate the rest of the world one major city at a time.

Jerry Vigil has been doing wood-carved sculptures for years and has mastered his skills. He specializes in making pieces related to the "Day of the Dead" calaberas. Jerry has taken his artwork to the next level. It's showcased in many galleries and sold nationwide. Check out www.vigilarte.net for a glance at the rest of his work.

Just 27 years old, Steve Soto has accomplished more in five years than many have in their entire life. Born and raised in Anaheim, California, Steve started drawing at an early age, and after graduating from high school, he started to work on his future by attending college and working on a graphic design degree.

The essence of art can be seen in so many forms.Some individuals look at art as a way of expressing him/herself rather than speaking. Others may view art as a way of escaping into an unknown world that's filled with not knowing what's yet to come through the means of writing, painting, sculpting, etc. But some artists, such as Alex Castaneda, view art simply as a passion; a passion that he just enjoys doing.

The artistic legacy of Jesus "Chuey" Quintanar began in the "City of the Aztecs" (Mexico City) where he was born and spent his early years before his family moved to Southern California, the "LBC" to be exact. Chuey's love for art was developed in Cali. He can't remember how long it's been since he started to draw, but he started his carrier as a tattoo artist in 1999.