Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Baxter and Andrew Matela.
Art Realm Tattoo was founded in 2014 by Andrew Matela, who had a vision for a custom, appointment only tattoo shop with a focus on fine art. He built the brand of the studio to a point where it hosted several successful large group art shows, attracting the attention of another art-focused tattooer and painter, Nick Baxter. Nick hosted a painting workshop in Art Realm’s gallery space in 2017 and in 2018 was brought on by Andrew as a co-owner, in order to expand the scope and reach of the studio. With the help of a larger team of resident artists and multiple ownership positions, we were able to host even larger group art shows, organize charity tattooing events, as well as participate in the West Austin Studio Tour, where the public was given more exposure to our fine art gallery and the paintings being produced by our resident artists and owners.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have definitely been some challenging times along the way. We went through a few difficult personnel changes, which is never easy given the relationships that form with the people you work with day in and day out. But we’ve emerged from those times with our most cohesive and well-functioning team yet. Every one of our 5 artists, including us 2 owners, has a solid client base and similar work ethic, all of which translates into a smooth-running workplace environment. And like many businesses, we had some upheaval and uncertainty this year caused by the pandemic, during which we saw the need for a further evolution of the studio. So, we moved to a smaller and more private location in West Austin, featuring separated tattooing rooms to provide more space between each tattooist and a more secluded one-on-one client experience. We’ve maintained a devoted gallery space in the new location as well, which still showcases the paintings of our resident artists, but is now viewable by appointment. Throughout all of the various difficulties we’ve maintained the original vision and simple intention of making the best tattoos possible, in an environment that is focused on art, and that’s been the solid foundation that kept us moving forward in the right direction through the challenging times. And making these recent changes to our business has allowed us to effectively pivot in these challenging times and remain a thriving and productive tattoo studio, with a safer and cleaner environment for our artists and clients.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Our owners Nick Baxter and Andrew Matela both specialize in realism oil painting, which influences their tattooing styles as well. And in fact, everyone at Art Realm has a specialty of some kind which shines through in their fine art and their tattoo art. Our resident artist Cora Mylene is a fantastic watercolor painter, who recently branched out into oil painting, and brings all of this into a painterly Neo-traditional tattoo style. Justin Vickers, another resident artist has worked in all painting media, but in his tattooing, especially excels at intricate Neo-tribal, Polynesian, and precision geometric designs. And our newest resident artist Kegan Eastham has a fantastic sci-fi and fantasy influenced illustration style, working in mediums like gauche and pencil, which perfectly translate to his intricate illustrative tattoos. All 5 of us maintain our own art websites and social media profiles separately from the studio website, and we think this dedication to our craft is what’s behind our success, and is why tattoo clients seek us out and trust us for larger, in depth, or complex custom tattoos.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
We love the year-round creative energy of Austin, with so many arts, film, and music-oriented events that bring like minds to the city and into our business, looking for someone who can turn their ideas into tattoo form. And thankfully Austin still has a laid back, down home kind of charm about it too, where people love to support local businesses and creatives.
Contact Info:
- Address: Art Realm Tattoo & Gallery 6203 N. Cap. TX Hwy, unit 250 Austin TX 78731
- Email: artrealmtattoo@gmail.com
- Website: www.artrealmtattoo.com
- Instagram: @artrealmtattoo
- Facebook: @artrealmtattoo
- Other: Instagram artist profiles: @burningxhope @andrewmatela @wordofmouthtattoos @coramylene @artbykegan
Image Credits
Artist work images are credited to the respective artist. all other photos credited to art realm tattoo.
