Kevin Navarro, better known as Haze 300, is a puertorican muralist, artist and tattoo artist from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
He is well known through Twitter and Instagram (@haze300) for his decent blackwork tattoos, geometric designs and numerous mandalas.
Question #1: How did your interest in being a tattoo artist begin?
- "My interest in tattoos started when I wanted to be more versatile in all art forms, to find where I fit, basically. I had never touched a tattoo machine, and when they gave me one, I started playing with it and learned how it was handled. Then I practiced for the first time with someone who trusted me with their skin, and when I got the hang of it, I kept looking for more clients and posting photos on social media to spread my name around."
7 Questions with Haze 300 300
Question #2: Where did you learn your artistic skill?
-"My artistic ability, I wouldn't say that I learned it, I would say I that I inherited it more. Because my dad, when I was little, he drew a lot. He drew fields, landscapes, very rustic fields, very old-school Puerto Rico field with cows, and that really inspired me. Since then, my dad got me into that artistic side of his and he kept on feeding it to me and letting it grow little by little, until I went my own way. I practiced nonstop, I was the weird kid in the corner, drawing in all the test and projects."
Question #3: What do you think of the recent increase in popularity in the tattoo scene in Puerto Rico?
-"Well, I'm looking more on the side of young people, I think that the generations are changing and people are starting to get tattoos at a much younger age. For some it's bad, for others it's good. For me, it's good because it gives a more open aspect to the public that this is no longer, you know, just for criminals. This is to express an art, to express an idea, express a thought or a feeling, but marked forever on your skin. It's something that represents you. But I like it, that criticism about tattoos, that negativity is being let go. Now people are seeing the artistic side to it because they're watching the evolution of tattoos. And that motivates people to get one, and people who never had, they're motivated to do so."