Sandi CalistroBrush to Canvas, Needle to SkinWords: James Terry
How do you artistically depict motion, ideas, emotion, ideals? Even harder, how do you transfer that into a tattoo that is, in itself, a still captured on a moving canvas? This discordant yet melodic world is where Sandi Calistro lives. Having stated her career at the acclaimed Twisted Sol in Capitol Hill, Calistro is now an appointment-only tattoo artist whose inner burgeoning painter has led to the opening of her gallery, Kaze, on 32nd and Osage.
The desire to express herself artistically was part of the package Sandi arrived in at birth, and there has never been anything else that makes sense. Born in Connecticut and graduating from high school in Maine, Calistro incorporates much Eastern imagery into her work. "I prefer somber expressions of emotion. Other elements come from places I go, people I encounter, animals I like. I draw inspiration from everything in my life. I like to have a lot of flow and motion in my paintings." But beyond this, she finds it hard to describe her art--she believes it is the embodiment of everything that cannot be put into words.
Calistro's schedule keeps her busy with plenty of exhibitions and shows lined up. In June, she and some fellow artists will be at the Rock the Cradle baby clothing store. In August, she will be doing a show at Fabric Lab, and then another show in September at 3 Little Birds. Not content with simply living the American dream, Calistro will be heading to Europe for a tattoo convention, where ink-hungry patrons are able to be
über-selective with their choice of artist.
Gaining enough notoriety at Twisted Sol has enabled Calistro to be discerning with her clients, which doesn't mean the days of odd requests are gone. She has tattooed the image of a kid's palm print on the back of a bald guy's head and just finished tattooing eyeliner on someone. The most pain she's ever imparted through a tattoo was on the palm of a hand, "you have to go really deep to get it to stay." Calistro loves the tattoo business, but her true love is the freedom she finds from her own artwork. "I'm free to paint whatever I want, without constraint."
Plenty of places in the United States are considered more culturally adept than Colorado, but Calistro finds the art scene here growing and believes it has much to offer: "I know a bunch of really awesome painters. I don't think there are as many big buyers, but I sell enough to be happy." Sneaking into Denver's art scene through the tattoo parlors' still swinging double doors, Calistro is her to leave a lasting mark.
Sandi Calistro Art
info@sandicalistroart.com
303.455.1558
Kaze Gallery
3245 Osage
