Meet Brian Geckle

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Geckle.

Hi Brian, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I started tattooing at 18 years old. I had just graduated high school and had my mind set on learning how to tattoo. I had no idea how to go about doing so.. but I was determined to make the dream come true. I found myself joining friends at their tattoo appointments at our local shop. This was 19 years ago and the climate of tattooing was quite different.

Back then it was still pretty biker influenced/ran and our local shop in central Pennsylvania was no different. Meet Ozone- my first boss and mentor. Bob had just defected from the biker world and just happened to be looking for a new apprentice. Over the first few years, Bob taught me a lot- about tattooing… how to manage clients, the fundamentals of drawing/tattooing, and even a little about how not to be.

I slowly learned that I desired more from this craft and set out to expand my horizons. I started traveling and doing guest spots around the country and eventually started working conventions abroad. I felt like a sponge, soaking every bit of it that I could right up. During those years I met a lot of wacky characters and also some influential colleagues I am proud to call friends.

Eventually, I decided it was time to transplant to a new area, and did some traveling around the country to find a new home. Denver was the only city that no matter how many times I visit, I couldn’t seem to get enough of. For the last four years, I’ve been here working privately.

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?
All in all, it’s been a pretty smooth road… maybe a bit winding, but smooth nonetheless. My initial education was thorough and I picked it up pretty quickly… but the bubble of small-town PA made it difficult to learn and grow. I had to stick my neck out and assert myself in a handful of scenarios along the way.

Uncomfortably walking up to experienced tattooers at conventions and introducing myself- Learning from the industry veterans by way of getting tattooed by them. Traveling to surrounding states to collect tattoo work and learn all I could. Back then the only social media we had was a monthly tattoo magazine.

We’d study those magazines like they were scripture. Conventions were the only way to expand one’s network and most of us tattooers were pretty socially awkward or introverted… which led to cultivating some outgoing tendencies. Overall it has been an enjoyable ride so far-

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I would say I mainly specialize in ornamental/geometric tattooing. Ornamental meaning very design-based imagery. Flowing shapes, art nouveau in spirit. Geometric means mandalas or repeating patterns. I’ve found myself drawn to this vein of artwork before I even knew how to define it.

To me, ornamental or geometric work feels very timeless and universal. I’ll often ask myself when designing pieces for clients, “how will this look and feel in 10 years? can they wear this when they’re 50 or 60?” Coming from a time where the business model was to essentially, “do whatever comes through the door” we had to learn how to create work in a handful of styles.

This required a larger bag of tricks to dip into when working. some days it was packed solid black tribal… some days it was rendering full-color flowers… some days it was black and grey realism.. and everything in between. Today I focus on a few other styles outside of the ornamental geometric realm… but they’re still my favorite to work within.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I’ve found that if I take my time and keep open communication with clients, we will have successful sessions and results. If ever I tried to take a shortcut or quickly move through the process… it would take twice as long in the end. They say art imitates life. I do my best to base my life around the artwork I create.

After 19 years I still love this craft. In fact, in many ways, it’s only getting better and better. Always stay curious and allow yourself to evolve and grow. This is a practice like any other. There is no finish line or end goal- so let’s do our best along the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.briangeckle.com
• Instagram: @briangeckleart

Image Credits
Jonny Edward (@johnnycreative)