About Jay (freestyle)
Originally born and raised in South Africa, tattoo artist and painter Jay Freestyle grew up in a conservative Chinese family during difficult times for his beloved home countryThe absence of a real creative scene in Johannesburg forced him to immigrate more than 10 years ago and he has been living and working in Amsterdam ever since.
His artistic nature deeply inspired him to stray away from the traditional expectations of his family and rather develop his lifelong passion for body art.
Being self-taught, his techniques and style are always unconventional. All of his work is created on the spot and literally free-styled during the session. The spontaneity of his tattoos is the secret of what makes every single piece so unique. Breaking away from existing boundaries, the final artwork is always a great surprise to the collector.
“Most describe my style as water-color, and it definitely holds elements of such, but personally it is more. I prefer to combine various styles and techniques, such as geometrical shapes and pointillism, while at the same time mixing realism with abstraction, but at the end it all depends on the collector getting the piece.”
Jay’s love for travel makes him a regular visitor in all parts of the world, gaining fame for him through major tattoo convention as well as guest spotting in leading tattoo studios. Coupled with strong work ethics and ambition, he has become a multi-award winning tattoo artist with a waiting list of up to a year.
Always eager to continue growing and evolve his trademark style, Jay’s main focus is set on large-scale tattoos. His vision is to create more than just a tattoo, “I want my art to be memorable to those who see my pieces and empowering to those who wear my pieces. I’m not looking to tattoo the masses, rather the select few who share the same vision as me and who are willing to give up their bodies to immortalize a piece of art on them.”