Rising Stars: Meet Marcus R. Gilbert of Manhattan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcus R. Gilbert.

Hi Marcus, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story started in a small town in Texas just outside of Dallas called Royse City. I have loved art since I can remember, always doing any odd art job I could catch and drawing all day. I grew up In the 90s, and tattoos were becoming more acceptable and trendy. So, it only made sense that I, too, wanted those beautiful body decorations. Even though I missed out on so many lovely trends, I was still fascinated by body modifications and the surrounding culture. I was the kid drawing in class on anything that would accept my doodles. Oddly enough, my classmates were my first paying customers. I started drawing on my friends in journalism class during my sophomore year of high school 23 years ago. Honestly, I never stopped. I learned how to tattoo on my crazy travels around the U.S. in Reno, NV, in 2006 after asking over a dozen tattoo shops to apprentice me. I’ve been tattooing ever since, with many breaks in between due to life’s hurdles. I graduated in 2016 from K-STATE with a BFA in fine arts, hoping to grab a teaching job at a college. I even got a full ride to get my Masters’s degree, but it didn’t seem right. So after a year or so, I decided to open my shop.

After many months of hard work, I opened my shop in February 2017. We originally were called Mash Up Gallery, but rebranded this year and now go by Equilibrium Tattoo. At Equilibrium, we consider ourselves your friendly neighborhood tattoo shop specializing in custom artwork. We are a shop that supports love and equality. Our mission is to provide excellent services encompassing the tattoo experience from predesign to aftercare. Whether brand new to body art or an old patron. We want to help our clients feel safe and accepted. We have a local art gallery and boutique to help local artists get their work out into the cosmos. With all that said, I’m just a big nerd who loves my wife and 8-year-old son, and I am very thankful every day to continue drawing permanently on all my friends.

You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been fairly smooth?
It has not been a smooth ride. The main struggle was getting my apprenticeship; after that, it was just years of learning and practicing. I still consider myself a student of tattooing and probably always will. I used my years of serving tables, customer service, and personal growth to create a safe and inviting environment for all folks.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. What can you tell our readers who might need to be more familiar with what you do?
I am a professional tattoo artist. I don’t have a specialty. I never wanted to do the same thing over and over. I love getting to practice and do all different types of artwork, whether tattooing or not. I like to tell people I’m an artist who does tattoos, not the other way around.

What are your plans for the future?
Personal plans – I love pushing myself and going bigger and bigger with my pieces. I’m looking for someone to do my first full-body suit on. In Japanese culture, a full-body suit is called a “Soushinbori.” I love all tattoos, as long as they are not hateful or stealing from the traditions of another culture. So, with that said, the full-body suit would be an original concept, not a copy.

Shop plans – I am looking for a new like-minded tattoo artist to grow within our new shop!

Pricing:

• Design time by the hour is $100
• Tattoo time by the hour is $125
• Artwork Commissions Range from $100-$10,000

Contact Info:

• Website: www.equilibriumtattoo.com
• Instagram: @marcusgilbertmhk