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Dirty Rasel

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INTERVIEW DIRTY RASEL

@pascalbagot

Influenced by the great French cartoonists who wrote the adventures of Asterix & Obelix and Lucky Luke, George, who hails from Thessaloniki in Greece and goes by the name Dirty Rasel, has been devoting himself fully to tattooing for the last fifteen years. At first, tattooing allowed him to express his passion for drawing, but it soon became his main interest. Today, he draws inspiration from the worlds of Tim Burton and Hayao Miyazaki to enrich his gallery of brightly coloured designs.

Can you tell us about the graphic influences that have been with you from an early age?

I grew up with illustrations by some of the most famous French comic strip artists, including Albert Uderzo (Asterix and Obelix), Morris (Lucky Luke), Peyo (The Smurfs) and Walt Disney (books and animations).

Are Asterix, Lucky Luke and The Smurfs famous in Greece?

Oh yes! Comic strips were rare and every issue I bought at the time was treasured. I also watched animated TV series.

Did all this reading inspire you to study art?

As a child, I dreamed of studying fine art. On the other hand, my family's plan was to continue my father's career. He had a garage and was a car mechanic. So I didn't study art, because family comes first. But as I said, it was my dream, and for many years I drew alone at home, studying art and researching different techniques.

One of the applications was graffiti, wasn't it?

I started writing my name on walls in 2003. My passion has always been to create and draw characters, not STYLES. I've painted both legally and illegally, taken part in numerous graffiti exhibitions and festivals, and I'm still doing it today. As they say: old habits die hard.

And then came the tattoo?

As a child, I worked in my father's garage, often after school. Then, as I said, I studied to become a car mechanic. One day, I felt that it wasn't for me and I met Kostas (Tzikalagias, founder of the Dirty Roses shop where Dirty Rasel works). At first, it was an opportunity to earn a living. Then, later, I realised that it was an unexpected chance to stay close to the thing I love most in the world, which is drawing. Over the next fifteen years, I have to admit that tattooing became my passion and today I simply can't imagine doing anything else!

You became part of the Dirty Roses team after Kostas took you on as an apprentice. What kind of mutual appreciation of art and life did you have with him to get you accepted?

I really like this question. Kostas and I are different people in many ways, whether it's our origins, our style or our culture. But we certainly have something in common: we both respect personal artistic expression and the individual behind it, as well as appreciating the beauty of art in all its aspects.

Your colour palette is characterised by the use of bright hues. Is this a legacy of street art and the need to capture the viewer's attention?

It's more a question of personal taste. I like bright colours and I like to contrast them with inspirations from the worlds of Tim Burton and the films of Hayao Miyazaki, which I like a lot. I like to mix them with motifs such as bats, insects, skulls and bones.

How does the fact that Greeks are often exposed to the sun influence your choice of colours or use of black?

The sad truth is that Greeks have dark skin. Using high contrast is one solution but, unfortunately, black and grey are sometimes the only option. And please don't misunderstand me when I say ‘unfortunately’, it's simply that my style is more difficult in black and grey. As I use a lot of elements in my compositions, the use of colour helps to separate the details and make them clearer to read.

Do you prefer small, medium or large pieces?

I prefer medium-sized tattoos because they're easier than large ones and at the same time more complicated than small ones.

Painting on canvas is also one of your means of expression, with which you experiment with other possibilities, particularly that of using a different palette of colours.

That's true. When I draw on canvas, I mainly use earth tones. A canvas, you know, is supposed to end up hanging on the wall of a house, in an office, etc. and I think that using earth tones, which are safer, fits better into the space and balances it in a way.

What are your plans for 2025?

Man proposes, God disposes. + IG : @dirty_rasel @dirtyrosestattoo Dirty Roses Tattoo Studio Αλεξάνδρου Σβώλου 25, Thessaloníki 54622