Joe Gentry

December 29, 2015
Jerome

I am blessed to have a loving wife and six loving children. Prior to that, I began my tattoo carrer in N.J. State prison. I tattooed on the “inside’ for a decade. I have been tattooing on the “outside for 17 years. Over the past two decades I have won numerous awards in tattooing, painting, and sculpting. My most prestigious award to date is a “best in show” ribbon at the Backus Gallery in a nationwide competition for an assemblage I created.

I came to Florida back in 1998 and started tattooing with Danny and Daneal Frank at Artistic designs. I had fun and slowly but surely transitioned from “prison rotaries” to professional irons.

I moved on to work for Rocky and the Fatman. It was there that I learned how to make my own needles and the importance of quality tattoo equipment. I worked with many talented artists there for 17 years. During that tenure my family grew from 7 to 8 people, and in order to properly provide for them, the next step was inevitable.

I opened my own studio, Southern Samurai Tattoo, LLC, in October of 2014. I am a Christian and I serve my community in many capacities, most notably through Compassion in action homeless outreach and LaSala’s Dojo Karate for Christ where children and adults alike receive martial arts training and spiritual guidance through weekly Holy Bible studies. I look forward to what the future may hold through my faith and through my growing business.