Interview

Jul 22

SUGAR (Anastasia Nasuro)

Sugar was born in Minsk, Belarus. Moving to the states as a child, her art background includes formal education in illustration and fine art. Sugar’s preferred medium is tattooing. Her work is often described as feminine and neotraditional utilizing bright colors, bold lines and fine detail. She currently co owns a private studio, Black Book Tattoo in Huntington, New York.

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“I’ve always loved to create. Growing up in Belarus during the 90’s, we didn’t have much. No one really had much. The soviet union had just collapsed 4 years prior, so times were tough. I lived with my father and grandparents. It was a warm loving home and we did the best that we could with what we had. At three years old my father built me a makeshift easel on our balcony so I could paint. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a ply board propped up against the wall with some paper tacked on. I absolutely loved it. I think from an early age I used art as a form of escapism. Escapism from what, I’m not entirely sure. All I know is that to this day, I'm able to get away from it all by diving deep into my work.
After moving to the states in 2003 to live with my mother, I was fortunate enough to begin formal classes. I studied studio art, cartooning, illustration, figure drawing, painting and sculpture. I loved creating but I wasn’t fond of the structured setting i kept finding myself in. I knew very early on, that i wanted to go against the grain of traditional art. At the age of 13, I saw a woman with bright pink hair, stretched ears and tattoos. I was absolutely captivated! Expression comes in so many different forms, and not all of them are on paper or canvas. It was then that I knew I wanted to learn the art of tattooing. At the age of 16, I saved up my lunch money, to buy a $100 tattoo kit on eBay. It came with three machines, some cheap ink and a how-to book. I started tattooing oranges, bananas and melons. My mom was adamant that before I get any further into the industry, I needed to go to college for formal education in the arts. I spent some time at MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) but it wasn't long before it became clear that this path just wasn’t right for me. I moved back to New York and began taking tattooing seriously. Within 3 months of being home, I finalized my portfolio and began searching for a studio to teach me how to tattoo. In 2014, I was granted an apprenticeship at a tattoo shop near my town and I think my journey really finally began.”

What inspires you?

“Inspiration for me comes from so many different places. Nature is huge, birds, critters and florals, maybe even beauty you can find in odd places. Personal inspiration is so different for everyone, but I think many artists can agree, regardless of the medium they use that beauty in the unexpected can often inspire some of the best works of art. Aside from the things I often observe in my surroundings, I am endlessly inspired by my partner and fellow artist Brandon Santangelo. His talent reaches so many different facets of creativity that sometimes I find myself almost a little jealous. From fine art, to tattooing, to even writing, he challenges me and inspires me to keep improving and honing my skill.”

What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?

“When it comes to themes, my work tends to center around flora and fauna. My subject matter typically involves, mushrooms, birds, animals flowers and art nouveau elements. I often focus on natural flow and how the piece works with the body. People will come to me and tell me their idea, they themselves have often assigned a story or message to the concept they give. It is my job to take there idea and turn it into a piece of art that they can cherish forever.”

How would you describe your work?

“I would say that my work is feminine but bold. I love using heavy line work in my designs. The contrast between the bold lines and the thin fine line detail gives me so much joy. My work takes heavy influence from neotraditional tattooing. Bright colors, lots of little details. Overall, the work itself can be described as illustrative.”

Which artists influence you most?

“Prior to getting my official start in the tattoo industry, I really looked up to a tattooer named Mike Moses. His work was just so unique compared to everything else i was seeing at that time. I still very much admire his tattooing and illustrations. Katie Shocrylas has also influenced my work tremendously. I discovered her art early on in my career and it really shaped my understanding of color. I think lastly, I would have to mention Audrey Kawasaki. Her work greatly helped me to understand flow and how to create delicate but bold compositions.”

“I would say that my work is feminine but bold. I love using heavy line work in my designs.”

What is your creative process like?

“My process is relatively simple. It starts with an idea, lots of reference images and then loose sketches. Once my design is loosely sketched, I begin making the hard lines to prepare the design to be converted into a stencil. Honestly though, designs often end up going through many revisions before they are really ready to be seen. It takes time, but my clients are typically patient and happy with the final results once they see what I’ve come up for them.”

What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?

“I really believe that each artist has their own role. No two are the same. I think in general though, an artist creates because they have an innate need for that output. I think society either excepts the art and celebrates it, or rejects it. In terms of tattooing, it has been around for thousands of years. It started as something primal and has since gone through a grand metamorphosis. Tattooing has been made to be many things and not always for the best. It wasn't too long ago that tattooing was actually illegal in Manhattan. For a long time tattooing was not associated with fine art, it was pinned together with bikers, gangs and other not so savory things, it was thought to be dirty. Im happy to see the shift in our society, where tattooing is more widely embraced. The inclusion of fine art into the tattooing industry has really began something beautiful. With mainstream media continuing to pick up tattooing and more people becoming curious about this industry I’m hopeful that the world will keep growing to accept this art form. I think we’re mostly already there! At least here in New York.”