Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott White.
Hi Scott, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I knew at a very young age that I wanted to be an artist. I always had an interest in illustration and design. Comic books, skateboard graphics, tattoo magazines, and album art were where I drew most of my inspiration. I would spend hours tracing images and manipulating them. After a short-lived college career, I moved back to Central Florida and settled in Orlando. At this point, I started getting heavily tattooed by a friend that had l just started his journey as a tattooer. Through spending time in the chair with him I was able to form a relationship with the owner and get my foot in the door. This eventually led to a job helping at the studio and ultimately learning the craft. I absolutely love the art of tattooing.
I worked at a couple of studios over the first 15 years of my career, the longest being a busy street shop on the I drive corridor of Orlando. With a roster of very talented artists, this was where I really cut my teeth and started learning the business side of tattooing. At 15 years I decided it was time to apply what I had learned over the years and open a studio of my own. In 2009 my wife and I had a beautiful little daughter and I knew then I would need to change the projection of my career. One of my close friends, Scott Lukacs, had the same plan, so he quickly moved to Orlando. We joined forces and in 2011 opened Rise Above Tattoo. We are now in our tenth year of business and, hopefully, had a positive impact on not only the local tattoo industry but also our community.
About 5 years into Rise Above Tattoo I started having some medical issues, mainly with damage to my hands and was forced to slow down with tattooing. This was the catalyst for transitioning into the gallery world of art, which I never really had much time for prior.
About the same time, we decided to open Rise Above Tattoo, I started curating and hanging my own art at a local restaurant called Ethos Vegan Kitchen in Winter Park, Florida. Now ten years into being the resident artist and curator, the owner of and I have teamed up to start an art and event organization called So What! Arts to highlight other local and statewide artists.
Since 2017 I’ve had numerous solo art exhibitions at Redefine Art, Henao Contemporary Art Center, and City Arts. In 2018 I had the opportunity to be the first exhibition in the new City Arts building in Downtown Orlando, which was a huge honor and personal accomplishment.
Since then, I split my time between the management side of Rise Above Tattoo (only occasionally being able to tattoo), painting and building art, and being a dad.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We’ve been very fortunate to have had a solid crew of artists over the years at Rise Above, which does make it easier, but business ownership is never exactly easy. We all had a fairly large clientele which allowed us the freedom to focus on our style and skills but was also a bit overwhelming as we opened with a full speed ahead mentality.
Putting a bunch of artists in the same room together will always prove to be somewhat of a struggle, but it’s one well worth enduring.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My tattoo work has been predominantly traditional tattooing with a focus on classic designs. Having a recognizable personal style while maintaining the classic images that built the foundation of tattooing is what I’ve focused on.
My gallery work is drastically different than my tattooing. The majority of my body of work is multi-layered, dimensional art. I work mostly with paint, found objects, and plywood. I enjoy building installation art. I like to make art that you’re allowed to touch. I like to make a mess.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My wife, Ellyson, deserves the most credit for always being so supportive of my ridiculous ideas, excessive work schedule, and pushing me forward. She’s never said anything other than “we can do this”.
I wouldn’t be doing any of this if it weren’t for George Turner and Chad Chesko. Chad helped me find my spot, was and is still a huge inspiration and friend, while George took a chance on me and allowed me to enter the tattoo world.
Scott Lukacs is my partner at Rise Above. It’s very easy to get motivated around him because he never stops in any aspect of his life.
Our clients are always leave as friends and there’s nothing better than connecting with people and getting to know them. I’ve had some of the same clients for the entire 25 years I’ve been tattooing and consider all of them part of the Rise Above family.
Every single person I’ve ever worked with or for has helped mold my career. Every person that has allowed me to tattoo them or work with them in any artistic capacity deserves credit in my story. They’ve all lifted me up and helped me progress in every way.
Contact Info:
- Email: Riseabovetattoo@gmail.com
- Website: Riseabovetattoo.com
- Instagram: @riseabovefl @scottwhiteart @largeteeth
