Gary Hostallero

Art of Tattoo

36 Woman Poets

Art of Tattoo - Dreams

For as long as Hostallero can remember, Gary has had an abiding fascination with samurai stories and legends. As a child he was struck by the heroism and valor they recounted. Later the entire bushido (the way of the warrior) and its philosophical depth became an intricate part of Hostallero’s own ideals. It is natural, then, that Hostallero’s artistic gifts should focus on martial arts whose lives were the ultimate expression of discipline, courage and pursuit of perfection. In Hostallero’s own magnificent works, these principles are clearly apparent, revealing his quiet passion for creative precision, poetic technique, and majestic impact.

War and Peace

After serving in the U.S. Air Force in Vietnam, Hostallero lived in Japan for three years. With his Korean, Filipino and Spanish family background, he found himself attracted to the wisdom, spirit and aesthetics of the Orient. In the Japanese mind, the samurai code of dedication to duty was viewed as a guiding light, a way to live each day. He, too, began to walk the path that illuminated. The inner strength he had called upon to survive the Vietnam Tet offensive was channeled into a new personal confidence and commitment. Until this time, Hostallero’s art had been little more than a pastime. Now it has emerged as a powerful force from within him.

Musashi vs. Kojiro

Japan's Shoguns

Hostallero’s time is devoted to developing and refining his own unique works, celebrating the ancient warrior mystique of feudal Japan. It is safe to say that Hostallero’s mastery of his media is simply unmatched. Combining pen and ink, watercolors, acrylics, and air brushing using fine particles of gold mica, Gary has created an innovative compositional style that truly stands alone in today’s art world.

First Emperor of China

Zodiac Art

Spectacular colors and breathtaking detail are among the hallmarks of Hostallero’s painting. So exacting and intricate are his techniques that each image requires more than 800 hours to complete. Using the finest, tiniest brushes - 0 to 0000 in tip designation - Hostallero portrays his samurai figures in full battlement, their armor depicted with minute, meticulous care. His horses are visions of mighty splendor, their muscles superbly delineated, their flowing tails created a hair at a time. Every tiny stroke contributes a touch of magic to the nobility and aura of each incomparable painting.

As an artist, Hostallero’s sense of perfection and artistic patience, acquired in part from his studies of Taekwondo and Karate, are reflections of the warrior ethic he exalts. This same sense of perfection and patience carry over to his fabulous limited editions, acclaimed worldwide as triumphs of the printer’s art. Multi media printing techniques combine to create state of the art Mixed Media Graphics unlike any other in the world today. Lithography, sculptural embossing, debossing, mezzotint and metal foil stamping combine in new and unexpected ways to recreate the drama of his spectacular original paintings.

Warriors

Lapu Lapu

All this is still not enough for an artist always seeking perfection. The most remarkable aspect of these extraordinary graphics is that Gary elevates each one to the status of a unique work of art by hand painting every print in the edition. Using his own blend of mica particles which produce a breathtaking iridescent quality and allow the artist to create subtle changes in mood and color, he creates stunning works of art that both look and feel like the original masterpiece.

Musashi poster