Oscar Montes is usually on the road, bouncing from coast to coast to tattoo under the Tattoo Punks banner—You can find back on the east coast at the Baltimore Villain Arts Tattoo Festival April 24-26 2026!
Oscar’s been tattooing for nearly 20 years, and his story is anything but typical. “I didn’t even want to tattoo,” he laughs. “A friend was tattooing gangbangers, and I bailed him out of a bad situation.” He’s been winging it ever since—and it’s worked out just fine.
Working out of Lost Harbor Tattoo in Wilmington, California, Oscar draws from the raw, chaotic energy of early flash, street life, and the kind of visual noise that only makes sense when it’s etched into skin. His favorite tattoos blend traditional boldness with realism, sometimes even throwing heavy lines over smooth portraiture for a gritty, signature look. “Sometimes I get a wild hare up my ass and just go for it,” he says.
When he’s not tattooing, he’s probably blasting MESS, which he calls “the Mexican Blitz”, or remembering the wild times at Tattoo Punks afterparties—like at Camp Punksylvania, where he tattooed all day in front of the main stage while legends like FEAR and the Vandals played, and got up to do it again the next day.
Oscar says he’s just winging it—but that’s exactly the point. If you’re looking for tattoos with heart, grit, and zero pretense, find him at Villain Arts Baltimore 2026.
Contributed by
@infernal_hailz
🎉 PRE PARTY WITH
@999hotlinebooking THURSDAY APRIL 23 2026
