Meet Holly Roccaforte | Painter, Sculptor, and Tattoo Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Holly Roccaforte and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Holly, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be an artist. I didn’t always know what kind of artist I wanted to be, but I knew I was happiest when I was creating. When I was a kid I used to make sculptures out of the mud in my backyard and make chalk portraits on the sidewalks. When I got to high school, I took my first pottery class, and I instantly fell in love. I started looking into artists that inspired me and it was here that I realized that art could be a job and I’ve never wanted to do anything else.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think I’ve dabbled in just about every art form to end up where I currently am. I started out wanting to be a painter, then an illustrator, and then ended up starting a whole business which was actually pretty successful, creating fantasy themed pottery sets, and now I’m a tattoo artist, all of which I love. I think the hardest thing I had to learn in this industry is that I’m not made for just one medium. Being an artist is difficult because they’re so much pressure to stay on “brand” when the brand is really just you. For the longest time I thought I was failing because my paintings, drawings, and sculptures all looked like they were created by different people so for a while I just stuck with ceramics in fear that I would cloud my brand and in doing so I got lost. Being an artist is about self expression and creating from the heart, it doesn’t matter how it reads to you or other people because it’s part of your journey.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My ideal day out would start at snooze for breakfast and coffee. Then I would head to Pratts pet store to go see and pet all the animals since most of their cages are open for the full experience. After that I would go to downtown Glendale and get tea and a snack at the pink door. From here you’re right in the center of historic Glendale with tons of cute shops and boutiques. I always make it a point to head over to the astrology store to browse the crystals and maybe get a tarot reading because they are the best metaphysical shop in town. Lastly I would head over to Chebahut and get the best sandwiches!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My best friend Lukas Saglam, he’s been so supportive since the day we met and he’s also an amazing videographer and cinematographer who has helped me on countless video projects!

Website: HollyAnnArtworks.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/HollyAnnArtworks

Twitter: @HollyAnnArtwork

Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@HollyAnnArtworks