While teaching a seminar in Dallas to artists from all over the country, the students watched and learned Quin’s methods and later applied that knowledge by tattooing on synthetic skin while he supervised. (Photo by James Blair)

Step after step after step – slower at times, but increasingly more determined, a detour here or there, but always moving forward – Joaquin “Quin” Hernandez has been forging his own path as an award-winning tattoo artist and avid tattoo collector for over a decade. A surprising start has taken Quin to places he never imagined, and ultimately has brought him back home to a new beginning, full of new ideas.

As a highly sought-after tattoo artist specializing in black and gray realism and owner of the recently opened Black Pines Gallery, Quin is passionate about bringing his artistic visions to life and excited to offer upscale tattoo experiences, for artists and clients alike, in the place he has chosen to call home.

*During two separate sessions and approximately 16 hours total, Quin created this Native American portrait for a soldier stationed in Cheyenne, Wyoming.*

Quin always knew he wanted to do something with art but didn’t have a clear vision of what, exactly, or how. “My grandmother is an artist and art teacher, and I was the first grandchild, so she started me very young – she was kind of militant about it, actually,” Quin laughed. “But it didn’t take too long to realize I had some natural talent and that I enjoyed it.”

As a kid, Quin would gift drawings to his family and friends and later realized he could turn his talent into money. “I started selling drawings to kids at school, and it was great because I could afford to buy all the best junk food at lunch. That always made me feel good, just being able to earn that myself.” After high school though, Quin remembers feeling kind of stuck. “I didn’t know what direction to take. I was just living moment to moment.”

And then one day, several pieces fell into place – just not in a way that Quin had ever imagined. Within a couple weeks, Quin went from never having been inside a tattoo studio, to working as a tattoo artist. “My intro to tattooing was so sudden. It really just fell into my lap,” he said, “but I fell in love with it from the very beginning.”

Eleven sessions (each 6-8 hours long) were needed for Quin to complete this back piece for a financial advisor from McKinney, Texas. He recalls that the project took around two years to complete and approximately a total of 60-70 hours. The client also had another 90-100 hours of work on other parts of his body.

For the first three years as a working tattoo artist, Quin had no tattoos. “I definitely got weird looks, questions, and had some people refuse to be tattooed by me because of it. Luckily, I’ve never been a person that is easily pressured into anything, so I waited. I was kind of late to Instagram, but it immediately opened up a whole world of new artists and introduced me to a level of tattooing that I didn’t even know was possible. It definitely inspired me to not only get better at my craft but also inspired the beginning of my tattoo collecting journey.”

Quin spent several years in Dallas working, learning, and eventually getting the first of many tattoos. “I found an artist that I really admired and wanted to work with, and then I found out he had a nine month wait list, so I had to keep waiting,” Quin laughed. “I realized pretty quickly though, that was a short wait for the caliber of artists I wanted to get tattooed by. As a collector, I’m seeking out the best artists I can find. Even more than the content of the art, I really enjoy the connection and the process.”

*Black Pines Gallery, both an appointment and walk-in tattoo studio, opened to the public in October 2021 and is located at 803 College Drive in Texarkana, Texas.*

After his first tattoo, Quin got tattooed once a month, every month, for three years. After that he slowed down a lot but continues to get tattooed frequently. Quin’s journey as a tattoo collector has taken him coast-to-coast, and he has accumulated roughly 337 hours of work from 16 world-class artists – an investment of roughly $75,000. “I realize that is probably shocking to some people, but as an artist and a collector, it’s something I personally understand from both sides. It’s an investment I believe is worth making. I learn so much each time I get a tattoo. I look at it as a souvenir from that moment and that artist.”

Quin has plans to complete a full body suit, and while there is still some stigma, especially around being heavily tattooed, Quin sees that changing as modern tattooing continues to elevate the art form. “I think social media, especially, has really opened the door for tattoos to be more accepted for everyone in all walks of life. It’s like a fashion statement, especially for the younger generation.”

Quin’s wife, Sabrina, and three children, Sofia (6), Oliver (4), and Emma (8 months) attending his sister Fernanda’s wedding during November 2021 at Four Fifteen Estates in New Boston. (Photo by Makayla Jones)

Quin’s clientele is as varied as the tattoos for which he is sought out. From professional athletes, to social media influencers, to tattoo collectors, to doctors and lawyers and youth pastors, clients travel to Texarkana from all over the states and other countries to work with Quin. “I do a lot of portraits, lots of animals, and landscapes. Basically all the same things I loved to draw growing up.” Quin said that he doesn’t have any stand-out favorite tattoos and that he is always honored when someone trusts him to add his work to their body. “People get tattoos for all kinds of reasons, sometimes just for fun or for the look, and other times people come in, and they have very intense stories, and it is a deeply emotional session, even for me. The most memorable tattoos I’ve created are the ones I’ve done for my family – for my siblings and for my dad. I will never forget that feeling.”

While Quin has lived in Texarkana for more than half of his life, he admits that it took a while before it felt like home. “My family moved here in August of 2000 from a beautiful city called Queretaro, just north of Mexico City. I was almost 12, and it was ... a shock. It was so different from home, and, I can’t lie, felt like a downgrade,” Quin laughed. Now, as a 32-year-old husband and father, artist and business owner that has traveled extensively, Quin is happy to be settled in Northeast Texas. “In my late 20s, I finally started thinking about the future, and making goals for myself. It felt very natural to come home to Texarkana. I craved the stability and the structure. I wanted to be able to raise a family and build something of my own.”

With his wife, Sabrina, and their three children, Sofia, Oliver, and Emma, Quin appreciates the pace of life that our still small-ish town affords, and at the same time is excited by the potential. “I love our mornings at home when we are just cooking breakfast, playing with the kids, playing outside. That time is really important to me. We do love to travel – we love hiking, the mountains, snowboarding, new landscapes – sometimes we joke that Texarkana is ‘headquarters,’ but it’s also home. I’m proud to have clients travel from all over, and we try to show them the best of what we have here. I think there are lots of opportunities, especially for the artistic community, to continue to grow.”

After so many steps down the path, a decade of dedicated work, Quin eventually reached a clearing and was able to see a new vision, with all of the pieces falling into place in a way he could clearly imagine. “I was outside one night by myself just staring at the dark silhouettes of pine trees to gather inspiration for artwork ... that’s where Black Pines was born.”

Quin opened the Black Pines Gallery in October of 2021. The same kind of world-class tattoo experience that Quin seeks out has shaped his vision for Black Pines. “I love being at the studio, and I love that I get to be creative every day. I am so thankful for everything that I have learned along this journey and for everything that tattooing has given me,” Quin said. “My goal is always to pour myself back into the work and into the art. The art is the motivation for me.”

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