Lena Diamanti’s Artistic Journey

Destiny is a funny thing. If you look hard enough you can always spot it, but we rarely bother searching for it.

When tattoo artist Lena Diamanti looks back on her upbringing all the signs were there, they just got obscured by the rigors of life. Diamanti was born in the village of Arta, located in Northern Epirus, but she wouldn’t stay long. Three months after her birth she moved with her parents to Volos, Greece. It was in this beautiful port city on the Aegean that Diamanti’s artistic roots would grow.

From as early as anybody could remember, young Lena had an innate curiosity when it came to art. While she was intrigued by a myriad of different artistic mediums, painting was clearly her passion.

Painting isn’t cheap and neither is art school. This doesn’t take into account how monumentally difficult it is to make a living even with a prestigious art degree. Diamanti was forced to bury her destiny for a while and take on a series of jobs to make ends meet. Hairdresser. Barista. Cleaner. She wasn’t picky, she was a worker and she worked hard.

The flame that was her artistic passion might have been extinguished forever if it wasn’t for George. When Diamanti met George Maragaritopoulos she found an artistic spark. A muse. The man that would support and guide her as she pursued her destiny.

From a very young age, Margaritopoulos regarded tattooing as high art. He was even designing tattoos at the age of seven, eagerly anticipating the day he would be old enough to finally go under the needle himself.

His enthusiasm for tattooing was only part of how he helped Diamanti pursue her destiny, Margaritopoulos was also able to speak English. On the surface, that seems like a small thing, but when you consider that most of the information about tattooing that the two were able to scrounge up online was in English, it’s a pretty crucial skill.

“He watched various videos, interviews, and went to any forum to find information about the tattoo,” Diamanti remembers. “He noted on a paper any style, movement or words of artists he could ‘steal’ to share with me.”

At the age of 25, Diamanti dropped everything to pursue her career in tattooing. In a way, this is the end of the story. Her destiny to become an artist has been fulfilled. But it is also the start of another story.

Diamanti is making a name for herself in the world of color realism tattoos. Her pieces are vibrantly colored and richly detailed. Some of her best work comes from when she approaches surrealistic subject matters, these tattoos have a dreamlike quality.

Her background in painting is obvious when looking at her work. The composition of her tattoos clearly comes from somebody with a painterly eye.

Diamanti is eager to see where this career can take her. She wants to keep collaborating with other tattooers, keep picking up whatever she can from working in different styles and to travel the world in pursuit of her art.

She’s come so far already, but there is so much more to come in the future. We look forward to seeing where her career leads, and you should too. 

If you are looking to keep up with Diamanti on social media, she can be found on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. 

All photos by George Margaritopoulos.