Wentworth tattoo artist bags more accolades at Ink and Iron 2023

TATTOO artist, Mario Bradley Stoffels, 32, added another two accolades to the shelf at his tattoo parlour after winning the Best Small Tattoo and Best of Show awards at Ink and Iron 2023, taking his total number of trophies up to 30.

Stoffels often bunked school to help his mom financially, and did not realise that his hard work would pay off as years later, he is a sought after tattoo artist with numerous accolades under his belt.

Stoffels grew up in Wentworth, an area notorious for an ongoing gang war and found himself equally determined to help his mom cope with the financial responsibilities of taking care of him and his siblings and steer clear of the social ills plaguing his community during his teenage years.

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Driven by a passion for art, Stoffels was convinced to try his hand at tattooing when he was 17.

“I started out researching what was required to become a tattoo artist and approached local tattoo parlours for apprenticeships, but I was declined. With no money to start my own business, I then began working on building my own tattoo machine from scratch. I used my home-made machine to start my business by tattooing friends and family.

“I began getting jobs from residents in the community and went from home to home tattooing clients. The money started coming in and I would help my mom, which gave me so much pleasure as I knew that we were not financially stable. I began bunking school and would do jobs during school hours. I worked hard to balance school and working as an artist.

“I built my clientele and upgraded my equipment. Although my skills progressed over time, I was still not very confident, as I was self taught. I worked with another local artist before opening my first tattoo studio in Wentworth, in 2013,” said Stoffels.

The father of four’s most memorable moment was winning the Ink and Iron competition for the first time in 2017 after much convincing from his wife, Shavone Stoffels, who always believed that he was extremely talented and deserving.

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He won six categories in 2017, and in 2018 he exceeded his own expectations and won nine categories, including Best Male Tattoo Artist 2018. In 2019, he bagged 10 awards.

During Covid-19, Stoffels closed his parlour in the heart of Wentworth due to safety risk concerns for his clients. His work can be seen on many local celebrities, including comedian Carvin Goldstone and actor, Madhushan Singh (Keeping up with the Kandasamy’s).

“I take pride in leaving lasting works of art on the bodies of people. I am always shocked when I have requests to tattoo people’s faces and I love tattooing portraits as it has so much meaning to it. I encourage youngsters to turn their negative behaviour patterns around and use their talents to broaden their horizons and better their lives. Despite where we come from and the negativity around us, we can push forward do the right thing for our families and community,” said Stoffels.

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