Matt Zumberge Allan Rivera

Everyday their artwork travels the streets of Orange County. The collectors come from all walks of life: young, old, business professional, stay-at-home moms, athletes and more. The human skin is their canvas; needle and ink is their medium. They are Matt Zumberge and Allan Rivera—professional tattoo artists at True At Heart Tattoo in Lake Forest.

Born to a photographer father and a graphic designing mother, Matt Zumberge was ushered into the world of art at a young age. Intrigued by the art of tattooing, he performed his first tattoo at age 15 on himself. He used a sterilized safety pin wrapped in thread, along with Indian ink, and poked away at his skin until reaching visual satisfaction: a symbol he saw on the cover of one of English punk band Crass' albums.

With a developing passion for the art form and an insatiable hunger for more ink, Zumberge eventually learned how to tattoo from his good friend and tattoo artist Nathan Kostechko. He never stopped asking questions. Now a graduate of the Laguna College of Art and Design with a bachelor's degree in Fine Art, Zumberge has developed into an oft-requested tattoo artist at True At Heart. He also enjoys oil painting on the side. When I asked him if he plans on tattooing for years to come, Zumberge replied, "There is nothing I would rather do."

Unlike pal Matt Zumberge, Allan Rivera got his first tattoo by a "professional" artist in Venice Beach at age 18. This regretful experience taught Rivera that style and technique are just as important in tattooing as in any other art form. After painting limited edition Disney ceramics for 10 years, Rivera would eventually try his hand at tattooing. He apprenticed under True At Heart owner Jon Deanda for 8 months while working 90 hours a week serving tables and doing construction jobs. He was determined to become a talented and professional tattoo artist by the end of his apprenticeship.

Rivera's greatest art influences are well-known Renaissance artists Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. He creates art in many other mediums as well, including: watercolor, acrylics, oils, ceramics, printmaking and engraving. A favored artistic venture for Rivera is painting portraits. He says, "...one of the most challenging things to do as an artist is to capture the likeness and expressions of a person."

Though Matt Zumberge and Allan Rivera have great artistic talent, their egos are refreshingly small. Both of these self-confessed "simple art nerds" are fine artists that love what they do and enjoy nothing more than gratifying a customer with impressive skin art. According to Rivera, who has been there since the shop's beginning, their goal has always been "to provide an atmosphere that is both comfortable and inspiring for both the artist and the client."