Leo Gonzales was born and raised in Pojoaque near Santa Fe, NM. The films of Harryhausen and the writings of Tolkien had a profound and lasting impact on him from an early age. A love of monsters, and all things fantastic, horrific and alien have always been a driving force in his life. An avid roleplaying and miniature war gamer, he competed professionally for a time in miniature figurine painting and modeling, with a handful of prestigious awards under his belt, including several Golden Daemon awards as well as a Forge World Best in Show. Leo has been tattooing professionally full-time for 30 years. He runs his own tattoo parlor and art gallery – Stay Gold, in Albuquerque, NM and has worked alongside some of the biggest names in the industry. A love and appreciation for Japanese mythology and the bio-mechanical tattoo aesthetic, as well as his love of folklore, and the great works of fantasy and horror literature have all culminated in a post apocalyptic vision within his intricately crafted oil paintings. His work has been exhibited in many group and solo shows in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, NM including the POP Gallery and KEEP Contemporary, as well as numerous showings in the Illuxcon Main Show and Evening Showcase. He has several paintings published in Infected By Art Volumes 8, 9, 10 , 11 and 12 as well as the gigantic 2 volume book set- The Bio-mech Encyclopedia (alongside luminaries in the field such as H R Giger, Zdislaw Beksinski, and Guy Aitchison).