The Tattooed Poets Project, Volume 4It seems incredible to me that this April, in 2012, we’ll be celebrating National Poetry Month on Tattoosday for the fourth year in a row, by showcasing the tattoos of poets. Not necessarily literary tattoos, but tattoos of the literary.When the idea first struck me in early 2009, I didn’t know if a…
RoBear Shares a Pin-UpA familiar face passed me in Penn Station a couple weeks back and I jumped at the opportunity to talk to him - it was RoBear, from the TLC series NY Ink.For those of you not familiar with the show, RoBear is the floor manager at Wooster Street Social Club, the setting for the show.I first encountere…
Matt's SkullIt's always a bonus when I run into a tattoo artist somewhere other than a tattoo shop.For example, I spotted Matthew Adams on the platform of the 34th Street Station, waiting for a downtown A train last week.Like most artists, he had a lot of ink, so he picked this one piece to share:And on the bac…
Marianna Shares the First Rose of SpringToday is the first day of spring! It's always a joyous time here at Tattoosday, as the temperatures rise and all the tattoos of my fellow New Yorkers come out of hibernation.Last week we were experiencing a lovely end-of-winter day with warm temperatures and I encountered this lovely first rose of s…
Musician Monday: Camille Harp's Bird Flies FreeIt has been a while since we celebrated "Musician Monday," but the early onset of spring has brought out the tattoos and last week in Penn station, I met Camille, who shared this part of her left sleeve:We focused on this segment in particular:Camille told me she went to her artist, Fernando Casilla…
Jason's Two Stars Lead the WayLast week, I spotted Jason walking through Penn Station and took the opportunity to ask him about some of his tattoos. He says he has about twenty-four in all, so I took a picture of his forearms, from the photo here you can see six of them, including a Celtic knot and the phrase "Let it be...".Howe…
Steve's Zombie Apocalypse - In ProgressA couple weeks back, on an unseasonably warm and sunny February day, I spotted Steve on Penn Plaza, wearing a short-sleeve shirt, with some pretty cool ink peeking out from his arm.Intrigued, I approached him, and started up a conversation about his tattoos. He showed me several pieces, including th…
Inkbursts: Spring AwakeningSo I'm digging these inkbursts for now. This is the third in the series, each piece composed on the New York City subways.On Thursday it was 60 degrees in the Big Apple and, I read somewhere that this has been the fourth warmest winter on record. You wouldn't know that from the paucity of posts thes…
Danielle's Mother Walks with HerLast week I met Danielle in Penn Station and spotted this tattoo on her left foot:She explained that November 7, 1958 was her mother's birth date. Danielle was just a little girl of eight years old when her mother passed, and she got this, her only tattoo, to memorialize her mom.The reason she got i…
Inkbursts: I See Your Tattoo but I Won't Ask You About ItI take pride in the fact that I can sit on a train and spot tattoos.I'm not talking about the obvious, but the subtle.Remember, I have been inkspotting for over four and a half years (!). I am adept ar detecting scribbles on feet, a word on an inner wrist, and the edges of sleeves peeking out from u…
Inkburst: Commenting on TattoosdayI am writing this post on the subway, on my Samsung Galaxy S II's Blogger app, in what I will call an "Inkburst." That is, a small, mini-post, that I hope people find interesting.Readers may notice that there aren't a lot of comments on this site. I have a filter set up that requires my approval bef…
Never Say Never, and Never, Ever Give UpReaders of Tattoosday first encountered my friend Brooke's tattoos here (in 2007) and here (in 2008).I work with Brooke, as well, and we often chat about tattoos. A year or two ago, she had told me she was done getting inked. But, you know what they say, never say never.So I was not terribly surpris…
