The Tattooed Poets Project: Brendan Constantine

One of the more satisfying aspects of this year's Tattooed Poets Project has been completing posts for poets who first contacted me in 2009 during our inaugural year of the endeavor.<br /><br />In <a href="http://www.brendanconstantine.com/html/home.html">Brendan Constantine's</a> first e-mail to me, back in February 2009, he mentioned being "extensively tattooed," a fact that, over the last thirteen months, escaped me. Brendan and I have stayed in touch, and he was finally able to send me a photo last night of one of his tattoos. I was surprised to see this amazing back piece:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqGOsJ1GIRwNs0I3azQ0rNOlT-Q61SmBKptpNqPV9DNsbEsQvP_gxTnLbzeONh3wIkskK3iMgmHjTQOiZU3Z28sEP4G4eUQD8GoM-N5sEfnDdj9kiEeBfFkkYQt_qA_dQvu9f3cIL/s1600/Brendan+Constantine+tattoo+over+shoulder+2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461780065489192738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqGOsJ1GIRwNs0I3azQ0rNOlT-Q61SmBKptpNqPV9DNsbEsQvP_gxTnLbzeONh3wIkskK3iMgmHjTQOiZU3Z28sEP4G4eUQD8GoM-N5sEfnDdj9kiEeBfFkkYQt_qA_dQvu9f3cIL/s400/Brendan+Constantine+tattoo+over+shoulder+2.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 364px;" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Photos by Shawn Burkley<br /></span></div>Brendan explains how this work came into existence:<br /><blockquote><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">"</span><span goog_docs_charindex="403" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span goog_docs_charindex="404" style="font-size:100%;">In 1994 I went to an retrospective of legendary Japanese artist, </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawanabe_Ky%C5%8Dsai"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Kawanabe Kyōsai</span></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawanabe_Ky%C5%8Dsai" style="font-family: times new roman;"><span></span></a><span goog_docs_charindex="403" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span goog_docs_charindex="404" style="font-size:100%;">, at the <a href="http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/">National Gallery</a> in London. Known as the ‘Demon of </span></span><span goog_docs_charindex="550" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span goog_docs_charindex="551" style="font-size:100%;">Painting</span></span><span goog_docs_charindex="562" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span goog_docs_charindex="563" style="font-size:100%;">,’ </span></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Kyōsai </span><span goog_docs_charindex="562" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span goog_docs_charindex="563" style="font-size:100%;">was among the very first artists in his </span></span><span goog_docs_charindex="616" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span goog_docs_charindex="617" style="font-size:100%;">country</span></span><span goog_docs_charindex="627" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span goog_docs_charindex="628" style="font-size:100%;"> to bring western techniques to bear upon traditional themes, a move which earned him much criticism. I was transfixed by his work and came home with a huge book of his prints. Artist, Kirby White, then with <a href="http://www.yonitattoo.com/">Yoni Tattoo</a> in the San Fernando </span></span><span goog_docs_charindex="871" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span goog_docs_charindex="872" style="font-size:100%;">Valley</span></span><span goog_docs_charindex="881" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span goog_docs_charindex="882" style="font-size:100%;">, shared my enthusiasm for this unique painter and said, “I would kill to work in this style!”<br /><br /></span></span> <p style="margin: 0pt;font-family:times new roman;" goog_docs_charindex="981"><span goog_docs_charindex="982"><span goog_docs_charindex="983" style="font-size:100%;">Unfortunately,</span></span><span goog_docs_charindex="1000"><span goog_docs_charindex="1001" style="font-size:100%;"> halfway through the process, </span></span><span goog_docs_charindex="1034"><span goog_docs_charindex="1035" style="font-size:100%;">Kirby </span></span><span goog_docs_charindex="1044"><span goog_docs_charindex="1045" style="font-size:100%;">began to experience chronic back pain which ultimately kept her from finishing the piece. Nevertheless, I asked that she sign it, somethi</span></span><span goog_docs_charindex="1185"><span goog_docs_charindex="1186" style="font-size:100%;">ng few if any people allow</span></span><span goog_docs_charindex="1215"><span goog_docs_charindex="1216" style="font-size:100%;"> artist’s to do. </span></span><span goog_docs_charindex="1236"><span goog_docs_charindex="1237" style="font-size:100%;">I know the work is supposed to be its own signature, but I wanted the piece to bear Kirby’s mark the same as if it had been rendered on rice paper.<br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0pt;font-family:times new roman;" goog_docs_charindex="981"><span goog_docs_charindex="1236"><span goog_docs_charindex="1237" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt; font-family: times new roman;" goog_docs_charindex="1389"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXnB1Vggebhk24kGBP3WKrfwCkUyM_bE9e3RUPm5rcSVHKOXzIchg5CMU0qAjKZ7OEIqq88Si4eaYxB7MqpH1NFIDcZANTiFrFjPWRnys3dy6G4iBKTQI4SZElhKyajmsXzXStN7z/s1600/Brendan+detail.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461779987356780178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXnB1Vggebhk24kGBP3WKrfwCkUyM_bE9e3RUPm5rcSVHKOXzIchg5CMU0qAjKZ7OEIqq88Si4eaYxB7MqpH1NFIDcZANTiFrFjPWRnys3dy6G4iBKTQI4SZElhKyajmsXzXStN7z/s400/Brendan+detail.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 315px;" /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0pt; text-align: right;font-family:times new roman;" goog_docs_charindex="1392"><span style="font-size:78%;">Photos by Shawn Burkley</span></p><p style="margin: 0pt; text-align: right;font-family:times new roman;" goog_docs_charindex="1392"><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0pt;font-family:times new roman;" goog_docs_charindex="1392"><span goog_docs_charindex="1393"><span goog_docs_charindex="1394" style="font-size:100%;">About two years later I met artist <a href="http://www.myspace.com/keynsong">Sung Song</a> at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/puretattoo">Pure Tattoo</a> in Los Angeles (he has since moved on</span></span><span goog_docs_charindex="1494"><span goog_docs_charindex="1495" style="font-size:100%;">, now at <a href="http://www.unbreakabletattoo.com/">Unbreakable Tattoo</a> in Studio City</span></span><span goog_docs_charindex="1556"><span goog_docs_charindex="1557" style="font-size:100%;">) and discovered he was also devoted to the work of</span></span> Kyōsai <span goog_docs_charindex="1556"><span goog_docs_charindex="1557" style="font-size:100%;">. I showed him where Kirby left off and he enthusiastically finished the job, adding his own improvisations while respecting Kirby’s work. The piece now bears both their idiographic signatures as part of the design.</span></span><span goog_docs_charindex="1833"><span goog_docs_charindex="1834" style="font-size:100%;"> I’m a happy gallery!"</span></span></p></blockquote><p style="margin: 0pt;font-family:times new roman;" goog_docs_charindex="1392"><span goog_docs_charindex="1833"><span goog_docs_charindex="1834" style="font-size:100%;"></span></span></p><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ykH60_jCqF7NynZAErX-WxqguYfYrSkBLif_NSi-Yo1lu9-QRlY7B11paC_D-304qyVRwxEhaKHqrTOR4MZ8pspLZx4eX2Cf5yOJqRkHZrXpXTgsckmWdHHrPSOCvbO5RKFmnFtY/s1600/Brendan+Cosnatine+tattoo+composite.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461779784504576146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ykH60_jCqF7NynZAErX-WxqguYfYrSkBLif_NSi-Yo1lu9-QRlY7B11paC_D-304qyVRwxEhaKHqrTOR4MZ8pspLZx4eX2Cf5yOJqRkHZrXpXTgsckmWdHHrPSOCvbO5RKFmnFtY/s400/Brendan+Cosnatine+tattoo+composite.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 331px; height: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Photos by Shawn Burkley</span><br /></div>Thanks to Brendan for sharing this amazing work!<br /><br />Please be sure to head over to BillyBlog to read one of his poems <a href="http://oxypoet.blogspot.com/2010/04/tattooed-poets-project-brendan.html">here</a>.<br /><br /><span goog_docs_charindex="2" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span goog_docs_charindex="3" style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.brendanconstantine.com/html/home.html">Brendan Constantine</a> is a poet based in Los Angeles. His work has appeared in numerous journals, notably </span></span><span goog_docs_charindex="117" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i goog_docs_charindex="118"><span goog_docs_charindex="119" style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.pshares.org/">Ploughshares</a>, <a href="http://www.ninthletter.com/">Ninth Letter</a>,<a href="http://www.cortlandreview.com/">The Cortland Review</a></span></i></span><span goog_docs_charindex="169" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span goog_docs_charindex="170" style="font-size:100%;"> & <a href="http://www.arctospress.com/runes.html"> </a></span></span><a href="http://www.arctospress.com/runes.html"><span goog_docs_charindex="177" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i goog_docs_charindex="178"><span goog_docs_charindex="179" style="font-size:100%;">RUNES</span></i></span></a><span goog_docs_charindex="188" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span goog_docs_charindex="189" style="font-size:100%;">. His book, </span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Letters-Guns-Brendan-Constantine/dp/1597091383"><span goog_docs_charindex="205" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i goog_docs_charindex="206"><u goog_docs_charindex="207"><span goog_docs_charindex="208" style="font-size:100%;">Letters To Guns</span></u></i></span></a><span goog_docs_charindex="228" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span goog_docs_charindex="229" style="font-size:100%;">, was released in 2009 from <a href="http://www.redhen.org/">Red Hen Press</a>. He is currently poet in residence at <a href="https://www.windwardschool.org/podium/default.aspx?t=2406&rc=1">The Windward School</a> and <a href="http://www.lmu.edu/Page3539.aspx">Loyola Marymount University Extension</a>.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=bill03-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=1597091383" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><br /></div>

The Tattooed Poets Project: Brendan Constantine

One of the more satisfying aspects of this year's Tattooed Poets Project has been completing posts for poets who first contacted me in 2...

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