Taylor's New Tattoo Bridges Time and Oceans

We're returning from a hiatus with a visit from an old friend, Taylor.<br /><br />Taylor first shared her work with us <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/03/two-tattoos-from-taylor.html">here</a> back in 2010. We saw more work from her last year when she shared this incredible back piece inspired by <a href="http://www.banksy.co.uk/">Banksy</a>:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSwFrMiK9440ZB71R44uA9dq1Fk6wevjc6mQL67jKphpS0IbclNYmSayzAOQnvxPxPw9tAMihC1LXFFyxl5C0_DRryF16xCs-GH_2irKH2ROL-kIdwqPKtLtpYDoucDa-a-UIgoRHUwDc/s640/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSwFrMiK9440ZB71R44uA9dq1Fk6wevjc6mQL67jKphpS0IbclNYmSayzAOQnvxPxPw9tAMihC1LXFFyxl5C0_DRryF16xCs-GH_2irKH2ROL-kIdwqPKtLtpYDoucDa-a-UIgoRHUwDc/s640/photo.jpg" width="622" /></a></div><br />Recently, Taylor shared her latest tattoo with me and I'm passing it along to you:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOu1lubuVeedZxaRZYYULZF8Co0yobL1GLkOAJ7osCSCt-1U_IRbGTamnP_3UoZr2XAPqy0OkIZDKLejbb9pl2QgCIupbl02X9Q2hyphenhyphen5MKFcTlPMFW8WgDWB0Yp_eYGXarssnjcYjnRlbM/s1600/Taylor+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOu1lubuVeedZxaRZYYULZF8Co0yobL1GLkOAJ7osCSCt-1U_IRbGTamnP_3UoZr2XAPqy0OkIZDKLejbb9pl2QgCIupbl02X9Q2hyphenhyphen5MKFcTlPMFW8WgDWB0Yp_eYGXarssnjcYjnRlbM/s640/Taylor+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />As you may have guessed, these are actually a pair of tattoos of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verrazano-Narrows_Bridge">Verrazano-Narrows Bridge</a>, which connects the boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island. Taylor elaborates:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">My mom and I got matching tattoos. It was also her first. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">For some [people] the Verrazano Bridge is just a pretty bridge connecting Staten Island and Bay Ridge [Brpoklyn]. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">For me and my mom its where it all began. She moved to Shore Road [which runs along the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Narrows">Verrazano Narrows</a>] from Germany when my parents got married. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Every childhood memory I had was by that bridge. Unfortunately my parents got divorced and I moved with my mom back to Germany.<br /> </span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've been living in the neighborhood for almost 10 years again without my mom, but the Verrazano is somehow a piece of her."</span></blockquote><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's another, healed perspective:</span><br /><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvb1MM_98-zPZJAf1JrBnP6256o74ZLa2EDa6iPdh628d-0ZNwsEUIlVB4USL_SGuSJn8sjxGkMpdwwKd59u7etEKkLxPuRpQRdG60Wi8uwI3274myvBeUzX3x-O4_nSJgaPxwqNq0B3o/s1600/Taylor+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvb1MM_98-zPZJAf1JrBnP6256o74ZLa2EDa6iPdh628d-0ZNwsEUIlVB4USL_SGuSJn8sjxGkMpdwwKd59u7etEKkLxPuRpQRdG60Wi8uwI3274myvBeUzX3x-O4_nSJgaPxwqNq0B3o/s640/Taylor+1.jpg" width="482" /></a></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">I love how, not only do these tattoos, bridge the past with her mom, but they also bridge the ocean that currently separates them, bringing them closer together.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">Taylor credits local tattoo artist Angel Bauta, from <a href="http://puncturetattoostudio.com/Index.html">Puncture Tattoo</a> here in South Brooklyn with this work.</span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">Thanks again to Taylor for sharing her tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!</span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2013 Tattoosday.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-39cd23a0-928a-7d96-46e6-f6691853a57a"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are seeing this on another website other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit</span><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></span></div></div>

Taylor's New Tattoo Bridges Time and Oceans

We're returning from a hiatus with a visit from an old friend, Taylor. Taylor first shared her work with us here  back in 2010. We saw m...

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Saturday Links: Hello February!

I posted a bunch of links last Saturday and it seemed like the thing to do. So I started this last Sunday and added to it as the week progressed, giving you a snapshot of what interested me in the world of tattoos this past week, as we left January behind, and headed into February.<br /><br />On Sunday, Artist <a href="http://www.joecapobianco.com/">Joe Capobianco</a> updated us on a back piece he was working on <a href="http://www.joecapobianco.com/blog/2013/01/joey-japanese">here</a>.<br /><br />On Monday, "Shanghai" Kate Hellenbrand, one of the longest-tattooing female artists, alerted me to a Kickstarter campaign (<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/illthinking/from-voodoo-to-vogue">here</a>) to raise money for a documentary about her career called "<a href="http://www.fromvoodootovogue.com/">From Voodoo to Vogue</a>".<br /><br />On Friday, I spotted <a href="http://www.xojane.com/fun/do-this-dont-get-matching-tattoos">this piece</a> on <a href="http://www.xojane.com/">xoJane</a> about getting matching tattoos.<br /><br />On Saturday (today), I looked back and said, "Really, only <i>three</i> things?" It's a little misleading, as I have a lot of cool stuff in the works, including a great contest next week for readers.Y'all come back now, ya' hear?<br /><br /><br />

Saturday Links: Hello February!

I posted a bunch of links last Saturday and it seemed like the thing to do. So I started this last Sunday and added to it as the week progre...

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Brian's Mat-tree-monial Tattoo

Late last month, I met Brian on the 34th Street A platform and he shared this amazing tattoo:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_yPj8-uVVly2Wsm0cCty6T2-Va3IMa7X2WM1Sdin3t87Vb9pgoRqmD2PVH-c23adp_3aUHvUxm13S-2PCqA2FXXt8QOpBdOUKXpyyivB4Rwo-U-dPZ5_UC9trcWrpPFppyUHWtVIb/s1600/tree+kaz+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_yPj8-uVVly2Wsm0cCty6T2-Va3IMa7X2WM1Sdin3t87Vb9pgoRqmD2PVH-c23adp_3aUHvUxm13S-2PCqA2FXXt8QOpBdOUKXpyyivB4Rwo-U-dPZ5_UC9trcWrpPFppyUHWtVIb/s640/tree+kaz+wm.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><br /><br />The piece was relatively fresh, having been inked only a couple weeks before.<br /><br />He explained that this tree represents the Tree of Life. He alluded to the roots that spread out, firmly symbolizing family.<br /><br />Brian also explained that it was an investigation piece: he added a key, hanging from a branch. This symbolizes his desire to unlock the meaning of life.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1j1mJvqqJzyWCu60HPkzfAfPmTMLauZJKecf7xE3_W57eeAMRqoL2ZkGjUi31uMo3ACgiyRmOsJnxE47_UuXecC0K_jL_dNpIpHX180w5Bg_vrGIQz0tnlbnyZRQDS2-DnDV2rpa/s1600/tree+kaz+key+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1j1mJvqqJzyWCu60HPkzfAfPmTMLauZJKecf7xE3_W57eeAMRqoL2ZkGjUi31uMo3ACgiyRmOsJnxE47_UuXecC0K_jL_dNpIpHX180w5Bg_vrGIQz0tnlbnyZRQDS2-DnDV2rpa/s400/tree+kaz+key+wm.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br />What's doubly special about this tattoo is that it is also a marriage tattoo. Brian's wife has a similar tree on her right arm (Brian's is on the left), only with cherry blossoms instead of a key, and a baby in the design as well.<br /><br />The couple are linked not only by their vows, but by their similar ma-tree-monial tattoos. Sorry, I couldn't help it.<br /><br />The tattoo is by <a href="http://www.nyadorned.com/gallery.php?id=20">Kaz</a> at <a href="http://www.nyadorned.com/">Brooklyn Adorned</a>. Work from Kaz has appeared previously on Tattoosday <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/09/butterfly-koi-rising-on-arm-of-belquis.html">here</a>. And <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/New%20York%20Adorned">this tag</a>, links all previous Adorned work on the blog.<br /><br />Thanks to Brian for sharing this amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Brian's Mat-tree-monial Tattoo

Late last month, I met Brian on the 34th Street A platform and he shared this amazing tattoo: The piece was relatively fresh, having been in...

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Ricky & Jessica's Matching Nightmarish Tattoos

I met Jessica and Ricky outside of Penn Station during the last week of April.<br /><br />I had spotted one of Ricky's four tattoos on his right bicep:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Q5dxwH5RnZZ_8h3ib5mK4NQN6n5VeYgsXRsT6YHu5IgwQGtnHfwb_OeGhZriwHkIGFVaXyg7lApwgmSa12vEJ9GWir5oTDct6JLWQmgV5VKAvcRT_myb02Xikvg4j_V8cUxJ171hPrA/s1600-h/Jack.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332652921125808114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Q5dxwH5RnZZ_8h3ib5mK4NQN6n5VeYgsXRsT6YHu5IgwQGtnHfwb_OeGhZriwHkIGFVaXyg7lApwgmSa12vEJ9GWir5oTDct6JLWQmgV5VKAvcRT_myb02Xikvg4j_V8cUxJ171hPrA/s400/Jack.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />This is, of course, a tattoo based on the great film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107688/">A Nightmare Before Christmas</a>, with the character <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Skellington">Jack Skellington</a> in the foreground and his girlfriend <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_%28The_Nightmare_Before_Christmas%29">Sally</a> in the background, standing on the recognizable <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Burton">Tim Burton</a> hill.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13CPI6dIdnidZsyOv3IG35AcdTB0gBO7Dpy0UKkf-rP-bgj_-tcgcP6uM7JqDW0rlUlqjnHLoCp1BVnJMNHJ5M70ykMh3bF_irx39kOvj33VSgLq6CR9z-G5W-al1FBR7b_SSbjlmLUw/s1600-h/nightmare_before_christmas_ver1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332653515484396754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13CPI6dIdnidZsyOv3IG35AcdTB0gBO7Dpy0UKkf-rP-bgj_-tcgcP6uM7JqDW0rlUlqjnHLoCp1BVnJMNHJ5M70ykMh3bF_irx39kOvj33VSgLq6CR9z-G5W-al1FBR7b_SSbjlmLUw/s400/nightmare_before_christmas_ver1.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 272px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />What's particularly cool about the leering Jack tattoo is that it was inked at the same time as Ricky's girlfriend Jessica's piece:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjztIt1G0K2WrinTonysFVMUkCCQWpub0SU540ssmdw9FcscV6XCNlJrjLqPQLZZbanK8bC6cMSFz-HzeK69yKcVGgHXPZL8HavFYI60Wc0SmYW59_W6a7-x83tnlGKW7OcVpLAPVGzyLE/s1600-h/Sally.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332652738577021266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjztIt1G0K2WrinTonysFVMUkCCQWpub0SU540ssmdw9FcscV6XCNlJrjLqPQLZZbanK8bC6cMSFz-HzeK69yKcVGgHXPZL8HavFYI60Wc0SmYW59_W6a7-x83tnlGKW7OcVpLAPVGzyLE/s400/Sally.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />This tattoo, one of eleven that Jessica sports, is on her right ankle. The design is similar, with the hill in the background, only the roles are reversed.<br /><br />In the foreground is Sally, and Jack stands in the background.<br /><br />The two tattoos, a matching set, were customized for the couple that sports them by Sean at <a href="http://www.spankystattoo.com/">Spanky's Tattoo Studio</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camden,_New_Jersey">Camden, New Jersey</a>.<br /><br />As a fan of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Nightmare Before Christmas</span>, I totally appreciate the representation of the two main characters in ink, and the romantic in me loves the fact that Jessica and Ricky expressed their relationship in this fashion (Full disclosure: my wife and I have matching Jack and Sally coffee mugs).<br /><br />A <span style="font-style: italic;">Nightmare Before Christmas</span> tattoo has appeared on the blog previously <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2009/04/abbey-nex-contemplates-transforming.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Ricky and Jessica for sharing their tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Ricky & Jessica's Matching Nightmarish Tattoos

I met Jessica and Ricky outside of Penn Station during the last week of April. I had spotted one of Ricky's four tattoos on his right bi...

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Punx: Two Friends from Texas

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCYt1l-4NL4AqxzBg1oJ-CHZcQWVGANYHf1_ZyoR1l7PDAF8BIFv9_Dh4wq-LpkT1HT4s0fVqgdywmOC06VnpadkQ44zc3YXFv79OFMGti8xuebog_N3fTt7fPYyqyc6h2n0rzw_umrkh/s1600-h/PICT0525.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237691234121598594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCYt1l-4NL4AqxzBg1oJ-CHZcQWVGANYHf1_ZyoR1l7PDAF8BIFv9_Dh4wq-LpkT1HT4s0fVqgdywmOC06VnpadkQ44zc3YXFv79OFMGti8xuebog_N3fTt7fPYyqyc6h2n0rzw_umrkh/s400/PICT0525.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a><br />This is a continuation of sorts, from <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/08/kelly-remembers-her-grandmother.html">the post above</a>.<br /><br />When I met Kelly, she was hanging out with her friend Amber. And although Kelly appeared to be the more inked of the two, Amber was very positive and enthusiastic about the concept behind Tattoosday.<br /><br />So after taking a picture of Kelly's tattoo, I turned to Amber and asked if she wanted to share as well.<br /><br />The two decided to show off their "Punx" tattoos, both inked on their wrists on the occasion of their 21st birthdays.<br /><br />According to Amber and Kelly, the "Punx" label is affiliated with the band <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transplants_%28band%29">The Transplants</a>, headed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lars_Frederiksen">Lars Fredrickson</a>, formerly of the band <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rancid_%28band%29">Rancid</a>. According to Kelly and Amber, it is common for fans of the band to get this tattoo as a mark of solidarity.<br /><br />They don't remember the name of the shop where they had these spur of the moment tattoos done, but they do recall that it was a place near <a href="http://www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com/default.aspx">the River Walk in San Antonio, Texas</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Amber and Kelly for being so cool and sharing their ink with us here at Tattoosday!

Punx: Two Friends from Texas

This is a continuation of sorts, from the post above . When I met Kelly, she was hanging out with her friend Amber. And although Kelly appea...

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