Sara's Psalm Speaks to the Desires of Her Heart

I met Sara on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/36th_Street_%28BMT_Fourth_Avenue_Line%29">36th Street subway platform</a> in Brooklyn last month during the late afternoon rush hour commute.<br /><br />What can I say? I'm a sucker for words and this tattoo looked poetic:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibT1nz-z_MUNo8y22uF9IiAaPXImS7mBgnhIyUXos00-OHkbcaPId8xGpgWxsWA9lbYB2sxrG50O4nWYbvYAwLlmND1gQINJUUVssN-CmMG2sppN_c6Mv1JGAFEWh5ZiJhbAyZfk_x/s1600/Psalm+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibT1nz-z_MUNo8y22uF9IiAaPXImS7mBgnhIyUXos00-OHkbcaPId8xGpgWxsWA9lbYB2sxrG50O4nWYbvYAwLlmND1gQINJUUVssN-CmMG2sppN_c6Mv1JGAFEWh5ZiJhbAyZfk_x/s640/Psalm+wm.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />Sara filled me in. She has three tattoos and this passage "spoke to her". She wanted something religious for her 30th birthday.<br /><br />This is an excerpt (verse 4) from Psalm 37 in the Bible.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYGwMhlFdzWJLucSmWqstT9jd2IAN5EhMpEkqELAfylv8djJjTOaYj3ptssPjTx0k7DhaMBgZmk7S5_bPyfJVZ9HP7BMosIiq3AhL6TMgX3wwb3wjzyIxJGR-BM9kUFauNZSMwQn9/s1600/Psalm+Detail+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYGwMhlFdzWJLucSmWqstT9jd2IAN5EhMpEkqELAfylv8djJjTOaYj3ptssPjTx0k7DhaMBgZmk7S5_bPyfJVZ9HP7BMosIiq3AhL6TMgX3wwb3wjzyIxJGR-BM9kUFauNZSMwQn9/s400/Psalm+Detail+wm.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><br />The verse reads "Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart" [King James Version]. Sara changed the <i>thee </i>and <i>thine </i>to read <i>me </i>and <i>my</i>, respectively, making the verse more personal.<br /><br />This was tattooed by <a href="http://www.brooklyninktattoo.com/alex_tattoos.html">Alex Franklin</a> at <a href="http://www.brooklyninktattoo.com/">Brooklyn Ink</a> in Bay Ridge. Work from Brooklyn Ink (and much from Alex) can be seen on this Tattoosday label <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Brooklyn%20Ink">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Sara for sharing her source of inspiration with us here on Tattoosday!

Sara's Psalm Speaks to the Desires of Her Heart

I met Sara on the 36th Street subway platform in Brooklyn last month during the late afternoon rush hour commute. What can I say? I'm a...

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Adam's Tattoos Honor God and Country

On April 28th, I was walking across <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Plaza">Penn Plaza</a>, outside of <a href="http://www.thegarden.com/">Madison Square Garden</a>, and saw a couple of guys taking pictures.<br /><br />This is fairly common outside of "the world's most famous arena".<br /><br />Depending on the event going on that day or night, one can get an eyefull of tattoo ink. When there is a rock concert scheduled, there is quite a few visible tattoos on the plaza, when the <a href="http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/">Westminster dog show's</a> in town, not so much.<br /><br />On this particular day, there was a <a href="http://www.wwe.com/">WWE</a> wrestling event at the Garden, and the guys I saw taking pictures were waiting for the show to begin.<br /><br />I approached and met Adam, who had this very cool tattoo on his right bicep:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNibqPywIkoDrJk-SP7pAYYlvDO7F9A13UNh2S-sdTBeG1tlOzNuOgDR-Ewz5Lo1Zr5T1nREquHxXOuhjXnqutDVJJR-50iSfvAY9XXWGaQhnIaw128tutkQIBCMlOIod7tKEAH05oWAA/s1600-h/torn+flesh.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334873333090356674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNibqPywIkoDrJk-SP7pAYYlvDO7F9A13UNh2S-sdTBeG1tlOzNuOgDR-Ewz5Lo1Zr5T1nREquHxXOuhjXnqutDVJJR-50iSfvAY9XXWGaQhnIaw128tutkQIBCMlOIod7tKEAH05oWAA/s400/torn+flesh.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />The piece is designed to flow with his musculature and falls under what I call the "torn flesh" category of tattooing. That is, the tattoo takes on an additional dimension, as it is inked to appear as if the flesh is ripped away, allowing the viewer to see what lies below the skin.<br /><br />In Adam's case, he bleeds red, white and blue in the form of the American flag. His patriotism is exemplified by this tattoo. As a member of the <a href="http://www.airforce.com/">United States Air Force</a>, he serves our country proudly, and his tattoo is a symbol of how his love of our country runs deep.<br /><br />Adam also wanted to show me his back piece, a religious-themed work that reflects his faith:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgla4FCkEXhrGjzJsZZU36-1AWi_VbZV5idRIj9r1B9OLjvUCGZBKtXvIZBofObrL7uYIAOWfYp03eqYrMyovJe-29lCLOoan1ShiqCpBd2Ifmfb9AiYVmAYWlOlDMUnK3dhTupF_Q2pt8/s1600-h/Adams+cross2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334872280895843458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgla4FCkEXhrGjzJsZZU36-1AWi_VbZV5idRIj9r1B9OLjvUCGZBKtXvIZBofObrL7uYIAOWfYp03eqYrMyovJe-29lCLOoan1ShiqCpBd2Ifmfb9AiYVmAYWlOlDMUnK3dhTupF_Q2pt8/s400/Adams+cross2.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 348px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />The cross takes up most of the space, and is anchored by a banner that proclaims "May God Have Mercy".<br /><br />There are also two biblical verses on either side of the cross at the top of the back.<br /><br />The left is from the book of <a href="http://joe-beardsworth.blogspot.com/2008/01/joshua-19-nrsv.html">Joshua, Chapter 1, Verse 9</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Revised_Standard_Version">New Revised Standard Version</a>):<br /><blockquote><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" xmlns="">"Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."</span></blockquote><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" xmlns=""></span><br />The right is from lines 14 and 15 of <a href="http://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Psalm+91&vnum=yes&version=nrsv">Psalm 91</a> (also <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Revised_Standard_Version">NRSV</a>):<br /><br /><blockquote>"Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. When they call to me, I will answer them..."<br /></blockquote><br />All the work shown here on Adam was inked by Adrian at <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/planet/kensunderground/home.html">Ken's Underground</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dover,_Delaware">Dover, Delaware.</a><br /><br />Thanks to Adam for sharing his awesome tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Adam's Tattoos Honor God and Country

On April 28th, I was walking across Penn Plaza , outside of Madison Square Garden , and saw a couple of guys taking pictures. This is fairly...

Read more »