The Tattooed Poets Project: Ali Jacs

On this, the penultimate day of our fourth annual Tattooed Poets Project, we will be featuring a pair of tattooed spoken word artists.<br /><br />First up is <a href="http://www.alijacs.com/">Ali Jacs</a>, who shared her tattoo in its sketch stage<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZKoHju9a8Y5Xj5HwoEJi58yr1xJ8WyJHEknCTN6l4qDz5g0SzraDpXVWOR36BmTqszAUAJW4hCzBTqTTwTLMCFLFLC8RrXvGhOyuZa0Lj9Br6M7wBsEle1GKNsYnibrhZx_me6HCtSE/s729/Ali_Jacs_tattoo_in_progress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZKoHju9a8Y5Xj5HwoEJi58yr1xJ8WyJHEknCTN6l4qDz5g0SzraDpXVWOR36BmTqszAUAJW4hCzBTqTTwTLMCFLFLC8RrXvGhOyuZa0Lj9Br6M7wBsEle1GKNsYnibrhZx_me6HCtSE/s400/Ali_Jacs_tattoo_in_progress.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">and in its final state:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrWNAw5S_w947yMnoNjP-CViVOtEpcWOC-9OjntyUTWnhn1EWBp7ZzvKQ0EyJh11QW_I2wqyKIENzDglQtjTijbqn8rzlgJ_BBUinK0xnsLHluZ5kgXYxwQ-7uKgUvuqegk8UrBntQ40/s679/Ali_Jacs_tattoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrWNAw5S_w947yMnoNjP-CViVOtEpcWOC-9OjntyUTWnhn1EWBp7ZzvKQ0EyJh11QW_I2wqyKIENzDglQtjTijbqn8rzlgJ_BBUinK0xnsLHluZ5kgXYxwQ-7uKgUvuqegk8UrBntQ40/s400/Ali_Jacs_tattoo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Ali explains:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"I got the ... tattoo in January 2010 after a bit of a dark yet very enlightening stage in my life ... The tattoo artist <a href="http://www.globusgallery.co.nz/globus_maori_tattoo_rotorua_New_Zealand/Tattoos.html">Elton Buchanan</a> is trained in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81ori_culture">Maori</a> style of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Arawa">Te Arawa</a> tribe in New Zealand. There is fair bit of symbolism in this - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frangipani">frangipani</a> flower petals symbolize personal awakening, of which I did a fair amount in 2009! There are fish scales which symbolize the '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taniwha">taniwha</a>', or mythical Maori protector who dwells in the ocean, there is weaving to symbolize strength in family and friends and there are two <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manaia_(mythological_creature)">Manaia</a> - guardian spirits of the earth, sea and sky. Blending in some contemporary culture, there is a treble and bass clef to highlight my connection with music. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Which ties in quite well with my poem, which I've provided [below] ... most of my poetry these days is focused on performance poetry and this particular piece focuses on the music that we hear in every day occurrences and the sounds that bring this world alive." </blockquote>Here is the poem that Ali has shared:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">  <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="284" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/66Z9tPVjVjI" width="500"></iframe> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Ali Jacs is a performance poet from Wellington, New Zealand. After getting involved in the spoken word community in the Canadian prairies, Ali returned home to New Zealand in 2010. She won 2nd place in the 2011 <a href="http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/2011/sep/titirangi/going-west-festival-2011-poetry-slam">Going West Writer’s Festival Poetry Slam</a> in Auckland and in October 2011, won 2nd place in New Zealand’s inaugural National Poetry Slam. Having travelled extensively across Canada and Europe, Ali’s poetry is inspired by people, landscapes and cultures encountered on the road, exploring themes of politics, sexuality, social and environmental justice and the madness of these crazy times. Ali runs the monthly performance poetry series <a href="http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/2012/poetry-in-motion3/wellington">Poetry in Motion</a> in Wellington, New Zealand and has recently finished her first chapbook <u>Romantic Pragmatism</u>. You can also check her out on her new website <a href="http://www.alijacs.com/">www.alijacs.com</a>.  </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Thanks very much to Ali Jacs for her contribution to the Tattooed Poets Project!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. The tattoo is reprinted with the poet's permission. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading 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 http://tattoosday.blogspot.com 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></div>

The Tattooed Poets Project: Ali Jacs

On this, the penultimate day of our fourth annual Tattooed Poets Project, we will be featuring a pair of tattooed spoken word artists. First...

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Tattoosday Goes Tribal on Ink Master

<span id="internal-source-marker_0.7983786932645566" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What’s the hardest thing about being an ink-blogger and getting a tattoo on a televised competition show? Keeping my mouth shut for almost six months about the experience. </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2R2c-vx0SewZPGiikWuUNlQNUVFcvDLt9C4n72gR1OqvJN8Xofcoe6QSgcT8SifoOCEosTO2jTwDFAiCxdq4t7AI4t5IvjSBOKt_DmVvKZA0Wx8zMxZ11rImFzymuq281YAu4_dj7nc/s1600/Honu+Tribal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2R2c-vx0SewZPGiikWuUNlQNUVFcvDLt9C4n72gR1OqvJN8Xofcoe6QSgcT8SifoOCEosTO2jTwDFAiCxdq4t7AI4t5IvjSBOKt_DmVvKZA0Wx8zMxZ11rImFzymuq281YAu4_dj7nc/s400/Honu+Tribal.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><span id="internal-source-marker_0.7983786932645566" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is the tattoo that  I received back in August in the course of my stint as a "human canvas" on  the set of Spike TV's <a href="http://www.spike.com/shows/ink-master">Ink Master</a>.</span><br /><br /><span id="internal-source-marker_0.7983786932645566" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What you didn't see on the show (if you watched last night) was the consulting session in which I sat down with the artist and hashed out the ideas and concepts that I wanted represented in this tribal piece that ultimately ended up on my left thigh.</span><br /><span id="internal-source-marker_0.7983786932645566" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span id="internal-source-marker_0.7983786932645566" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The two main elements are the <a href="http://coffeetimes.com/aug97.htm">honu</a>, or Hawaiian sea turtle, and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus">hibiscus</a>, which is the state flower of Hawai'i. Having grown up in the Aloha State, I wanted something that represented my childhood home.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-7z4t5dKp22UPUE227mhIa7cmvq8HqLzzDTREJ6hCSOd6mvyUJqg-LnpEknJ_Dy026UzDOAXbR2KXgGhqEXQeKTB7Qefzl5_29Q3tW5W1sW7bPd7t6CxH7sAoGO-te70Qy5gKdYDxfg/s1600/HeatherSin-blog-thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-7z4t5dKp22UPUE227mhIa7cmvq8HqLzzDTREJ6hCSOd6mvyUJqg-LnpEknJ_Dy026UzDOAXbR2KXgGhqEXQeKTB7Qefzl5_29Q3tW5W1sW7bPd7t6CxH7sAoGO-te70Qy5gKdYDxfg/s400/HeatherSin-blog-thumb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span id="internal-source-marker_0.7983786932645566" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span id="internal-source-marker_0.7983786932645566" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br /><span id="internal-source-marker_0.7983786932645566" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The end result far exceeded my expectations. I want to again thank <a href="http://www.theartofheathersinn.com/">Heather Sinn</a>, my artist, for giving me an exceptional tattoo under less than ideal conditions. </span><br /><span id="internal-source-marker_0.7983786932645566" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I also want to share a little bit more about how I lucked into being tattooed by such a wonderfully talented artist.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The episode that aired last night was dubbed “Botched Head Tattoo” by the network. Fortunately, mine was not the botched head tattoo, although I have stayed in touch with the human canvas who chose to have his scalp inked and can say, with 100% confidence, the only thing botched about it was that it wasn’t completed in the five-hour time limit. The artist, <a href="http://www.bilivegas.com/bilivegas/Home.Blog/Home.Blog.html">Bili V</a></span><a href="http://www.bilivegas.com/bilivegas/Home.Blog/Home.Blog.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">ë</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.bilivegas.com/bilivegas/Home.Blog/Home.Blog.html">gas</a>, ultimately finished the piece at his shop in New York, and Ryan, who shared one of his other tattoos with us <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2011/08/ryans-tattoo-commemorates-life-of-dolly.html">here</a> on Tattoosday back in August, is very happy with the end result.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7lJSksrof7fViBh7bNtU-AVks2F6Ky1ivQdrTMOV7oFQiwi6CO2HimkOl67ywbv3Fu8PV6SqJa1Tc5qvsGDbN4GlBRz6_rYu17QF1L-ovN5q0VReXAVeNIuz5rmRrTHWASr5VS0mts_Q/s1600/ryan+head.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7lJSksrof7fViBh7bNtU-AVks2F6Ky1ivQdrTMOV7oFQiwi6CO2HimkOl67ywbv3Fu8PV6SqJa1Tc5qvsGDbN4GlBRz6_rYu17QF1L-ovN5q0VReXAVeNIuz5rmRrTHWASr5VS0mts_Q/s400/ryan+head.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Courtesy of <br /><div class="MsoNormal">Bili Vëgas @ <a href="http://www.bilivegas.com/">www.bilivegas.com</a></div></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Back in July, I wrote <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2011/07/chance-to-cover-up-reality-style.html">here</a> about Ink Master’s call for candidates looking for a cover-up.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Shortly after posting the piece, I sent in my own idea for a tattoo for the show, thinking it was a long shot.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Within the hour, I got a response asking if I could come in and discuss the idea in person. Fortunately, I was off that day, and I went into Manhattan and met with production staff, discussing what I wanted in terms of a memorial piece for my step-father, who passed away in April 2010. This discussion also included a mention of my almost having been tattooed with a Hawaiian tribal memorial band.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Things moved quickly from there and after a series of phone calls, my original idea was scrapped and I was confirmed to be a human canvas on an episode dedicated to tribal tattoos. I am not generally a fan of tribal ink, but I thought that if I could get something with a Hawaiian influence, I would be cool with that. Having grown up in Honolulu, and with family still in the islands, it made sense to get something along those lines. I was concerned, however, whether whoever was tattooing me would approach the challenge with an understanding and respect for the culture of Hawai’i.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">On the designated day, I met at the rendez-vous point with three other human canvases near Times Square to be transported to the set by shuttle. The studio was set up at an old church building in Newark. We were shown to a holding room with five other canvases and, as is typical in television production, we waited.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We didn’t know who the judges were until moments before being led to the set, which was quite impressive, as is evident on the show. I was initially happy to pick the skull with artist Heather Sinn’s name on it and, after our consult, during which I threw idea after idea at her about what would be ideal in the tattoo, I was excited to see what she would come up with overnight.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">On the shuttle from Manhattan to the set the next day, we all chatted about our artists and talked about how we thought it would go. Ryan, who was about to have his head inked, was chowing down on a big bowl of red jell-o, a trick some tattoo artists recommend to minimize bleeding (the gelatin aids with blood coagulation). We were also still abuzz about the one canvas who was dismissed because of his psoriasis. The guy had been a veritable comedian in the holding room, and his absence was surprising.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">After getting miked up and led to the set, we met with the artists in their work rooms and saw our designs for the first time. I was blown away by what Heather came up with, especially having looked at her online portfolio the night before, and noticed that she wasn’t an artist that did a lot of tribal work.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There was one glaring concern that I did have, however. Heather was not a happy camper. This was episode 2, so they had just started production, and one show was already in the tank. Mind you, they don’t wait a week between episodes, they are often shot in succession, and the hours are long and grueling, even to artists who spend hours on delicately maneuvering a vibrating machine doing meticulous work on a canvas that moves.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Heather did not hide this sentiment from me, the client, and I was concerned, especially since the challenge was rigorously timed, and had dropped from 6 hours to 5 hours after the initial cover-up challenge of episode 1.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">She assured me that she was going to do her best under the not-so-ideal circumstances. I would direct readers to <a href="http://blogs.laweekly.com/stylecouncil/2012/01/heather_sinn_ink_master_3.php">this interview</a> that recently ran with Heather in the LA Weekly. She wears her emotions on her sleeve and does not back down from her feelings.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Heather told me she would not be very talkative when she was doing the initial line work as she was not accustomed to this type of tattoo. Fine by me. The cameras were around us constantly and Heather was very concerned that she would not have the time to finish the piece. She also expressed to me that she was not very fond of any of the judges. After seeing the flash challenge that preceded our meeting, I can see why.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When all was said and done, however, she powered through it and knocked it out with time to spare. The result left me with an awesome tattoo, and I have nothing but praise for her craftsmanship.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As for the show itself, so much footage went unused, including scenes in which the human canvases saw their tattoos for the first time in a full-length mirror, met with the judges, and did candid interviews with the producers.</span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I can say that, despite all the tattoo flaws picked out by the judges in the show, none of the canvases on my episode were disappointed with the final result of their sessions with the <i>Ink Master</i> artists. And, as much as I would like to bemoan the massive amount of "canvas" footage on the cutting room floor, ultimately the artists were being judged on the quality of their work, not on the stories behind their clients' tattoos, or their feelings about the final product.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I think that this is one of the compelling aspects about <i>Ink Master</i> that makes the show so interesting from a technical standpoint. Sure, there's the reality show drama involving the artists' personalities, but the show seems committed, more than most of the other "reality" shows out there, to celebrating the tattoos for art's sake.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm not on any more episodes, but I'll keep watching.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. </span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />If you are reading this on another web site 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 <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> 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></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>

Tattoosday Goes Tribal on Ink Master

What’s the hardest thing about being an ink-blogger and getting a tattoo on a televised competition show? Keeping my mouth shut for almost...

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Anthony's Tribal Tattoo, Inspired by Fiji

Last month I ran into Anthony in Penn Station with this interesting, yet unfinished, tattoo on his left arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCdC-YS_3ZcxfaqM2dAT5es89RR9BPRdU_cgFLJeO0e6xH3lH_oPF9VGrXqNbHH7Ap29Gs77LM1TIwsvND6PdmQ8o_sXvP9kTjaS3NwuAeI9lJ-Z-15pgnWeSAP1wlBt2kXJ-kAv2q/s1600/UK+Tribal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCdC-YS_3ZcxfaqM2dAT5es89RR9BPRdU_cgFLJeO0e6xH3lH_oPF9VGrXqNbHH7Ap29Gs77LM1TIwsvND6PdmQ8o_sXvP9kTjaS3NwuAeI9lJ-Z-15pgnWeSAP1wlBt2kXJ-kAv2q/s640/UK+Tribal.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><br />A visitor from England, Anthony let me take the photo, but he was in a bit of a rush, so I didn't get too much information from him, other than this was a Polynesian-themed design, inspired by a trip he took to Fiji. <br /><br />He credited <a href="http://www.lycanink.co.uk/html/family.html#Toni">Toni</a> at <a href="http://www.lycanink.co.uk/">Lycan Ink</a> in Liverpool, England, with the work.<br /><br />Thanks to Anthony for sharing with us here on Tattoosday.

Anthony's Tribal Tattoo, Inspired by Fiji

Last month I ran into Anthony in Penn Station with this interesting, yet unfinished, tattoo on his left arm: A visitor from England, Anthony...

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Anthony's Dragon (and more!)

I spotted Anthony on the N train in Brooklyn and was happy to see him also switching for the local R train at 59th Street.<br /><br />As luck would have it, both of us were headed home to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Ridge,_Brooklyn">Bay Ridge</a>.<br /><br />Anthony has a bunch of tattoos, and I snapped this photo of the dragon on his upper right arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qoz8awnJ0Y03-xj3GcspY5MRYs3llOSlEbjIw5DrtUEvFMUxYu2QzvShmmofpHZ4Jfq6h2u-GTROL3qMYnyIZ12GZ2GfuPZ9j_UgnSt3FN3LueSs_k-wTMEYrPNuA1MBLzlBzgBg/s1600/Anthony+dragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qoz8awnJ0Y03-xj3GcspY5MRYs3llOSlEbjIw5DrtUEvFMUxYu2QzvShmmofpHZ4Jfq6h2u-GTROL3qMYnyIZ12GZ2GfuPZ9j_UgnSt3FN3LueSs_k-wTMEYrPNuA1MBLzlBzgBg/s640/Anthony+dragon.jpg" width="362" /></a></div><br />It was inked by Joe at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/brooklyninktattoo">Brooklyn Ink</a>.<br /><br />He estimated that the work so far has been completed in about three two-hour sessions.<br /><br />Work from Joe and other artists at Brooklyn Ink has previously appeared quite frequently on Tattoosday (all posts tagged as such <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Brooklyn%20Ink">here</a>).<br /><br />Anthony later emailed me photos of these shots as well:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmfyRSagy_vASYb_-7GlDrn8eKi83ljmjGgnEfjcJnMpu5cuv02JAVYwgnR_VDI42j2RLAD5kFP0eBExq47KNgLDvvdSxEE-ekNZ4BNU-Aafu0KzVhIVSKaGnJNAEzRUO3xax5KAl/s1600/anthony+forgive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmfyRSagy_vASYb_-7GlDrn8eKi83ljmjGgnEfjcJnMpu5cuv02JAVYwgnR_VDI42j2RLAD5kFP0eBExq47KNgLDvvdSxEE-ekNZ4BNU-Aafu0KzVhIVSKaGnJNAEzRUO3xax5KAl/s400/anthony+forgive.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwndqBga2ljAZCyHTV96dSZT7TlELSiC2NnmSFyYejQ3YIpJYRns6BCQ6zL5xhEH1aYtmGNotVnEOh882S_2W_MHh7-ewHWkqD_7USWhdKhUrcYBTfF8a-jQqKPaKukPU08fED70BS/s1600/anthony+tribal+sun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwndqBga2ljAZCyHTV96dSZT7TlELSiC2NnmSFyYejQ3YIpJYRns6BCQ6zL5xhEH1aYtmGNotVnEOh882S_2W_MHh7-ewHWkqD_7USWhdKhUrcYBTfF8a-jQqKPaKukPU08fED70BS/s320/anthony+tribal+sun.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />The praying hands holding the rosary, I recall him telling me, were tattooed at Distinction Ink in Brooklyn. The tattoo reads "Forgive me Father, for I have sinned".<br /><br />He did not tell me where he had this tribal sun done, but it's definitely an attention-grabbing piece and certainly worth a mention.<br /><br />Thanks to Anthony for sharing his tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Anthony's Dragon (and more!)

I spotted Anthony on the N train in Brooklyn and was happy to see him also switching for the local R train at 59th Street. As luck would hav...

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Tattoosday Goes To Hawai'i - All in the Family, Part 3 (Ikaika, In Progress)

Continuing with the mini-reunion, of sorts, with my family in Hawai'i, back in April, let's visit with my nephew Ikaika. If seeing my nephew Keali'i for the first time in 18 years was a trip, then talking to Ikaika was an all-out exercise in time travel, it seemed.<br /><br />Ikaika, to my memory, was a toddler, barely a kid. Or, at least that's how I last remembered him. Now, he is an adult, and he remembered who I was, much to my amazement.<br /><br />He shared his work in progress, a traditional-style Hawaiian pattern tribal sleeve, here:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54Rezzsn5tJgQHk0icWrhH7CylIThMtpnaOWaDwKwtLO_kbM-BeIej75_OybfoB18gHmROUyvM1Kxm-RREjxB9H3IXD-Y7rOuKPCa2-V-URaq4EwEiD6R7nf4ZAO2UT69jOBtUA3z/s1600/ikaika+pattern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54Rezzsn5tJgQHk0icWrhH7CylIThMtpnaOWaDwKwtLO_kbM-BeIej75_OybfoB18gHmROUyvM1Kxm-RREjxB9H3IXD-Y7rOuKPCa2-V-URaq4EwEiD6R7nf4ZAO2UT69jOBtUA3z/s400/ikaika+pattern.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />This sleeve represents about twelve hours of work, all done by <a href="http://hippografix.com/?page_id=394">George "Keoki" Davis</a> at <a href="http://hippografix.com/">HippoGrafix</a>. <br /><br />Ikaika also shared this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannya"><i>hannya</i></a> mask on the back of his calf, courtesy of <a href="http://www.myspace.com/3322049">"Tattoo Mike" Higuchi</a> at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/dark-side-tattoo-honolulu">Dark Side Tattoo</a> in Honolulu:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT8ZeC4WDzure9QGysHhIn4JYVY9VyerqJtrwe_oMOXaf15dwCJtDZxcVg-_ggbIZjKn0IiqU00b8F5HFQzZNeHNL5m2dcvnSdazJsanFxE-GMrGJCPrG0lUTbN8tGi_RRNUwLH8hV/s1600/Ikaika+Hannya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT8ZeC4WDzure9QGysHhIn4JYVY9VyerqJtrwe_oMOXaf15dwCJtDZxcVg-_ggbIZjKn0IiqU00b8F5HFQzZNeHNL5m2dcvnSdazJsanFxE-GMrGJCPrG0lUTbN8tGi_RRNUwLH8hV/s400/Ikaika+Hannya.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />Thanks to my nephew Ikaika for sharing his ink with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br />Previously in the <i>Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i - All in the Family</i> series:<br /><br /><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/05/tattoosday-goes-to-hawaii-all-in-family.html">Part 1, A Preface</a> <br /><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/05/tattoosday-goes-to-hawaii-all-in-family_19.html">Part 2, Keali'i's Sleeves</a>

Tattoosday Goes To Hawai'i - All in the Family, Part 3 (Ikaika, In Progress)

Continuing with the mini-reunion, of sorts, with my family in Hawai'i, back in April, let's visit with my nephew Ikaika. If seeing m...

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Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i: Reston's Expansive Ink

I've alluded, in previous posts, to a trip to <a href="http://www.alamoanacenter.com/">Ala Moana Center</a>, during which I was astounded by the amount of tattoos I saw, much more than I recall seeing on my previous trip, five years ago.<br /><br />I was in the expansive food court section of the complex when I met Reston and his uncle. I was first intrigued by the work on his left arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfsR9NRBaMhuG0CGx3vk9GdyF8F2Wjyp9iHxtB6OynLmiRzNJzc5-UEhOTzExYuU8KCdkzzQd2zIdLxJFatv-EGWfNNgiHO7fkCudghe24ahThQwz5eACbCbKDrmLpq4H1uRcjdkPC/s1600/Reston+Arm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfsR9NRBaMhuG0CGx3vk9GdyF8F2Wjyp9iHxtB6OynLmiRzNJzc5-UEhOTzExYuU8KCdkzzQd2zIdLxJFatv-EGWfNNgiHO7fkCudghe24ahThQwz5eACbCbKDrmLpq4H1uRcjdkPC/s640/Reston+Arm.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br />but then, in one of those rare Tattoosday moments in which I see much more than I anticipated, his uncle convinced Reston to show me his back, which revealed this wonderful work:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwN2PgUoDwXlSJYP83vAQXmqbp_iwQWO3GHZWY0YjtXhC2ZZUv7xLs2sNy_dE0r5o0jCp1VG2Rwomv_tSUS7GVnuSblrHxULCSanMKTsilZyK5vc43onCO-mqAei__ItbsiFX-Ih6/s1600/Reston+Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwN2PgUoDwXlSJYP83vAQXmqbp_iwQWO3GHZWY0YjtXhC2ZZUv7xLs2sNy_dE0r5o0jCp1VG2Rwomv_tSUS7GVnuSblrHxULCSanMKTsilZyK5vc43onCO-mqAei__ItbsiFX-Ih6/s400/Reston+Back.jpg" width="346" /></a></div><br />For Reston, his tattoos are tributes to his heritage. The large <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha">Buddha</a> on his back acknowledges the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism">Buddhist</a> faith that can be found on his father's side of the family. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiki">tiki</a> and tribal patterns are in honor of his mother's Pacific Islander lineage. This is apparent from the merging of the two styles (and the names "mom" and "dad" at the top of his back:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVjH2gfnrwlt83C7TGgBOfyKlUb0EOu7g62Yv4JxVL5vDlmIqN-IFPV6j47BgcQwCmIhoPQ1KWpuAFuHmY6QK9_sPToqBHHjCb2Gl9JBjjwA1Q8sIyq6T72S9PME1sA4wyn2NhhmV/s1600/Reston+back+-+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVjH2gfnrwlt83C7TGgBOfyKlUb0EOu7g62Yv4JxVL5vDlmIqN-IFPV6j47BgcQwCmIhoPQ1KWpuAFuHmY6QK9_sPToqBHHjCb2Gl9JBjjwA1Q8sIyq6T72S9PME1sA4wyn2NhhmV/s400/Reston+back+-+detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />In addition, Reston shared this cool lizard on his left shoulder:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCMkiEScIMqfetf4OJKi6vQTVP6eqWKW1nBj3CLNT7I7QtqLIQBkRaPm0Z8w9zIJG1ymlJgAQ3InDzRzUwyoNiFZbF8XuZgMNXI7xnnb5ZTy-IoPgS79k9tZWwwku9s2wLc_fa_H9/s1600/Reston+Shoulder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCMkiEScIMqfetf4OJKi6vQTVP6eqWKW1nBj3CLNT7I7QtqLIQBkRaPm0Z8w9zIJG1ymlJgAQ3InDzRzUwyoNiFZbF8XuZgMNXI7xnnb5ZTy-IoPgS79k9tZWwwku9s2wLc_fa_H9/s400/Reston+Shoulder.jpg" width="400" /></a>Actually, in Hawaiian tattoo styles, this is referred to more specifically as a <i><b>mo'o</b></i>, which can be defined (source <a href="http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/kona/historyg.htm">here</a>) as a "spirit guardian (lizard) that protects a resource, such as a fishpond, from overuse and other abuse". Mo'o are also referred to as geckos.<br /><br />There's a lot going on with Reston's personal canvas, but you can see the geographic shapes of the <i>mo'o</i> design jumping off the skin.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRh_L_tEjqgQJqJB3KLLsMNFtpLWZK6zz98_3YTqw60VP7AROH4NoQO4RHET5rBrrRq263hFPNuxQugei-A7v79SuGUVEutdInyd6ZCMpug5DUVuctxNkWSWS9idQLlsYjtcfjPng0/s1600/Reston+Shoulder+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRh_L_tEjqgQJqJB3KLLsMNFtpLWZK6zz98_3YTqw60VP7AROH4NoQO4RHET5rBrrRq263hFPNuxQugei-A7v79SuGUVEutdInyd6ZCMpug5DUVuctxNkWSWS9idQLlsYjtcfjPng0/s400/Reston+Shoulder+detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />  All the work was done in California. The Buddha back piece was inked by <a href="http://www.12monkeystattoos.com/jon-highland.html">Jon Highland</a>, owner of <a href="http://www.12monkeystattoos.com/">12 Monkeys Tattoo</a> in Tracy, California. The majority of the tribal/Polynesian work was tattooed by <a href="http://www.hbtat2.com/orly/">Orly</a> at <a href="http://www.hbtat2.com/">Humble Beginnings Tattoo Studio</a> in San Jose.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMgHSWwSO4pKjh4Nto9xFLoRME-c8dZGTJQdhDa34T7wONWRnrMF5sXEOYpHPHSVKwBSyxrtAQZ7dJpOU_zdcnoVScY_s4-bR3zfzGGlTLAicmesOQuFmt9rNVreAHaHdps3FTCnS/s1600/Reston+Arm+-+Detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMgHSWwSO4pKjh4Nto9xFLoRME-c8dZGTJQdhDa34T7wONWRnrMF5sXEOYpHPHSVKwBSyxrtAQZ7dJpOU_zdcnoVScY_s4-bR3zfzGGlTLAicmesOQuFmt9rNVreAHaHdps3FTCnS/s640/Reston+Arm+-+Detail.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />A hearty mahalo to Reston for being bold enough to remove his shirt in the Ala Moana food court so we could all get to better appreciate his ink. We here at Tattoosday thank you for your contributions to the site!

Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i: Reston's Expansive Ink

I've alluded, in previous posts, to a trip to Ala Moana Center , during which I was astounded by the amount of tattoos I saw, much more ...

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Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i: Tricia Allen's The Polynesian Tattoo Today

<span style="font-style: italic;">This is the first of many posts to follow from my recent trip to the beautiful state of Hawai'i....</span><br /><br />On Saturday, April 24, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting a tattoo artist and writer who I have admired for quite some time.<br /><br />I previously spoke about <a href="http://thepolynesiantattoo.com/">Tricia Allen</a> when I looked at her book, <a href="http://thepolynesiantattoo.com/tattootraditions.htm">Tattoo Traditions of Hawaii</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SOFxEp-JC-Kl9h-qxN00qG5lJloA-T2xN7jabWprSu5nDv0obQ9nvcnI6h9JvteN6jUv1ck2nNK4CI9ttnikBx3ovvXilGVW1IpDeHpoNxJt0A-LuuDxDDIjKnIfYUOrordBph3V/s1600/Tricia+Signing.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466970720311946674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SOFxEp-JC-Kl9h-qxN00qG5lJloA-T2xN7jabWprSu5nDv0obQ9nvcnI6h9JvteN6jUv1ck2nNK4CI9ttnikBx3ovvXilGVW1IpDeHpoNxJt0A-LuuDxDDIjKnIfYUOrordBph3V/s400/Tricia+Signing.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><br />Now, with her new book freshly published, I not only got to have my copy signed, but I was fortunate enough to be there for the tattoo contest that followed.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVt95Uw6LQgh35sPr3bH4eDGP3saLVWtWcdjAI_998vRduSxY9i5b4U3Vk7fs_Yrxz-y_5hDGd8FKLAepDC-tzHgrrbU0G_xWDRPOnjUF60ogtK8FYlB9R5uwVhYAyZ14_I1e-Y_jS/s1600/poly+ad.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466969244229249522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVt95Uw6LQgh35sPr3bH4eDGP3saLVWtWcdjAI_998vRduSxY9i5b4U3Vk7fs_Yrxz-y_5hDGd8FKLAepDC-tzHgrrbU0G_xWDRPOnjUF60ogtK8FYlB9R5uwVhYAyZ14_I1e-Y_jS/s400/poly+ad.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 311px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />The competition was divided up into four categories (Traditional Polynesian, Tribal, Non- Polynesian and Color). The whole event was pretty laid back, as far as tattoo contests go. In fact, there was a lot of work that was not entered among the audience that could have been in the money, so to speak.<br /><br />With a heavy focus on the Polynesian style, the two entrants in the color category meant <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/01/tyger-tyger-burning-bright.html">my tiger</a> could have won third prize, at least, had I been astute (and courageous) enough to enter.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTsZidob8E10oHJ5daecxIBPRZMGg234-3rS6bnApkXrZOG-Ku0ODJLaPAfQ-44SG45FTbNSeq1cXhLWs8zw1gb670HfzWA8gmRT8npRa25QL3LxQLqDpIF5VF55Fpgnl6l28mk0o/s1600/Tino+Hoffman.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466973630805592162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTsZidob8E10oHJ5daecxIBPRZMGg234-3rS6bnApkXrZOG-Ku0ODJLaPAfQ-44SG45FTbNSeq1cXhLWs8zw1gb670HfzWA8gmRT8npRa25QL3LxQLqDpIF5VF55Fpgnl6l28mk0o/s320/Tino+Hoffman.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 222px; height: 320px;" /></a>In the Traditional Polynesian <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi01JuhJr6iVql8mujmn0KbwNYQjjXutTcvqelCPo71RfJjmS1oGqyC_895f6wyMb-F6t_95MdXUrNqLYx5yFqIyPlgkIMH435QtasDQfc1KsVBo427XexD7Q_gqNnLeILfOnKt5z6z/s1600/Robert+Medeiros.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466971663643304322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi01JuhJr6iVql8mujmn0KbwNYQjjXutTcvqelCPo71RfJjmS1oGqyC_895f6wyMb-F6t_95MdXUrNqLYx5yFqIyPlgkIMH435QtasDQfc1KsVBo427XexD7Q_gqNnLeILfOnKt5z6z/s400/Robert+Medeiros.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 207px; height: 400px;" /></a>category, I was particularly fond of Tino Hoffman's thigh piece (pictured, left) with a <span style="font-style: italic;">honu </span><span style="font-style: italic;">(</span>sea turtle<span style="font-style: italic;">) </span>at the center. Although one could also not help buy be impressed by Robert Medeiros (right), whose canvas merited him top honors in the Tribal category.<br /><br />A whole slew of photos from the event can be seen <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#%21/album.php?aid=172635&id=331757672364">here</a> in one of the Facebook albums on the <a href="www.808ink.com"><span style="font-style: italic;">808Ink</span></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3865674&id=331757672364#%21/pages/808ink-Magazine/331757672364">fanpage</a>. <a href="www.808ink.com">The magazine</a> premieres next month as a quarterly publication dedicated to tattoos in and around Hawai'i.<br /><br />It was clear to me that one of the many talents present was the namesake of <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Honolulu-HI/TATTOOS-BY-BONG/225592315559?v=info">Tattoos by Bong</a>. I even had a chance to meet Bong, who was responsible for the incredible art on Mr. Medieros.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipEiNU-yaz9MhoaiTNI6fq8g0KSqAvi1KeTcgeXiVZfoq2Gj14FGIDiJjAGcxMgc6Kg-nd7r46IAQ9F380W-vZ0YG24ou80P1j3BKDc96CGQ3VG-_C8CBbPBb4ew1gwaEvo4FozjXZ/s1600/scan0004.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466977466455619538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipEiNU-yaz9MhoaiTNI6fq8g0KSqAvi1KeTcgeXiVZfoq2Gj14FGIDiJjAGcxMgc6Kg-nd7r46IAQ9F380W-vZ0YG24ou80P1j3BKDc96CGQ3VG-_C8CBbPBb4ew1gwaEvo4FozjXZ/s320/scan0004.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 181px;" /></a>Having just flown in earlier that day from New York, I most likely would have been a little more hyper-involved with the post-contest mix of book signing (even the subjects featured in Ms. Allen's book were signing the pages on which they appeared) and tattoo admiration among the dozens of contestants and throngs of tattoo fans. But, as 10:00 PM approached, my internal clock was still screaming at me from the Eastern Time Zone yelling "4AM! 4AM!". So i had to bow out a little earlier than I would have liked to.<br /><br />I spent just under five days on Oahu, and was amazed by the amount of tattooed folk I spotted, much more than I remember seeing just a few years earlier. The skyrocketing popularity of tattooing on the mainland is certainly mirrored in the fiftieth state and amplified, it is safe to say, by the deep roots of tattooing in Polynesian culture and history.<br /><br />Nowhere is this more apparent than in the beautiful, glossy pages of Tricia Allen's new book, which receives a ringing endorsement from us here at Tattoosday.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBghQTZzMREEArKzbVrtligYn8aOy2qxLjn-FXNI-mZtV4LUodG9_kF2ecgZhemOtV9fSBvjfZ3ge8Yhq3eUGVp9aKJapZrbIxpdURfI5-CAWOK5tnRQvLis2SzqyH7KqToMxCvUv/s1600/polynesian+tattoo.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466969167014956482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBghQTZzMREEArKzbVrtligYn8aOy2qxLjn-FXNI-mZtV4LUodG9_kF2ecgZhemOtV9fSBvjfZ3ge8Yhq3eUGVp9aKJapZrbIxpdURfI5-CAWOK5tnRQvLis2SzqyH7KqToMxCvUv/s400/polynesian+tattoo.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 288px;" /></a><br />The book is no tiny effort. At 285 pages, it features hundreds of full-page color photos of various styles of Polynesian tattoos, not just from Hawai'i, but from all around the South Pacific. In addition, many of the artists who created the work are profiled in the back section of the book.<br /><br />I cannot help but enthusiastically recommend the book to all. It certainly made my flight back to the East Coast a lot more enjoyable. My biggest regret was not being in Hawai'i long enough to be able to have Ms. Allen tattoo me, an activity at the top of my to-do list in the future.<br /><br />One more ringing endorsement comes from Ed Hardy:<span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:medium;" ><em> “This collection of amazing photos attests to the high level of artistic achievement and technical ability of the Polynesian people today, as well as non-islanders who have been heavily influenced by the art of the Pacific.”<br /><br /></em></span>Buy your copy from Tricia's website directly <a href="http://thepolynesiantattoo.com/tattootoday.htm">here</a> and while visiting the site, explore the galleries, sign up for her newsletter, and check out her schedule to see when and where she will be tattooing and/or signing copies of her book in the future.

Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i: Tricia Allen's The Polynesian Tattoo Today

This is the first of many posts to follow from my recent trip to the beautiful state of Hawai'i.... On Saturday, April 24, I had the dis...

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Tattoorism: Tammy from Texas

Last summer, my wife Melanie met Tammy on the staff message board of their company's website, where she and other employees across the country can exchange ideas and feedback. As a leader for Weight Watchers, Melanie often comes across members and co-workers who have used tattoos for inspiration and to mark milestones.<br /><br />When talking to Tammy, a leader in Texas, she learned that she was inked, as well. She sent her the link to Tattoosday, and Tammy sent us photos of a few of her eleven tattoos.<br /><br />We'll let Tammy describe them for us:<br /><br /><blockquote>"I got my very first [tattoo] when I was 21 in Virginia while getting a tattoo for my younger brother but I didn't get another for several years at which time I had my uncle in Arkansas place a rose under the butterfly I had done first. It is old and faded but holds so much meaning to me as my uncle passed away in his 40s about 5 years ago so I have him with me at all times...I then waited a couple more years and had a dolphin put on my left ankle as a reminder of a trip we had made to Florida. About a year later an apprentice in Shreveport added an ankle wave under the dolphin.<br /><br />I then took a long break from tattoos and the rest have all been done in the last 5 years here in Wichita Falls, Texas, with the exception of the tribal butterfly [seen below]. I had it done in Lawton, Oklahoma, when my son was getting his rib piece finished up [a subject of a later post].<br /><br />On my right thigh I have the New York Yankees logo:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiVGsrgcvLnn1sk0k7-IWAm44AkghFPO-JqV50Ddp6lnsIEx-MNGmDL7gqwtWXweCruu6aQi9yqJfoRROqi1I91Up-F7wVpkZrtvq4Yrc5dwdrya0qOncHIP4Pk-UetMyNQ7yQR-65/s1600-h/ny.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429919548129046306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiVGsrgcvLnn1sk0k7-IWAm44AkghFPO-JqV50Ddp6lnsIEx-MNGmDL7gqwtWXweCruu6aQi9yqJfoRROqi1I91Up-F7wVpkZrtvq4Yrc5dwdrya0qOncHIP4Pk-UetMyNQ7yQR-65/s400/ny.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 127px;" /></a><br /><div>On my left shoulder blade my husband and I got kanji symbols for Eternity for our 19th wedding anniversary. I have a tribal butterfly (the only tattoo I have ever picked off a wall) put on the top of my left foot and I love it:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9b91T_BJ-cAULDhP1qzZ4cxGfQG-pfEzgyDubLuzann1nTkVJ8lbFMAK6NIRewvEomFx1TeSKqTNNt5BfNC5NO-m-YUHQ-ACFMZjNGiha3fvchX1xEhAcVmjy38jKigYCu8UeLLtr/s1600-h/butterfly.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429919243711998722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9b91T_BJ-cAULDhP1qzZ4cxGfQG-pfEzgyDubLuzann1nTkVJ8lbFMAK6NIRewvEomFx1TeSKqTNNt5BfNC5NO-m-YUHQ-ACFMZjNGiha3fvchX1xEhAcVmjy38jKigYCu8UeLLtr/s200/butterfly.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 129px; height: 200px;" /></a><br />When I hit 50 pounds gone, my oldest son paid for the star that everyone sees in pictures I post:<br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1gu1W9jv_3EYATS8Byg8A_fHkXodDchJ09Iat6KXLH0bUamRM-3Uw5yTkeXOL2nRwdHlUfvh03M_fMTVe92Of6rQaKkDui85tZswKNPNRp7L_Udag3AJ5aQVmqqR_kDqaNvXDQH2/s1600-h/star.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429919611123486866" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1gu1W9jv_3EYATS8Byg8A_fHkXodDchJ09Iat6KXLH0bUamRM-3Uw5yTkeXOL2nRwdHlUfvh03M_fMTVe92Of6rQaKkDui85tZswKNPNRp7L_Udag3AJ5aQVmqqR_kDqaNvXDQH2/s400/star.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 224px;" /></a><br />And a Pisspot with my husbands name <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHsyoLx8tS33T6eyH1tDlR6z9HdMqMUrQcSHE1YZZV8_Hv_HzKuG740K7H0KXtBUxbt9JryC6Vi-86Tp7FpYPbNtrwQtKpuzbKzf4cVkGZyyNVhcs9huL-MhLt8QtY5fgyWUwjLiM/s1600-h/chris.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429919338444007634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHsyoLx8tS33T6eyH1tDlR6z9HdMqMUrQcSHE1YZZV8_Hv_HzKuG740K7H0KXtBUxbt9JryC6Vi-86Tp7FpYPbNtrwQtKpuzbKzf4cVkGZyyNVhcs9huL-MhLt8QtY5fgyWUwjLiM/s200/chris.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 119px;" /></a>[pictured left]. My husband just retired with 26 years in the service and was AMMO-I always wanted this but was never brave enough nor skinny enough for that so called "tramp stamp"... it actually looks awesome although this picture is a little blurry.<br /><br /><br /><br />And of course when I hit Lifetime [when a Weight Watchers member reaches their goal and maintains it for six weeks], my rib piece came alive:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA_va1eOohtE-ZBr5sr6LeOlT4a_ebS0kcypzQI5gNbdiSJK0nFwFhodTAxyniuMGhf-6b8mJw-IfpmkDfqYpZvcPmlHzG83UmtJh9tRu13cOTRTeZFnE3Hz5Wbn70uy4EdFjyTAW0/s1600-h/LIFETIME+tatt+3-16-08.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429919480395575730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA_va1eOohtE-ZBr5sr6LeOlT4a_ebS0kcypzQI5gNbdiSJK0nFwFhodTAxyniuMGhf-6b8mJw-IfpmkDfqYpZvcPmlHzG83UmtJh9tRu13cOTRTeZFnE3Hz5Wbn70uy4EdFjyTAW0/s400/LIFETIME+tatt+3-16-08.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 362px;" /></a></blockquote><br />The photo above is the tattoo right after it was completed. Here is how it healed:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVXwrgq6-6HVD8FaqOEOH4bl2rFONirxgit9EsaX8zSG2djfYSLK37B_tHT677NFJOHQZjjKRlBMIg2ucNL4W884BWzHeLZQ4bWsM56CAuAS0CpIlk5IMaOKKB0QF4WrYX4BkUz2r/s1600-h/LIFETIME+tatt+3-16-08+crisper.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429991805606831170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVXwrgq6-6HVD8FaqOEOH4bl2rFONirxgit9EsaX8zSG2djfYSLK37B_tHT677NFJOHQZjjKRlBMIg2ucNL4W884BWzHeLZQ4bWsM56CAuAS0CpIlk5IMaOKKB0QF4WrYX4BkUz2r/s400/LIFETIME+tatt+3-16-08+crisper.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 127px; height: 294px;" /></a><br /><br />Most of Tammy's work was done at <a href="http://www.wichitafallstattoos.com/drummer/index.php">A Different Drummer Tattoo Studio</a> in Wichita Falls.<br /><br />Thanks to Tammy for sharing some of her photos with us here on Tattoosday!

Tattoorism: Tammy from Texas

Last summer, my wife Melanie met Tammy on the staff message board of their company's website, where she and other employees across the c...

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A Roundabout Tale of a Swedish Tribal Tattoo

Yesterday, I joined my friend Janet for lunch at <a href="http://www.chipotle.com/">Chipotle</a> on 45th Street.<br /><br />There was a fundraiser at which a $5 contribution bought you a burrito, chips, a drink, and an opportunity to meet <a href="http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=nyy">Yankees</a> manager <a href="http://joegirardi.com/">Joe Girardi</a>. His charity, <a href="http://www.prolebrity.com/catch-25-foundation/">The Catch 25 Foundation</a>, was the beneficiary of all proceeds from lunch. <a href="http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091207&content_id=7771350&vkey=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy">Here's proof</a> I'm not making this up.<br /><br />Janet and I were dopey enough to go without any Yankees memorabilia to get autographed. So he signed a flier for me and (yes, there is a tattooish point to all of this) declined to sign Janet's skin, above her "I <span style="color:red;">♥</span> NY" tattoo (featured on the blog <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2007/09/tattoos-i-know-janets-tat-trick.html">here</a>). It was worth a try.<br /><br />And no, Joe Girardi didn't offer up a tattoo.<br /><br />However, Janet and I grabbed the downtown V train after lunch. I got off at 34th Street and figured I'd cut through <a href="http://www.manhattanmallny.com/">Manhattan Mall</a>.<br /><br />Waiting at the bottom of the <a href="http://www.jcpnewstore.com/manhattan/calendar.html">J.C. Penney</a> basement escalator was Julio, visiting New York from Sweden.<br /><br />Now, I'm not a big fan of tribal designs, but Julio had this pretty cool one on his upper right arm:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_cby_d3XjYGAe9hqoIIRC4r784WFZA63to8e0Y_y_RyZEwp8g26mRuo6ZK2jDLDFf12iYclRvX_9Go-gXYBuff9CG30q6WJpiP1TyZXE5M03yaCFdmReaCwtyQR0vug6LjJhI7UO/s1600-h/Swedish+tribal.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412818879796802530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_cby_d3XjYGAe9hqoIIRC4r784WFZA63to8e0Y_y_RyZEwp8g26mRuo6ZK2jDLDFf12iYclRvX_9Go-gXYBuff9CG30q6WJpiP1TyZXE5M03yaCFdmReaCwtyQR0vug6LjJhI7UO/s400/Swedish+tribal.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />See! There is a tattoo in this post!!<br /><br />Julio's tattoo was inked for him by an artist at <a href="http://www.reco.se/magic-man-tattoo-and-art">Magic Man Tattoo and Art</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sk%C3%B6vde">Skövde</a>, Sweden.<br /><br />Thanks to Janet for lunch, Joe Girardi for the autograph, and Julio for the tattoo. Tattoosday appreciates all you did to make this post happen!

A Roundabout Tale of a Swedish Tribal Tattoo

Yesterday, I joined my friend Janet for lunch at Chipotle on 45th Street. There was a fundraiser at which a $5 contribution bought you a bu...

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Mike Shares Some More Ink

<div style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Back in May, I met a guy named Mike outside of Penn Station and he shared <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2009/05/mikes-lion-skeleton-tattoo.html">this tattoo</a> with us.<br /><br />Occasionally, contributors who I have met on the street will send me a follow-up of additional tattoos that I didn't photograph the first time I met them. Mike was generous enough with his time and energy to do just that.<br /><br />First is a piece that was done around the same time that the lion-skeleton tattoo, featured back in May, was completed, back in 1995:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XxcvgZ0z1WZ65HTYMSpOggaztXGtkrBNh3hvpT4yUGAXXTLeGN7dC91ta7Iy1I7Ra-qklNSfmYxip6HtaDHp5HCEZtPGIuQxUqp8bApVRh_oaOQKXmvyUx1ZgPKv_wOXL1EXHjWA/s1600/Skull+Glove.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407630534272846162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XxcvgZ0z1WZ65HTYMSpOggaztXGtkrBNh3hvpT4yUGAXXTLeGN7dC91ta7Iy1I7Ra-qklNSfmYxip6HtaDHp5HCEZtPGIuQxUqp8bApVRh_oaOQKXmvyUx1ZgPKv_wOXL1EXHjWA/s400/Skull+Glove.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 147px; height: 400px;" /></a></span></div><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family: arial;">This, like the previous work featured from Mike, was inked by Doug White at the </span><a href="http://www.inkspot-tattoo.com/linden.html" style="font-family: arial;">Ink Spot</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> in Linden, New Jersey.<br /><br />Mike also sent along this snake: </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:Verdana;font-size:100%;" ></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABn0JGBFVPxuP7UXLC-m4__g-5x4VQWhFRKy8DWZOlI5V5yoLlnWcvagGT1KEQwFdjSp8eS8I1AlWL4snqpAevzRuOTaexybWMQ-m9iussvo4L9RNKUI8N15s9zv4uKGEod6m3V-e/s1600/Snake+edited.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407631983011152258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABn0JGBFVPxuP7UXLC-m4__g-5x4VQWhFRKy8DWZOlI5V5yoLlnWcvagGT1KEQwFdjSp8eS8I1AlWL4snqpAevzRuOTaexybWMQ-m9iussvo4L9RNKUI8N15s9zv4uKGEod6m3V-e/s400/Snake+edited.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />I love the cross-hatch patterns on the back of the snake. The lines are so finely drawn, I am impressed by the amount of patience it must have taken to get these tiny details just right.<br /><br />Mike also sent a photo of this gargoyle on his back:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrn_llPma5sx-jaYa5JalqTpq3jdSNA6SLGgLKpUKVzmmuL8H3uvONcXdZUqYpJWwubzG5FD59I1Qf-5sMiAuTU74KcZf-nVmxXQAr_5-ASZMg0Wg0QES0OniNl8uBp3VPXWOQw_5p/s1600/Gargoyle+edited.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407631933281318194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrn_llPma5sx-jaYa5JalqTpq3jdSNA6SLGgLKpUKVzmmuL8H3uvONcXdZUqYpJWwubzG5FD59I1Qf-5sMiAuTU74KcZf-nVmxXQAr_5-ASZMg0Wg0QES0OniNl8uBp3VPXWOQw_5p/s400/Gargoyle+edited.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 349px;" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><br />These last two pieces were inked at <a href="http://www.tattoolous.com/">Tattoo Lou's</a> in Babylon, New York back in 2000. Work from Tattoo Lou's has appeared previously on Tattoosday <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Tattoo%20Lou%27s">here</a>.</span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Thanks again to Mike for sharing more of his ink with us here on Tattoosday! </span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br /></span><div style="font-family: arial;"> </div><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span>

Mike Shares Some More Ink

Back in May, I met a guy named Mike outside of Penn Station and he shared this tattoo with us. Occasionally, contributors who I have met on...

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A Viking Design Commemorates Brian's Ancestry

Back on June 29, while pacing the 59th Street platform in Brooklyn, waiting for an R train, I spotted this interesting design on the right calf of Brian:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg18yFthp_cIYb_uqwMfA4TlTFVA-ZIE8pRmgztm32josr3583t0n_JtpU-p5TYS-27105FBAXBmG-Io0A5ujxvqMDCxuVc8eX3nVGwlD0H_QV20j_68AgQci9b2GPz7V7MLKCOGJmYxW0/s1600-h/Viking.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356026631168349170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg18yFthp_cIYb_uqwMfA4TlTFVA-ZIE8pRmgztm32josr3583t0n_JtpU-p5TYS-27105FBAXBmG-Io0A5ujxvqMDCxuVc8eX3nVGwlD0H_QV20j_68AgQci9b2GPz7V7MLKCOGJmYxW0/s400/Viking.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 392px;" /></a><br />According to Brian, the piece is based on an ancient <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking">Viking</a> symbol representing land. He had this tattooed to commemorate his Swedish ancestry.<br /><br />The piece was done by Rob (who appeared on Tattoosday <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/09/robs-rite-of-passage.html">here</a>) at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/brooklyninktattoo">Brooklyn Ink</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Brian for sharing this tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

A Viking Design Commemorates Brian's Ancestry

Back on June 29, while pacing the 59th Street platform in Brooklyn, waiting for an R train, I spotted this interesting design on the right c...

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Alex's East Indian Tribal Mask

What's fascinating about approaching two inked people talking on a subway platform and asking them if either would like to share a tattoo, is that you never know what you'll get (if anything).<br /><br />On Saturday, May 23, I found myself in such a situation, and Alex, one of the two people chatting on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/59th_Street_%28BMT_Fourth_Avenue_Line%29">59th Street subway platform</a> in Brooklyn, offered up this, one of his sixteen (16) tattoos:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWj1km2nBMrm5FXqS1gF-Iqk60NDqw042ZC1DlhOOi7bO-NqKXEODWTv0B00ZH5kD2ncURq-QGE6JE9ynI31jzA7AUtGu2o8AXiS9cJfoYVSitfXTf_lG604d9UfjQMhFbZtB_dPGv1N0/s1600-h/PICT2001.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343422650402635778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWj1km2nBMrm5FXqS1gF-Iqk60NDqw042ZC1DlhOOi7bO-NqKXEODWTv0B00ZH5kD2ncURq-QGE6JE9ynI31jzA7AUtGu2o8AXiS9cJfoYVSitfXTf_lG604d9UfjQMhFbZtB_dPGv1N0/s400/PICT2001.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 198px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />This piece, which covers the front of Alex's right shin, is a representation of an East Indian tribal mask.<br /><br />The tattoo was done by David at <a href="http://www.daviddragonfly.com/">Dragonfly Studio & Gallery</a> in West Reading, Pennsylvania.<br /><br />Thanks to Alex for sharing this cool mask with us here on Tattoosday!

Alex's East Indian Tribal Mask

What's fascinating about approaching two inked people talking on a subway platform and asking them if either would like to share a tatto...

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The Tattooed Poets Project: Guy LeCharles Gonzalez Presents A Bat from Jersey and a Honeymoon Memento

Today's tattoos are presented by the poet <a href="http://loudpoet.com/">Guy LeCharles Gonzalez</a>.<br /><br />The first one is a bat:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9pmbwwDiNMM7s2aOctrjFzxmy54iuzJxDj2P8KZV-U5BCExj1A-XgmXIUcWfkVUkdmJU07wwOI1HzZTEhKQIsFIF9WU3drOgKG55ua54iLJwPffizd_2ZALTYYR_ullC8kDr9jIV6YA/s1600-h/guy-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325669821312868722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9pmbwwDiNMM7s2aOctrjFzxmy54iuzJxDj2P8KZV-U5BCExj1A-XgmXIUcWfkVUkdmJU07wwOI1HzZTEhKQIsFIF9WU3drOgKG55ua54iLJwPffizd_2ZALTYYR_ullC8kDr9jIV6YA/s400/guy-1.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 309px;" /></a><br />Guy explains:<br /><br /><blockquote>"I got the first tattoo, a stylized bat, back in 1995 somewhere in New Jersey; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toms_River,_New_Jersey">Toms River</a>, maybe? I'd resisted the urge to get one while I was on active duty in the Army, not wanting something stereotypical that I'd hate or regret a few years later, but a friend of mine had finally psyched herself up, and convinced me and another friend to head down to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_shore">Jersey Shore</a> and do the deed as a group. Before we got to the Shore, which seemed much further away than we thought it was, we passed a small tattoo parlor on the side of the road and decided to go there instead. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman">Batman</a> has always been my favorite superhero, appealing on a number of levels, but I figured the logo would be too cheesy for a tattoo, and picked out a bat from the artist's sketchbook, tweaked it a little bit, and voila! I still love it to this day."</blockquote><br />The second tattoo Guy sent was this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAZiKFHRl7i0km6ojK8a5WP5hTSQ5YxBy0HOu_jCwlejTfTbP1P9BRyOtQK_iIxNW0qYFxTed_mmIMmT2VhhUSCdPcVEqhuXQhgnO15j-cjTEJ-1cdihgzslTYgqgZiwTCaZVGtACYug/s1600-h/guy-2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325669874818741794" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAZiKFHRl7i0km6ojK8a5WP5hTSQ5YxBy0HOu_jCwlejTfTbP1P9BRyOtQK_iIxNW0qYFxTed_mmIMmT2VhhUSCdPcVEqhuXQhgnO15j-cjTEJ-1cdihgzslTYgqgZiwTCaZVGtACYug/s400/guy-2.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 145px;" /></a><br />Guy continues:<br /><br /><blockquote>"I got the second tattoo, a pseudo-tribal band with my wife's name in the middle, on the second-to-last day of our honeymoon in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancun">Cancun</a> in July 1998. There was a tattoo parlor in one of the flea market/shopping districts up near the elbow of the strip that seemed pretty clean -- despite the handful of teenagers getting tattoos they would certainly regret a few years later -- and against our better judgment, we both decided to get our second tattoos, each incorporating the other's name. We'll celebrate our 11th anniversary this summer, and before then we both intend to have those tattoos tweaked; I'd like mine to be bigger and have more of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayan">Mayan</a> flavor to<br />it as I've always felt a connection to that culture, even before our trips to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucatan">Yucatan</a>."</blockquote>Thanks to Guy for sharing these tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br />Please head over to BillyBlog and check out one of his poems <a href="http://oxypoet.blogspot.com/2009/04/tattooed-poets-series-day-23-guy.html">here</a>.

The Tattooed Poets Project: Guy LeCharles Gonzalez Presents A Bat from Jersey and a Honeymoon Memento

Today's tattoos are presented by the poet Guy LeCharles Gonzalez . The first one is a bat: Guy explains: "I got the first tattoo, a...

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The Tattooed Poets Project: Cody Todd's Murals - Star Wars and an Interpretive Tribal

Today's tattoos come from Cody Todd, who was referred to me by <a href="http://www.carolmuskedukes.com/">Carol Muske-Dukes</a>:<br /><br />The first one is a back piece, still in progress:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2HtD-JnrcE5qQ2BvB0BG8NJgLPw8ZLKiCdM7DE16DiAFVyQZ9pl0jGVlGBtULcT2UwmL2mcRkSMiHV5gYW5Ic37uYiJG3FiSm2aX1bxDaSTMbMju5E3-ZG2D6sPB3Axrp1LabJIeiZ4/s1600-h/CodyToddBackTAt2.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327081053716321682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2HtD-JnrcE5qQ2BvB0BG8NJgLPw8ZLKiCdM7DE16DiAFVyQZ9pl0jGVlGBtULcT2UwmL2mcRkSMiHV5gYW5Ic37uYiJG3FiSm2aX1bxDaSTMbMju5E3-ZG2D6sPB3Axrp1LabJIeiZ4/s400/CodyToddBackTAt2.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />Cody explains this as "a <a href="http://www.starwars.com/">Star Wars</a> mural--the <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Millennium_Falcon">Millenium Falcon</a> in front of a meteor pursued by a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TIE_fighter">TIE Fighter</a>, from <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_strikes_back">The Empire Strikes Back</a> </i>with the specter of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boba_fett">Boba Fett</a> looming above the chase." He credits an artist named Skip (since retired) at<a href="http://www.oldworldtattoo.com/"> Old World Tattoo</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arvada,_Colorado">Arvada, Colorado</a> (North <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver,_Colorado">Denver</a>). This was primarily done in 1996.<br /><br />Cody expands on the piece:<br /><blockquote><br />...the one on my back is still in progress--I foresee at least 5-6 more sessions and touch-ups before I can say it is certainly complete. I like visual collages and pastiche, just as I like the poetic collage of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._S._Eliot">Eliot's</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Love_Song_of_J._Alfred_Prufrock">Prufrock</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Waste_Land">The Waste Land</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianne_Moore">Marianne Moore's</a> Poetry, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Stanford">Frank Stanford's</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battlefield_Where_The_Moon_Says_I_Love_You">"The Battlefield where the Moon Says I Love You"</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Clover">Joshua Clover's</a> <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=7txDtMiLvx8C&dq=joshua+clover+totality+kids&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=q77tSfj8FoejtgeB8a3BDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#PPP1,M1">The Totality for Kids</a>, are other examples. Poetry that synthesizes subject matter, speaking voices, speaking subjects, and stitch together otherwise independent and unlike things--unified by the mode of collage.<br /><br />Why a <span style="font-style: italic;">Star Wars</span> tattoo? Well, I guess I buy the argument lent forth in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Campbell">Joseph Campbell's</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hero_with_a_Thousand_Faces">The Hero with A Thousand Faces</a>, that the mythical embodiments of the epic, the quest, and the hero are not just culturally shared, but I think each generation has their own embodiment as well. Hokey, cheesy, and melodramatic --yes, but I still watch <i>Empire...</i> with great nostalgia, and I don't think enough credit goes to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Lucas">[George] Lucas</a> and his literary homage paid to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquinas">Aquinas</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson">Emerson</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato">Plato</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer">Homer</a>, to name a few. However, the revisions of <span style="font-style: italic;">Star Wars</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_wars#Prequel_trilogy">Episodes 1-3</a> are so bad I cannot watch them without getting sick. Maybe I am old now, but I just don't get them at all. Nevertheless, my parents still joke about the fact that I was conceived in the backseat of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Pinto">Ford Pinto</a> while they were "watching" <span style="font-style: italic;">Star Wars</span> at a south Denver drive-in in the summer of 77."</blockquote><br />The second piece is a "tribal-esque mural," of sorts, and was tattooed by a friend of Cody's named Bryan in 1997, at Your Flesh Grappling (now known as <a href="http://www.yourfleshtattoo.com/">Your Flesh Tattoo</a>) in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durango,_Colorado">Durango, Colorado</a>. This piece was drawn by Cody and wraps around his left thigh:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kMS6vg5QscXfWkcIPge7b_tjwDAnFBsfA5o7iKHQgULHaSqaapaaVAcbtpSnLQ7YuZ2GFzm-oR_vJ8j1WSHFCCA-x7SN11w-mLJ6eKtqFccbjpRHex9ssGu43kRo0hPXAYDwKkhn2y0/s1600-h/CodyToddLegTat1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327087728605969874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kMS6vg5QscXfWkcIPge7b_tjwDAnFBsfA5o7iKHQgULHaSqaapaaVAcbtpSnLQ7YuZ2GFzm-oR_vJ8j1WSHFCCA-x7SN11w-mLJ6eKtqFccbjpRHex9ssGu43kRo0hPXAYDwKkhn2y0/s400/CodyToddLegTat1.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 336px; height: 400px;" /></a>Cody added:<br /><br /><blockquote>"The leg tattoo was a personalized redefinition of the "Tribal" tattoos that were the craze when tattoos were no longer isolated to deviancy. Loosely quoting <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Ness">Mike Ness</a> of <a href="http://www.socialdistortion.com/">Social Distortion</a>, in the 1990's, kids could go to a mall and get their little "parts" pierced or walk out of there with a barbed wire tribal band around their biceps. I took a one-page graffiti collage from a notebook that I penciled of hooks, circles, ovoids, anemone-shaped and flame-shaped patterns with tentacles--my first name is actually on the upper left, and a small skyline of Denver with that wacky cash-register shaped building [<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells_Fargo_Center_%28Denver%29">The Wells Fargo Center</a>] is just 1:00 o'clock from the family of bubbles or spheres centered in the band. I am going to amend this tat with another piece of similar solid black-ink graffiti to wrap a 4-inch band around my knee. That is the thing about tattoos--they are addictive; they beg to grow new limbs, and in that sense they are like little monsters."<br /></blockquote>I've been posting the tattooed poets' work over on <a href="http://oxypoet.blogspot.com/2009/04/tattooed-poets-series-day-22-cody-todd.html">BillyBlog</a> and you can check out not one, but two of Cody's poems <a href="http://oxypoet.blogspot.com/2009/04/tattooed-poets-series-day-22-cody-todd.html">here</a>. One is called "Boba Fett". But, as an added treat, I'm including one here, as well, because it just seemed appropriate:<br /><br /><div style="margin: 1ex;"> <div> <p><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><b>Tattooed on the Backs of Eight Fireflies:</b></span><br /><br /></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >Under a dark loam of night, </span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >pure barbed wire.</span><br /></p> <p> <span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >*</span><br /></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >Apparitions dancing </span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >dancing and dancing. </span><br /></p> <p> <span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >*</span><br /></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >Some of us just might bite </span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >the apple those cursed birds already did. </span><br /></p> <p> <span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >* </span><br /></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >Old story: cat bats us away </span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >to reanimate or destroy.</span><br /></p> <p> <span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >*</span><br /></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >Words are the ruse, flight </span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >is the guise, and we are the fakers.</span><br /></p> <p> <span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >*</span><br /></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >Return the favor: grace for </span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >sex or salvation for dust. </span><br /></p> <p> <span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >*</span><br /></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >Time is the knife. Gods the size</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >of thumbs. Men with bloody hands. </span><br /></p> <ul><p> <span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >* </span><br /></p></ul> <p><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >We captured our god, the sun,</span></p> <p><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:100%;" >and feasted on him by torchlight. </span></p> </div> </div><br />Thanks to Cody for not only sharing his tattoos with us here on Tattoosday, but for expounding on them at such length. It's always fascinating to hear people go beyond the literal meanings of the tattoos themselves, and explore the deeper significance of the art form as it pertains to themselves and society.

The Tattooed Poets Project: Cody Todd's Murals - Star Wars and an Interpretive Tribal

Today's tattoos come from Cody Todd, who was referred to me by Carol Muske-Dukes : The first one is a back piece, still in progress: Cod...

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The Tattooed Poets Project: Jackie Sheeler's Swirling Tribal Tattoos

Today's tattooed poet is <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.getangrywithme.com">Jackie Sheeler</a>. The photos she sent me were taken by one of her friend's daughters, who utilized Jackie as one of her subjects in a photography project about tattooed New Yorkers.<br /><br />Jackie explains:<br /><br /><blockquote>"I have just two pieces, if by “piece” you mean connected & thematic. I didn’t get them all at once, though.<br /><br />The big one on my left shoulder was done all at once by an artist named Carlos Alfonso at the 23rd street tattoo shop [<a href="http://www.risingdragon.com/">Rising Dragon Tattoos</a>]. I told him I wanted a “wing”, and pointed out about half a dozen pieces of flash that were kinda-sorta but not quite what I wanted. he told me to come back in a week, and he had created the amazing design that you see.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vspB0r4g78INBSF8AkDy2_ksRFys4Da7e1iEPP3dPieJCNfd708oA7XM-6dlXjg9II9FZGZ010Sip_dIf3mGirxxGHy8OqMnxXYGJ1m_AXTARcIxho0S20CnVT1t44DwKspVkukHJfpe/s1600-h/DSC_0520.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310779827015843394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vspB0r4g78INBSF8AkDy2_ksRFys4Da7e1iEPP3dPieJCNfd708oA7XM-6dlXjg9II9FZGZ010Sip_dIf3mGirxxGHy8OqMnxXYGJ1m_AXTARcIxho0S20CnVT1t44DwKspVkukHJfpe/s400/DSC_0520.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNxcjjbO71mq5AjiAd6-pBtA4YpWfLonR2dRy40hXMp1X9kEykPyNQhDacTQsNUDBpbQ_gNIDv98YMaTbmBXKV0b75QYZmMs9P0QTxwlTfYVHeqkYGY3IKLlzMPeLb5PgW1llvkVHnTfje/s1600-h/jackie+closeup.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310779200525481058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNxcjjbO71mq5AjiAd6-pBtA4YpWfLonR2dRy40hXMp1X9kEykPyNQhDacTQsNUDBpbQ_gNIDv98YMaTbmBXKV0b75QYZmMs9P0QTxwlTfYVHeqkYGY3IKLlzMPeLb5PgW1llvkVHnTfje/s400/jackie+closeup.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 394px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />The tattoo on the right has come about in stages.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Jvvk-ZJmA-0ylstOKBfSwwqio5DTgXlNTXTTI7YOzAUcGsyCxtmk1_CDJzMrw2-LNpLjHm35UdLXuNK0uwzBwXM9BYu6-ipg98GEjM9UQ1HOCpvgm8Y8jPXpMX6mEBPa6jQq3NrhaeBK/s1600-h/DSC_0505.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310779637033494754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Jvvk-ZJmA-0ylstOKBfSwwqio5DTgXlNTXTTI7YOzAUcGsyCxtmk1_CDJzMrw2-LNpLjHm35UdLXuNK0uwzBwXM9BYu6-ipg98GEjM9UQ1HOCpvgm8Y8jPXpMX6mEBPa6jQq3NrhaeBK/s400/DSC_0505.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" /></a><br />The first bit is the somewhat intricate tribal abstraction on the top back of the shoulder. I got that one around 1993, when tribal was just starting to become popular, and it’s a funny story.<br /><br />I went to an illegal flash parlor in Brooklyn [tattooing in New York City was illegal until 1997], a basement filled with all guys except for me, and just one artist, a big old guy named Tony, who looked like somebody you’d meet on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalcade_of_Stars" style="font-style: italic;">The Jackie Gleason Show</a>. I had a copy of a tribal piece that I’d Xeroxed out of a tattoo magazine, and I told him I wanted that only bigger. He seemed pretty shocked – “you want THAT?” – and said sure he’d do it for $60, which was a lot cheaper than I’d expected. He ran it through that mimeo machine or whatever it is that they use, enlarged it and stenciled it onto me...<br /><br />...But then I had to wait. Why? Because a drug dealer came in with his falling-down drunk girlfriend, gold teeth, handfuls of cash, and a gun pretty obviously stuck in his waistband, and needed immediate service. His girlfriend was getting a tattoo “for him." He picked out the flash – a big, ugly bulldog, snarling and all – and had Tony put it on the girl’s abdomen. It was pretty horrible. She was gorgeous, and I knew how she was going to feel when she woke up with a hangover and THAT on her belly. Anyway, my turn was next and tony got the piece done in like half an hour.<br /><br />I didn’t get another tattoo for 9 years, which is when I got the big one that Carlos did on my left shoulder.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibe3gIvUIypvVG9qlxmgo910dkB0a-OR-8S1M-XSpkv38qSFDEBagolNmrAoDhq_tdy0CaeqjqPZTLdtsqRsBZcrD9j_sBCI3Hx4IRAGrdmHbeEJArCAC-LXtFyXhDeJ6TdB-w-8H2DkmQ/s1600-h/DSC_0499.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310779411760395682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibe3gIvUIypvVG9qlxmgo910dkB0a-OR-8S1M-XSpkv38qSFDEBagolNmrAoDhq_tdy0CaeqjqPZTLdtsqRsBZcrD9j_sBCI3Hx4IRAGrdmHbeEJArCAC-LXtFyXhDeJ6TdB-w-8H2DkmQ/s400/DSC_0499.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />I went back to Carlos (by then he was working at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/macdougal-st-tattoo-company-new-york">MacDougal Street Tattoo Company</a> [since closed] ... in 2004 and got my “wing and a prayer” tattoo, which is the feathery wing with a peace sign emerging from it that’s just above the crook of my arm. I actually got this piece on July 6, which is George Fucking Bush’s birthday, and I got it in honor of him being about to be thrown out of the White House. (<a href="http://www.myspace.com/jackiesheeler">My band</a> also released a single related to that, so it was a big thing for me – though obviously things didn’t turn out the way we’d hoped!) That piece was a standalone for a while, then I went back and asked Carlos to do a few more curlicues up my arm to attach it to the tribal on my shoulder, which he did.<br /><br />Two years after that, I went back to MacDougal tattoo to get the curlicues extended down to my left wrist, and asked for Carlos. They said he was “no longer practicing” but it was a very strange moment, and the two people at the counter had these looks on their faces. By that time I’d gotten to know Carlos a bit. He was always having girlfriend problems and talking about moving back to Florida, so I asked if he had done that. So sad. No, he had committed suicide a couple months before. He was only 31.<br /><br />It was very strange for me, all of a sudden my art seemed different. I felt like I was wearing his suicide note, in a way. But that (rather absurd) feeling passed, and I went back to MacDougal in a couple of weeks and had Carlos’ friend, <a href="http://www.patrickconlon.net/PatrickConlonOnline.swf">Patrick Conlon</a>, put on the curlicues in Carlos’ style. That session was like in honor and memory of Carlos, and we talked fondly about him while Patrick worked."<br /><br /></blockquote>Thanks to Jackie Sheeler for sharing her detailed recollections of her tattoo stories.<br /><br />Please be sure to head over to BillyBlog to read one of her poems <a href="http://oxypoet.blogspot.com/2009/04/tattooed-poets-series-day-10-jackie.html">here</a>.<br /><br />You can also read her blog, <a href="http://getangrywithme.com/">Get Angry With Me</a>, <a href="http://getangrywithme.com/">here</a>, or visit her band, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/talkengine">Talk Engine</a>, on MySpace Music <a href="http://www.myspace.com/talkengine">here</a>.

The Tattooed Poets Project: Jackie Sheeler's Swirling Tribal Tattoos

Today's tattooed poet is Jackie Sheeler . The photos she sent me were taken by one of her friend's daughters, who utilized Jackie as...

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The Tattooed Poets Project: Kim Addonizio's Blue Roses

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9peNIaPYNv_Tdzdz0CRIEJY-5IX-_a8xM_SDdL9gsNr3ahIFGToWXU5UpFz8yVf_O03KBZhN4QYp1sMSCcGjXTMyHETDXXYXYsiXb_eJB-M5cdiAmpDIL7rUqt4_Q4jjGLYIztIRs8znV/s1600-h/Kim_Tattoo_1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294439741108708898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9peNIaPYNv_Tdzdz0CRIEJY-5IX-_a8xM_SDdL9gsNr3ahIFGToWXU5UpFz8yVf_O03KBZhN4QYp1sMSCcGjXTMyHETDXXYXYsiXb_eJB-M5cdiAmpDIL7rUqt4_Q4jjGLYIztIRs8znV/s400/Kim_Tattoo_1.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 307px;" /></a><br />When first embarking on this tattoo project, nearly everyone I asked referred me to Kim Addonizio. I'd venture to say she is the poet most well-known as "tattoo-friendly". In part, this is due to her editing an anthology called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dorothy-Parkers-Elbow-Tattoos-Writers/dp/0446679046"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span id="btAsinTitle" style="">Dorothy Parker's Elbow: Tattoos on Writers, Writers on Tattoos</span></span></a>.<br /><br />Graciously, Kim accepted my invitation to participate in Tattoosday's National Poetry Month project. She sent me the photo above, her fourth tattoo. I love the blue roses that set this piece apart from most lower back tribal tattoos.<br /><br />Kim told me:<br /><br /><blockquote>"The piece was done ... in Santa Barbara. It was the worst tattoo experience I ever had. (I have five tattoos). In the middle of it [the artist] took a phone call, saying, "Oh, hi. I'm tattooing a crack." I like the tattoo, though. There wasn't any particular significance to the design, for me, though afterwards I thought about Laura Wingfield in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Williams">Tennessee Williams'</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glass_Menagerie">The Glass Menagerie</a> being called Blue Roses by her Gentleman Caller, and so it's become a bit of a reminder to myself, when I'm feeling fragile, to take a risk rather than withdraw."</blockquote><br /><br />She had this tattooed in 1994 and has added one more to her collection since then.<br /><br />Be sure to head on over to <a href="http://oxypoet.blogspot.com/">BillyBlog </a>to read one of Kim's poems. And although not every poem written by an inked poet appearing on BillyBlog this month is tattoo-related, Kim's is.<br /><br />Thanks very much to Kim Addonizio for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

The Tattooed Poets Project: Kim Addonizio's Blue Roses

When first embarking on this tattoo project, nearly everyone I asked referred me to Kim Addonizio. I'd venture to say she is the poet mo...

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Cat's Ink Pays Homage to Her Experience on the Ocean

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqusxrpQXUCA9Ka3QtPn2Z9a0euXdh6-W1WIYcjhK-30fMGcFJZ_3E3tBbg_cD3EGGby-IZ-6pFoYgBfYHaR2V2n7ua5CXO7RNSdYinLo37kdvGvj54qrmSpPXAdhevC6LwtkCD4-xxMEJ/s1600-h/Cattoo-enhanced-detail.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290154822860972002" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqusxrpQXUCA9Ka3QtPn2Z9a0euXdh6-W1WIYcjhK-30fMGcFJZ_3E3tBbg_cD3EGGby-IZ-6pFoYgBfYHaR2V2n7ua5CXO7RNSdYinLo37kdvGvj54qrmSpPXAdhevC6LwtkCD4-xxMEJ/s400/Cattoo-enhanced-detail.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 199px;" /></a><br />Over the last few months, I have reconnected with old friends through <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/home.php?ref=logo">Facebook</a>, many of whom I haven't seen in years. In so doing, many have discovered my burgeoning interest in tattoos, and the manifestation of that in Tattoosday. Many of these old friends are inked and I've posted their work here (i.e. this <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/12/michaels-mariachis-celebrate-life-with.html">one</a> form Michael).<br /><br />Today's post comes to us from Catherine, the only person with whom I went to high school <span style="font-weight: bold;">and</span> college.<br /><br />After college, Cat returned to Hawai'i, where she re-connected with the ocean, paddling and, among other things, taking a voyage on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokulea"><em>Hōkūle‘a</em></a>, traversing the sea in the style of the ancient Polynesians who settled on the Hawaiian Islands. That's an oversimplification but, rest assured, the journey is quite different from booking a ticket on a cruise ship.<br /><br />So, it made perfect sense to me when Cat sent me an e-mail with the subject line "Cat's Tat," accompanied by the photo of her ink:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWu9smEO28UdFHjUnBqXXLM8Od3SrfBCsCaN0lR-2uFgZSOFu4zF2GMUmP9b-Gqe-e1MbC0ZDIgG2Fgz-gQdcincOK-pRacJZUWOJjosDtB4oMaAwtsH-1IIzNpxi7llUC2wVRGZsYHiy6/s1600-h/Cattoo-enhanced.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290154728040455954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWu9smEO28UdFHjUnBqXXLM8Od3SrfBCsCaN0lR-2uFgZSOFu4zF2GMUmP9b-Gqe-e1MbC0ZDIgG2Fgz-gQdcincOK-pRacJZUWOJjosDtB4oMaAwtsH-1IIzNpxi7llUC2wVRGZsYHiy6/s400/Cattoo-enhanced.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 277px;" /></a><br />This amazing tribal piece on her lower back pays homage to her love of the ocean and Polynesian culture. I'll let her explain the rest, in her own words:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote>I had this done for my birthday a few years ago by <a href="http://tattootraditions.alohaworld.com/">Tricia Allen</a>, who is well recognized for her knowledge of Polynesian tattooing. She's pretty much in demand for work, and is often on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_%28island%29">BIG big island</a> for jobs and conferences. I had known her a little bit while I was taking classes at <a href="http://www.hawaii.edu/">UH</a>, and met her again on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapanui">Rapa Nui</a> - we had a mutual friend there. Anyway, she did it in her living room in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palolo">Palolo</a>. I was sitting on a stool, bent over, with my face in a pillow. I was beginning to feel somewhat like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Pavlov">Pavlov's</a> dog, because ever time the buzz started, I'd get tense. She also seemed to enjoy pointing out where nerve clusters were located (owww).<br /><br />Here's the story/reasoning/rationale: I had gotten a small one after our canoe club won the state championship in 1993 - my crew won the "blue ribbon" race for women, having been second all season. Anyway, once I really got into sailing, I wanted to design a new one that represented what I had seen and done in terms of canoes (both sailing and paddling). Canoes and canoe related activities have taken me all over the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_ocean">Pacific</a>: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_Islands">The Society Islands</a> (including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahiti">Tahiti</a>), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquesas_Islands">The Marquesas</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangareva">Mangareva</a>, Rapa Nui, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_zealand">New Zealand</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia">Australia</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiji">Fiji</a>. It took 7 years of my trying out different designs before I found the concept I liked. I went for a consultation with Tricia, who gave me the idea; the Marquesans often use the idea of the human face, where each feature is a symbol in it's own right. Tricia had given me a diamond-shaped example, and from that I immediately saw what I would do.<br /><br />So - the Marquesan concept, the shape of the <span style="font-style: italic;">hihimanu</span> - ray - represents the twin-peaked mountain of Mangareva. As we approached it from the sea, it looked like a ray emerging from the sea. The eyes are Hawaiian <span style="font-style: italic;">honu</span> - sea turtle, the wings are New Zealand <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maori">Māori</a>-style <span style="font-style: italic;">naia</span> - dolphins, on the sides of the eyes are Rapa Nui <span style="font-style: italic;">makohe</span> - frigate birds (separate story here - not getting into it), the mouth and nose are a double-hulled canoe and sail, with waves on either side, and the tail is supposed to be moons (for navigation and tides) and fishhooks done in a Tahitian style. Kinda ran out of room at the tail end, though! The whole represents <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangaroa">Tangaroa</a>/<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanaloa">Kanaloa</a>, who is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polynesian">Polynesia</a>-wide god of the sea. Not that I've been out there a LOT, but I have been out there...you see the myriad incarnations of Kanaloa: the good, the bad and the truly frightening. I guess the design is in homage of what's out there...<br /><br />Now I'm contemplating the next one. I have some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cook_islands">Cook Island</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maori">Māori</a> ideas, but I want to go there first. Have also had a few people ask me to design things for them. I have also met maybe three or four others with <span style="font-style: italic;">hihimanu</span> on their lower backs...you see LOTS of tattoos at canoe regattas!<br /></blockquote></div><a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mahalo_nui_loa"><span style="font-style: italic;">Mahaloa nui loa</span></a> to Cat for sharing this awesome piece with us here on Tattoosday, and for providing such an in-depth explanation. Truly fascinating and inspiring! We're loking forward to seeing the next one!

Cat's Ink Pays Homage to Her Experience on the Ocean

Over the last few months, I have reconnected with old friends through Facebook , many of whom I haven't seen in years. In so doing, many...

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Mercedes Honors Family Members with her Ink

Mercedes doesn't remember the specific shops where she got her ink, but each piece honors members of her family, both living and gone.<br /><br />Mercedes is a make-up artist that has very close ties to her family, and these relationships have manifested themselves on her tattoos.<br /><br />The piece I first noticed, on her right arm, was this one:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaeLqwYRlchQhaThIGvReBeWLPsjOC1IBaxdFZVCykew87icl7kE9XroMwWW3TgErYZaJ2HUeMKTwW-WXW7lFNqQg0MK5j35ho9S3zrUnpXJ1Ba_oOYQonxpRSJEd2UQk58d0CWw2Y3Grr/s1600-h/PICT0588.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244321791159328130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaeLqwYRlchQhaThIGvReBeWLPsjOC1IBaxdFZVCykew87icl7kE9XroMwWW3TgErYZaJ2HUeMKTwW-WXW7lFNqQg0MK5j35ho9S3zrUnpXJ1Ba_oOYQonxpRSJEd2UQk58d0CWw2Y3Grr/s400/PICT0588.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a><br />This is actually comprised of two parts, the rose and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankh">ankh</a>. The rose was her first tattoo, inked because her mother and grandmother were both named Rosa. The ankh and the name "Iggy" were done as a memorial for her brother who had passed away.<br /><br />Her neck/upper back piece is actually three tattoos inked in succession:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYUqKPZBzu9CPvPq6UEfY11XAH6TurHcjYb7kTrPFC0r66YnmnJo8mF5EYC6O1w20Yn36pWqhUPsuTbnUO06Hm5K5jW5WGpBxlMYherKQG5QtSwIvgI7KhUY_2t4HQnQ41aizJA08Lds3/s1600-h/mercedes+back.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244322150162735922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYUqKPZBzu9CPvPq6UEfY11XAH6TurHcjYb7kTrPFC0r66YnmnJo8mF5EYC6O1w20Yn36pWqhUPsuTbnUO06Hm5K5jW5WGpBxlMYherKQG5QtSwIvgI7KhUY_2t4HQnQ41aizJA08Lds3/s400/mercedes+back.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a><br />Mercedes started with the top segments, which she described as tribal dolphins. They are in honor of her niece, who is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisces_%28astrology%29">Pisces</a>.<br /><br />Next is the piece below the dolphins, which is a representation of fire that corresponds to Mercedes' birth sign <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aries_%28astrology%29">Aries</a>, whose zodiac element is fire.<br /><br />Below that are flames rising from the number 3. This is for her nephew. The flames correspond to his sign, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_%28astrology%29">Leo</a>, whose zodiac element is also fire, and the number represents that he is third in the family line.<br /><br />Thanks to Mercedes for sharing her ink with us here on Tattoosday!

Mercedes Honors Family Members with her Ink

Mercedes doesn't remember the specific shops where she got her ink, but each piece honors members of her family, both living and gone. M...

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April's Tribal Piece

No offense to people with tribal tattoos, but they (the tattoos, not the people) generally don't generate much interest from me.<br /><br />Unless they are incorporated into a bigger design concept (like <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/08/whats-up-tiger-lily.html">this tiger lily piece</a>), they don't seem particularly interesting. I know, I know, that's a sweeping generalization, and there will always be exceptions.<br /><br />But tribal arm bands, anklets, or lower back designs are just that: designs. Often aesthetically pleasing, sometimes not. These tattoos (again, generally) are more about the look of the piece and the desire for a tattoo, than about a deep meaning about a specific person or event. Sure, you may have got that tribal piece to commemorate the time that your dog Lassie saved your son Timmy from a rattlesnake in the bottom of a well, but how does such a blogworthy event translate into an inked pattern?<br /><br />But, I digress. The title of this post is "April's Tribal." On occasion, a tribal piece does call out to me, as April's did last Friday at the 86th Street subway platform in Bay Ridge. Again, there is no earth-shattering story behind it, and had it been smaller in scope on an ankle or lower back, I may have kept walking.<br /><br />But April's tattoo is bold and striking:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RxZ1a-W4Rw3IaF0XO07TW9M9_5a4qT0OPrcVAO7s9BBfM74q_ebn-on8hyphenhyphenkLQMFTy-IebZonSTCmu_iBh2LwO8ve7w940DBcD2yT2fdzok8dqMAYZicvEK6kw6roi-SAIZYCX-FewDdb/s1600-h/PICT0544.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239519376681209090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RxZ1a-W4Rw3IaF0XO07TW9M9_5a4qT0OPrcVAO7s9BBfM74q_ebn-on8hyphenhyphenkLQMFTy-IebZonSTCmu_iBh2LwO8ve7w940DBcD2yT2fdzok8dqMAYZicvEK6kw6roi-SAIZYCX-FewDdb/s400/PICT0544.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a><br />She had this inked in Los Angeles in the early 1990s, by a friend with whom she has lost touch. He was just starting out as a tattooist.<br /><br />She had initially envisioned having a short sleeve, but after the initial back piece was completed, she just never finished it off. April didn't seem too concerned, though: "It's on my back, so I never see it," she smiled.<br /><br />Thanks to April for sharing her tribal piece with us here at Tattoosday!

April's Tribal Piece

No offense to people with tribal tattoos, but they (the tattoos, not the people) generally don't generate much interest from me. Unless ...

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