The Tattooed Poets Project: Margaret Bashaar

Today's tattooed poet is <a href="http://margaretbashaar.wordpress.com/">Margaret Bashaar</a>, who sent us this stunning photo:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik7WVO2EZEAA5mkeib0IqEuazLFnXm476GJnfffqywZssbNQq4vSM4mdEZKwvJzFSPKyzdH7l30fWKsCWUB1MnryEGUmNgcfR2pW-CWC0UdWcoU3bHNYCqHdMiZ_W1meYUUjUtXJD8OVQ/s572/IMG_4888_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik7WVO2EZEAA5mkeib0IqEuazLFnXm476GJnfffqywZssbNQq4vSM4mdEZKwvJzFSPKyzdH7l30fWKsCWUB1MnryEGUmNgcfR2pW-CWC0UdWcoU3bHNYCqHdMiZ_W1meYUUjUtXJD8OVQ/s640/IMG_4888_2.jpg" width="482" /></a></div><br /><br />Margaret explains what's on her back:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60C8GjbSCqIAyhqCrKpzdVAHqsyNnLI35lgWg8GqyqUbo-XvxzlJvBnvLZ8d3LInQICwnan74Eu8O2eE_m70HvY7Acn-kZsmD0R3-ioxlYkhv7rAAyAKSuMS7eyCaeBJN3INojsE__Qo/s360/close+up+peyote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60C8GjbSCqIAyhqCrKpzdVAHqsyNnLI35lgWg8GqyqUbo-XvxzlJvBnvLZ8d3LInQICwnan74Eu8O2eE_m70HvY7Acn-kZsmD0R3-ioxlYkhv7rAAyAKSuMS7eyCaeBJN3INojsE__Qo/s320/close+up+peyote.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">"The tattoo of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peyote_cactus">peyote</a> cactus on my upper back was done by <a href="http://octeel.zenfolio.com/">Octeel</a> at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/drawingroomtattoo">The Drawing Room</a> in Pittsburgh, PA. Over the past few years I've taken part in a number of medicine ceremonies with a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakota_people">Lakota</a> road woman, and it will probably sound really corny, but they completely changed my life. I'd been battling with severe anxiety and depression for a few years when I attended my first ceremony, and that ceremony was the turning point for me. Since then I've made huge strides with my emotional and spiritual self and credit ceremony for turning the trend I'd been on around. Octeel is a part of the group of people I'd met through ceremony, and it seemed only fitting to ask him to create this tattoo."</blockquote>About the piece on her lower back, Margaret filled us in:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"The tattoo on my lower back was done almost 11 years ago at a studio in Pittsburgh called Z Spot, which has changed locations and owners since and is now called <a href="http://www.alteregobodyartstudio.com/">Alter Ego</a>. I'm about 95% certain the woman who did the tattoo (which I designed) no longer works there. It was more of a 'yay, I'm 18 and can get a tattoo now!' sort of tattoo, but I still love it and am very glad I decided to get that first tattoo." </blockquote>Margaret also shared this photo of her thigh:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBerANlSPlTFZ4iFEzPhvuPJ4d9luNnXzcAM3RGDmdgsFIb-h6ldkmigDu-74vZQ15-15RzAnBGBYuXvpTMtz6tn-utRzh9YuJyLjeecZe7UOcg64BLGsOuBmktkhArzDy4lx9eoztNg/s614/Tattoo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBerANlSPlTFZ4iFEzPhvuPJ4d9luNnXzcAM3RGDmdgsFIb-h6ldkmigDu-74vZQ15-15RzAnBGBYuXvpTMtz6tn-utRzh9YuJyLjeecZe7UOcg64BLGsOuBmktkhArzDy4lx9eoztNg/s400/Tattoo2.jpg" width="310" /></a></div><br />and she explains:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"This particular tattoo is ... by Terence Kauffman at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kinkd-Ink-Studio/126690804062326">Kink'd Ink Studio</a> in Windber, PA. It started as a tribute to my poetry press, <a href="http://hyacinthgirlpress.com/">Hyacinth Girl Press</a>, with the hyacinth at the bottom of the tattoo, and has grown into a whole garden, which will eventually extend up my ribcage. There are two lines of text hidden in the tattoo - in the stem of the hyacinth is the line 'Let us love, since our heart is made for nothing else' which was written by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A9r%C3%A8se_of_Lisieux">Saint Thérèse of Lisieux</a>, and on one of the leaves are the lines 'yes the pun's/the devil's work, but God made language/let him in' by the poet <a href="http://de-cidered.blogspot.com/">Niina Pollari</a>. The lines are from a poem in her chapbook, <a href="http://www.vianegativa.us/2012/04/book-four-by-niina-pollari/">Book Four</a>, which I published in 2011. The flowers in the tattoo (daffodil, hyacinth, tulip, cornflower, lily of the valley, and poppy) are all flowers that my mother grew in her garden when I was growing up, and all the flowers I plan to add are in the same theme."</blockquote>I am grateful for Margaret sending these photos and, accompanying them is this poem she sent, as well:<br /><br /><b>These are the small moments when you know you love</b><br /><br />When the legs that tremble are not mine, <br />when I have not spoken in days, <br />when the last taste on my tongue <br />is the sour of coffee <br /><br />the mountain opens its mouth and I step in. <br /><br /><i>See, these are the tunnels </i><br /><i>you must hold your breath through, </i><br /><i>these the traffic signals that will always </i><br /><i>make you lift your hands from the wheel, </i><br /><i>tell you to make another wish.</i><br /><br />You are where I go when I think I know myself,<br />to remind me I never can, <br />that there is always a new scar <br />to discover at the back of my thigh,<br />always a new lust to draw <br />like a needle down my back. <br /><br />I am full of torn up stamens, <br />petals chewed to pulp. <br /><br />I watch your hands grey as the days pass, <br />I see your hands in the fire.<br />They snatch the hummingbird from it.\<br /><br />I've rolled this sun, <br />these broken branch tips <br />into a ball to slip <br />beneath your mattress. <br />I will keep you awake at night,<br />coax out your royalty. <br /><br />I know you want to be suspended in the air, <br />full of spells or something like them, <br />that you see a warm blanket as the first step <br />toward seduction, and a badly timed joke <br />as the second. <br /><br />Maybe we all do the same things to each other - <br />cut our teeth on one another's scapula, <br />scrape at each other's signatures with a straight razor. <br /><br />Swing your legs over the edge with me and you will feel the planet <br />as it tries to shrug you off,<br />the whiplash of elliptical orbit.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">~ ~ ~</div><div style="text-align: left;">That lovely poem first appeared in <i><a href="http://menacinghedge.com/fall2011/entry-bashaar.php">Menacing Hedge</a></i> (click through to hear Margaret reading the above poem, along with two others).<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Margaret Bashaar's second chapbook, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/80737587/letters-from-room-27-of-the-grand-midway">Letters from Room 27 of the Grand Midway Hotel</a>, was published by <a href="http://bloodyooze.blogspot.com/">Blood Pudding Press</a> in 2011. Her poetry has also appeared in or is forthcoming from journals such as <a href="http://www.caketrain.org/04/">Caketrain</a>, <i>New South</i>, <a href="http://www.copper-nickel.org/">Copper Nickel</a>, <a href="http://menacinghedge.com/fall2011/entry-bashaar.php">Menacing Hedge</a>, and <a href="http://rhinopoetry.org/">RHINO</a>, among others. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA where she edits <a href="http://hyacinthgirlpress.com/">Hyacinth Girl Press</a> and collects antique typewriters, which may be haunted by ghosts or demons.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Thanks to Margaret for her contribution to this year's Tattooed Poets Project on Tattoosday!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.15415130858309567" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This entry is ©2013 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoos are reprinted with the poet's permission.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">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 </span><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></span></b></div>

The Tattooed Poets Project: Margaret Bashaar

Today's tattooed poet is Margaret Bashaar , who sent us this stunning photo: Margaret explains what's on her back: "The tattoo ...

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Repost: Michael's Mariachis

<i>Well, it has been a repost sort of week, and as it is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_dead">All Soul's Day</a>, a.k.a. The Day of the Dead, this only seemed fitting. It's from my college friend, Michael, and it appeared <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/12/michaels-mariachis-celebrate-life-with.html">here</a> originally on December 30, 2008. Enjoy!</i><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisl_mObKQKr2imPCk-4UPiJ588Nx4lI7uj5iiQEUOAhDFsDUnEHSAiaIsp4nxluk11dEzpw7r2IvuguXcXuOSMa4UO3nwettlNmdVZ_Gzjmb4oR6-HAcdiqASSLsoJS9M8rQ5EGyNovpIt/s1600-h/mariachi+with+iris.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269720254143055906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisl_mObKQKr2imPCk-4UPiJ588Nx4lI7uj5iiQEUOAhDFsDUnEHSAiaIsp4nxluk11dEzpw7r2IvuguXcXuOSMa4UO3nwettlNmdVZ_Gzjmb4oR6-HAcdiqASSLsoJS9M8rQ5EGyNovpIt/s640/mariachi+with+iris.jpg" style="display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 356px;" width="569" /></a><br />In reconnecting with old college friends through Facebook, my old friend Michael who I haven't seen in almost twenty years sent me an amazing tattoo he has on his right arm.<br /><br />He sent me before and after shots so we can see the transformation from outline to spectacularly colorful body art. First, the before shots.....<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5AMg5HMwRZUERr-Es-5Oa6m7x9w1U8pUrooumPGk4Xt9VOVnEC0FRMCNKaKt6_Os2zOo5gyF7nv_fo4W-LRJUyNRgzneBfnO4RH-ut-2enD6i6Q0INgJUQ07ffDtGcgcG9Uf2rBsAEZCQ/s1600-h/mariachi+outline+1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269719225156372226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5AMg5HMwRZUERr-Es-5Oa6m7x9w1U8pUrooumPGk4Xt9VOVnEC0FRMCNKaKt6_Os2zOo5gyF7nv_fo4W-LRJUyNRgzneBfnO4RH-ut-2enD6i6Q0INgJUQ07ffDtGcgcG9Uf2rBsAEZCQ/s640/mariachi+outline+1.jpg" style="display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 214px;" width="342" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_ZW0JG2QE8LiO2edxzvyHoJ3mbZUs4kS82hkS_ivr6pkW5LowQ5sCrBMQawWPhv9tUu-04a9oIwUFlYfvMpqpeapROfMW39qVZj2I4X1elk_HMAWH5adS5UdfylSDbTW_8kfh3yqytU0/s1600-h/mariachi+outline+2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269718659087915346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_ZW0JG2QE8LiO2edxzvyHoJ3mbZUs4kS82hkS_ivr6pkW5LowQ5sCrBMQawWPhv9tUu-04a9oIwUFlYfvMpqpeapROfMW39qVZj2I4X1elk_HMAWH5adS5UdfylSDbTW_8kfh3yqytU0/s400/mariachi+outline+2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 176px;" /></a><br />The detail and the line work is exemplary and breath-taking. As someone with a guitar inked on my arm, I can appreciate the intricacies of a finely-drawn instrument. The detail on the mariachi's jacket cuff is incredible.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-D6Tip6rawH-OB3InfgTcjZDjZ6V78uT17xhncbCzlqnb4ui2pRjGR6kVbkGdE7jnnlAgH1pGaiKLMvpZ0DYuYa01aOTAJLb6Qu126mERW82SIeHyHmZ9WxSQMzoke50tEQ-av5lTuq3/s1600-h/mariachi+detail.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269719773239210498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-D6Tip6rawH-OB3InfgTcjZDjZ6V78uT17xhncbCzlqnb4ui2pRjGR6kVbkGdE7jnnlAgH1pGaiKLMvpZ0DYuYa01aOTAJLb6Qu126mERW82SIeHyHmZ9WxSQMzoke50tEQ-av5lTuq3/s400/mariachi+detail.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 147px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />And now, for some color:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bjMatrIXqOp_IIF_sdBHQcLBRSA-tOMxasc9xXdQvBlbgY1a3lUhyeBVKNLMn6OxEorcwcU0zAcrlkYfwz1TT2TK2dlglg2lJUzkyDQZCWN1hdAUSFToyJtDYP2KkO5TQPPEIk0Hqi2G/s1600-h/mariachi+right.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269718515179009634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bjMatrIXqOp_IIF_sdBHQcLBRSA-tOMxasc9xXdQvBlbgY1a3lUhyeBVKNLMn6OxEorcwcU0zAcrlkYfwz1TT2TK2dlglg2lJUzkyDQZCWN1hdAUSFToyJtDYP2KkO5TQPPEIk0Hqi2G/s400/mariachi+right.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 193px;" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8BG4GBRddcgJXZuI-npX_gQKQOk_X9kSuS-KM7eDopjjGPxXwhZBQSsElfCgk1PESG9WHRtkyr5HoqOBNsdYmQIJzQEoepYWr7YuXCs5FKL-tx5etGeHOoMX96syQZ_wqPWjKq-VP4Sp/s1600-h/mariachi+left.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269718414681594482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8BG4GBRddcgJXZuI-npX_gQKQOk_X9kSuS-KM7eDopjjGPxXwhZBQSsElfCgk1PESG9WHRtkyr5HoqOBNsdYmQIJzQEoepYWr7YuXCs5FKL-tx5etGeHOoMX96syQZ_wqPWjKq-VP4Sp/s400/mariachi+left.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 146px;" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLo6X96y4Igse_fUrL-b0Teb9B58vUgjcISYt5vZ_FUUrSjT5P72GIWPbAHNhnCyw6Xm_q2DaZ-owOzQwTZoN-BWt2uKEFtv8ySo-_QtbBpNvdhAJw3sBsRJcxvq_VohWsxd6-1IjhzgSF/s1600-h/mariachi+center.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269718302019198898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLo6X96y4Igse_fUrL-b0Teb9B58vUgjcISYt5vZ_FUUrSjT5P72GIWPbAHNhnCyw6Xm_q2DaZ-owOzQwTZoN-BWt2uKEFtv8ySo-_QtbBpNvdhAJw3sBsRJcxvq_VohWsxd6-1IjhzgSF/s640/mariachi+center.jpg" style="display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 190px;" width="304" /></a><br />Michael explains the basic premise of this tattoo:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">In a sense, this piece is a "memorial" tattoo, although I hate to call it that. Since I grew up in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwestern_United_States">Southwest</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_dead">Day of the Dead</a> was a regular thing, so I've always been drawn to that type of imagery, plus I like the meaning -- honoring the dead, and reminding us to live life to the fullest.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> I picked the mariachis partly because I am so into music, and partly because of the celebratory aspect of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariachi">mariachis</a>. </span></blockquote>Like many intricate tattoos with multiple elements, every part has significance. The tulips, for example, that are growing at the mariachi's feet, "are an actual heirloom varietal that I have in the garden" [and] are for my wife -- tulips are her favorite flower".<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqK3ClnntneQxWCiwiu_UvW0zNh0GNyT-SBKq6SGqQnRzcGjJbO8JlWNtylYrL1hx7rV2ZOBJeatmDMKulEGXaGEAE_4zDm76TfwTq8uCYpwOgIA6SBMYnqaWvgganF0BhxeGuYAMWnbH/s1600-h/mariachi+tulips.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285329957944922738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqK3ClnntneQxWCiwiu_UvW0zNh0GNyT-SBKq6SGqQnRzcGjJbO8JlWNtylYrL1hx7rV2ZOBJeatmDMKulEGXaGEAE_4zDm76TfwTq8uCYpwOgIA6SBMYnqaWvgganF0BhxeGuYAMWnbH/s400/mariachi+tulips.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 285px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />And the angel at the top of the piece (and the top of the post)?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qDgMdFWJL0p2zR3OjSoGUOohaqjk_YJ8wABuTHHQJbAjYV3sCqP26b2FuXDaTMlSUT0c1ye1IH2lVf0TLlpIqVonjztBFYmPSibzeN0xro1NE2Q5rvdgfNEXONdHG6PjK2cDKRuOc5rm/s1600-h/mariachi+top.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269719465230803490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qDgMdFWJL0p2zR3OjSoGUOohaqjk_YJ8wABuTHHQJbAjYV3sCqP26b2FuXDaTMlSUT0c1ye1IH2lVf0TLlpIqVonjztBFYmPSibzeN0xro1NE2Q5rvdgfNEXONdHG6PjK2cDKRuOc5rm/s400/mariachi+top.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 355px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />Michael informs us that "the angel is for my mother, who is no longer with us. The angel holds a purple iris (my mother's favorite flower), and looks down over the whole scene."<br /><br />This amazing piece was inked by <a href="http://www.doyleomite.com/">Susan Behney-Doyle</a> who works out of <a href="http://www.jinxprooftattoos.com/index.html">Jinx Proof Tattoo</a> in Washington, D.C. Mexican folk art is one of her specialties (see a gallery of her work <a href="http://www.doyleomite.com/gallerySusan.htm">here</a>) and Michael says he "gave her a few reference pieces to look at, but she basically drew it after a consultation". He continues, "we made just a couple tweaks after I saw the drawing, but it's a one-of-a-kind custom piece".<br /><br />The whole tattoo was crafted back in 2006 over a five-month, seven-session period. Michael notes that one of those sessions was devoted solely to shading the guitar. A closer look at the instrument reveals an incredible complexity of brown variations that truly makes the guitar jump off the skin.<br /><br /><i>Thanks again to Michael for sharing this amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday</i> - twice!<br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal">This entry is ©2008, 2011 Tattoosday. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div>

Repost: Michael's Mariachis

Well, it has been a repost sort of week, and as it is All Soul's Day , a.k.a. The Day of the Dead, this only seemed fitting. It's fr...

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James and His Colorful Sleeve

Last month, I had the pleasure of running into James, in Penn Station. He has an incredible sleeve, which he gladly took some time to share with us:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkCm2YZ6ZuEPyLrRk_ifWzEAtHqtfzrZ4_IJHLP24E7fWCCdDo1IX4bO5Lt8P_2uHXijtvzN_DkEv5rj9IoTnKmmkElcVhJUB0TvJsm6ZmBKM8hZdLz4TouDOkq20kJiNHCKCBPGBXUGI/s1600/samurai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkCm2YZ6ZuEPyLrRk_ifWzEAtHqtfzrZ4_IJHLP24E7fWCCdDo1IX4bO5Lt8P_2uHXijtvzN_DkEv5rj9IoTnKmmkElcVhJUB0TvJsm6ZmBKM8hZdLz4TouDOkq20kJiNHCKCBPGBXUGI/s640/samurai.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><br />James is very interested in Japanese traditions, and this piece, by <a href="http://www.silkcitytattoo.com/christian-masot/">Christian Masot</a> at <a href="http://www.silkcitytattoo.com/">Silk City Tattoo</a> in Hawthorne, New Jersey, is a stunning colorful tribute. I mean, check out this detail:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6-ayv70jLI9XTjOr4-31BPEl9fjQZghzEU4OqFFbEvHceLiZKF9GR9_mkPvG0vPTCuPBnhrW2DdMT8SjzHZkjXme5gql8I_fK65BC6S_zM9jCCCMEKmuAkyFSKih_UGZ2ijftkrDMx4/s1600/samurai+detail_picnik.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6-ayv70jLI9XTjOr4-31BPEl9fjQZghzEU4OqFFbEvHceLiZKF9GR9_mkPvG0vPTCuPBnhrW2DdMT8SjzHZkjXme5gql8I_fK65BC6S_zM9jCCCMEKmuAkyFSKih_UGZ2ijftkrDMx4/s640/samurai+detail_picnik.jpg" width="346" /></a></div><br />Work from Silk City has appeared before on Tattoosday, check out <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Silk%20City%20Tattoo">these examples</a>.<br /><br />On the bottom of James' right arm is this incredible collage:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSxNwB-poUbtZr8DTX_Upy_Zu_NEC9Tx9zEnVYxsJZkRrJ171GziSME0Kvs4ZKEEZ-JQHyWvlKUaQ2cIL0Fbkm57mCIz3ujuBAta40duUtj9KnUkvyNjB9KrlS2pnp-bfr80QSJ0ANwA/s1600/frog+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSxNwB-poUbtZr8DTX_Upy_Zu_NEC9Tx9zEnVYxsJZkRrJ171GziSME0Kvs4ZKEEZ-JQHyWvlKUaQ2cIL0Fbkm57mCIz3ujuBAta40duUtj9KnUkvyNjB9KrlS2pnp-bfr80QSJ0ANwA/s400/frog+collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />This burst of color includes a poison dart frog, a Jackson chameleon, a lotus, a mum, and a tulip.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3UOXmlnDfZ2z9Z5uIJyAXoslr2n34cm06umK-24KGeGWWwqrnV2GNPnGA17-RK5TNQNjXJdC3TIL_abNaZgqdnkDkCJfKLV6Cd8oPhQOQskTbirBbF-GqlDzfGnuIIQ2O1Sh0lB0k-w/s1600/frog+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3UOXmlnDfZ2z9Z5uIJyAXoslr2n34cm06umK-24KGeGWWwqrnV2GNPnGA17-RK5TNQNjXJdC3TIL_abNaZgqdnkDkCJfKLV6Cd8oPhQOQskTbirBbF-GqlDzfGnuIIQ2O1Sh0lB0k-w/s640/frog+detail.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />Thanks to James for sharing his amazing work with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. <br /><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 </span> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><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="font-size: x-small;"> </span>

James and His Colorful Sleeve

Last month, I had the pleasure of running into James, in Penn Station. He has an incredible sleeve, which he gladly took some time to share ...

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Kristine's Globe and a Memorial for Mom

Kristine has seven tattoos, two of which she shared with us late last month in Penn Station.<br /><br />The first one I  noticed when she walked by was this piece from the back of her calf:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQPMwNAYDLiWV-9DyMziS2AI9mSDkN80UlAjtCne2-9cJHpnMPK2KpWT5cwm3o8rBu50MFIEemyuMkpArLN27109RoPKzeuBDK9HJpIEIx_fv4YfzJaIerVhJUiiYCC-7C0X2rZ5_/s1600/Globe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQPMwNAYDLiWV-9DyMziS2AI9mSDkN80UlAjtCne2-9cJHpnMPK2KpWT5cwm3o8rBu50MFIEemyuMkpArLN27109RoPKzeuBDK9HJpIEIx_fv4YfzJaIerVhJUiiYCC-7C0X2rZ5_/s320/Globe.jpg" width="291" /></a></div><br />This is an homage to her travels, having recently returned from ten months in New Zealand. The Latin phrase below the globe, "<a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20omnia%20paratus">On Omnia Paratus</a>" translates to "ready for all things".<br /><br />She also shared this lovely floral tattoo on her upper right arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYWhgGN5H4r5uJVWSw3axSF9rA9k8omunxJCeaxFXFmGXef_3dwfl7bzSVmNhVyZ6Jj4FHG1Qr6eJz4uq_7PbhvbdDpXhBju77waPUjlkIhxTbCeb2qe_k5fdxz8F91i3W8m-zOnc/s1600/tulips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYWhgGN5H4r5uJVWSw3axSF9rA9k8omunxJCeaxFXFmGXef_3dwfl7bzSVmNhVyZ6Jj4FHG1Qr6eJz4uq_7PbhvbdDpXhBju77waPUjlkIhxTbCeb2qe_k5fdxz8F91i3W8m-zOnc/s400/tulips.jpg" width="326" /></a></div><br />Kristine explained that these <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip">tulips</a> are a memorial to her mother, who passed away from lung cancer.<br /><br />These tattoos were done by <a href="http://www.nogroovesingunsights.blogspot.com/">Chris Pesonen</a> at <a href="http://www.fatkattat.com/index.html">Fat Kat Tattoos</a> in Keyport, New Jersey. Work from Fat Kat has appeared previously on Tattoosday <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Fat%20Kat%20Tattoo">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Kristine for sharing her tattoos with us hereon Tattoosday!

Kristine's Globe and a Memorial for Mom

Kristine has seven tattoos, two of which she shared with us late last month in Penn Station. The first one I  noticed when she walked by was...

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The Tattooed Poets Project: Dese'Rae Stage and Some Poetic Tulips

Last Wednesday (April 15), I was trying to distract myself from having my back tattooed, when my BlackBerry chirped and I found a wonderful e-mail in my inbox. A poet and photographer named <a href="http://ifeelinfinite.net/">Dese'Rae Stage</a> had graced me with some photos of a few of her <span style="font-weight: bold;">fifteen</span> tattoos. What follows is my favorite of those pieces:<br /><br />The first piece is based on <a href="http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/11">Sylvia Plath's</a> poem "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulips_%28poem%29">Tulips</a>":<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzh9eH2Vw9F664LHBI7TPS7k574x2a5utGMb0n50us85B3FogRkZkfy38RuLtoPEJmFlgIXTt4QXLVQx0Owyp-afFX0uzLfq6SqazJVfmTjF5g0UHenu0ynPrFcc6YCbVdwKy_BVJAM0/s1600-h/plath.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326710553181695730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzh9eH2Vw9F664LHBI7TPS7k574x2a5utGMb0n50us85B3FogRkZkfy38RuLtoPEJmFlgIXTt4QXLVQx0Owyp-afFX0uzLfq6SqazJVfmTjF5g0UHenu0ynPrFcc6YCbVdwKy_BVJAM0/s400/plath.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a><br />The poem is below, with the lines extracted for the tattoo highlighted:<br /><br /><blockquote>TULIPS<br /><pre>The tulips are too excitable, it is winter here.<br />Look how white everything is, how quiet, how snowed-in<br />I am learning peacefulness, lying by myself quietly<br />As the light lies on these white walls, this bed, these hands.<br /><span style="color: red; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">I am nobody; I have nothing to do with explosions.</span></span><br />I have given my name and my day-clothes up to the nurses<br />And my history to the anaesthetist and my body to surgeons.<br /><br />They have propped my head between the pillow and the sheet-cuff<br />Like an eye between two white lids that will not shut.<br />Stupid pupil, it has to take everything in.<br />The nurses pass and pass, they are no trouble,<br />They pass the way gulls pass inland in their white caps,<br />Doing things with their hands, one just the same as another,<br />So it is impossible to tell how many there are.<br /><br />My body is a pebble to them, they tend it as water<br />Tends to the pebbles it must run over, smoothing them gently.<br />They bring me numbness in their bright needles, they bring me sleep.<br />Now I have lost myself I am sick of baggage ----<br />My patent leather overnight case like a black pillbox,<br />My husband and child smiling out of the family photo;<br />Their smiles catch onto my skin, little smiling hooks.<br /><br />I have let things slip, a thirty-year-old cargo boat<br />Stubbornly hanging on to my name and address.<br />They have swabbed me clear of my loving associations.<br />Scared and bare on the green plastic-pillowed trolley<br />I watched my teaset, my bureaus of linen, my books<br />Sink out of sight, and the water went over my head.<br />I am a nun now, I have never been so pure.<br /><br />I didn't want any flowers, I only wanted<br />To lie with my hands turned up and be utterly empty.<br />How free it is, you have no idea how free ----<br />The peacefulness is so big it dazes you,<br />And it asks nothing, a name tag, a few trinkets.<br />It is what the dead close on, finally; I imagine them<br />Shutting their mouths on it, like a Communion tablet.<br /><br />The tulips are too red in the first place, they hurt me.<br />Even through the gift paper I could hear them breathe<br />Lightly, through their white swaddlings, like an awful baby.<br />Their redness talks to my wound, it corresponds.<br />They are subtle: they seem to float, though they weigh me down,<br />Upsetting me with their sudden tongues and their colour,<br />A dozen red lead sinkers round my neck.<br /><br />Nobody watched me before, now I am watched.<br />The tulips turn to me, and the window behind me<br />Where once a day the light slowly widens and slowly thins,<br />And I see myself, flat, ridiculous, a cut-paper shadow<br />Between the eye of the sun and the eyes of the tulips,<br /><span style="color: red; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">And I have no face, I have wanted to efface myself.</span></span><br />The vivid tulips eat my oxygen.<br /><br />Before they came the air was calm enough,<br />Coming and going, breath by breath, without any fuss.<br />Then the tulips filled it up like a loud noise.<br />Now the air snags and eddies round them the way a river<br />Snags and eddies round a sunken rust-red engine.<br />They concentrate my attention, that was happy<br />Playing and resting without committing itself.<br /><br />The walls, also, seem to be warming themselves.<br />The tulips should be behind bars like dangerous animals;<br />They are opening like the mouth of some great African cat,<br /><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">And I am aware of my heart: it opens and closes</span></span><br />Its bowl of red blooms out of sheer love of me.<br />The water I taste is warm and salt, like the sea,<br />And comes from a country far away as health.</pre><br /></blockquote>Dese'Rae explains the background of this tattoo:<br /><br /><blockquote>"The interpretation is literal enough: it's a poem about suicide and I'd recently tried to commit suicide (I got the piece done back in November 2006 and the summer prior was particularly difficult). One of my oldest friends, Ryan Falcon, just happens to be a talented artist, so I took him a tiny line drawing of some tulips and a copy of the poem with the selected lines highlighted and told him to go to it. The only stencil he used was for the words. He drew a rough outline of the bulbs, but everyth ing else was free-handed. This piece is on my inner left calf."</blockquote><br />For the sake of brevity, I am only posting this one tattoo, of the five Dese'Rae sent me. It is, in my opinion, the best of the tattoos she sent me. However, I may post more in the future, with her permission.<br /><br />It should be noted that the artist behind this tattoo, the aforementioned <a href="http://%20www.myspace.com/ruen_did_it">Ryan Falcon</a>, is based in Miami, Florida and works at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/ruen_did_it">Almost Famous Tattoo</a>. Truly spectacular, and worth a second look:<br /><br /><pre><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCc3c6Se0VgITba-K8vw5KIsvZF-Ie4haPK5X9yKes2Nyq_9rq9bzhd5J9_lb3FSTFLWTcq0bB8yvYWXHvxDSc1T8_zOqueQk9nqWK_d1DfrtNdGLt208zw4H4SBdQZ73RCPaH3Y-yYpc/s1600-h/plath-horiz+1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326923934692876210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCc3c6Se0VgITba-K8vw5KIsvZF-Ie4haPK5X9yKes2Nyq_9rq9bzhd5J9_lb3FSTFLWTcq0bB8yvYWXHvxDSc1T8_zOqueQk9nqWK_d1DfrtNdGLt208zw4H4SBdQZ73RCPaH3Y-yYpc/s400/plath-horiz+1.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 182px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a></pre><br />Thanks to Dese'Rae for sharing her amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday, as well as sharing the deeply personal story that accompanies it.<br /><br />Head over to BillyBlog to read one of her poems <a href="http://oxypoet.blogspot.com/2009/04/tattooed-poets-series-day-21-deserae.html">here</a>.

The Tattooed Poets Project: Dese'Rae Stage and Some Poetic Tulips

Last Wednesday (April 15), I was trying to distract myself from having my back tattooed, when my BlackBerry chirped and I found a wonderful ...

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Michael's Mariachis Celebrate Life with a Burst of Musical Color

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisl_mObKQKr2imPCk-4UPiJ588Nx4lI7uj5iiQEUOAhDFsDUnEHSAiaIsp4nxluk11dEzpw7r2IvuguXcXuOSMa4UO3nwettlNmdVZ_Gzjmb4oR6-HAcdiqASSLsoJS9M8rQ5EGyNovpIt/s1600-h/mariachi+with+iris.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269720254143055906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisl_mObKQKr2imPCk-4UPiJ588Nx4lI7uj5iiQEUOAhDFsDUnEHSAiaIsp4nxluk11dEzpw7r2IvuguXcXuOSMa4UO3nwettlNmdVZ_Gzjmb4oR6-HAcdiqASSLsoJS9M8rQ5EGyNovpIt/s400/mariachi+with+iris.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 356px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />In reconnecting with old college friends through Facebook, my old friend Michael who I haven't seen in almost twenty years sent me an amazing tattoo he has on his right arm.<br /><br />He sent me before and after shots so we can see the transformation from outline to spectacularly colorful body art. First, the before shots.....<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5AMg5HMwRZUERr-Es-5Oa6m7x9w1U8pUrooumPGk4Xt9VOVnEC0FRMCNKaKt6_Os2zOo5gyF7nv_fo4W-LRJUyNRgzneBfnO4RH-ut-2enD6i6Q0INgJUQ07ffDtGcgcG9Uf2rBsAEZCQ/s1600-h/mariachi+outline+1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269719225156372226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5AMg5HMwRZUERr-Es-5Oa6m7x9w1U8pUrooumPGk4Xt9VOVnEC0FRMCNKaKt6_Os2zOo5gyF7nv_fo4W-LRJUyNRgzneBfnO4RH-ut-2enD6i6Q0INgJUQ07ffDtGcgcG9Uf2rBsAEZCQ/s400/mariachi+outline+1.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 400px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_ZW0JG2QE8LiO2edxzvyHoJ3mbZUs4kS82hkS_ivr6pkW5LowQ5sCrBMQawWPhv9tUu-04a9oIwUFlYfvMpqpeapROfMW39qVZj2I4X1elk_HMAWH5adS5UdfylSDbTW_8kfh3yqytU0/s1600-h/mariachi+outline+2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269718659087915346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_ZW0JG2QE8LiO2edxzvyHoJ3mbZUs4kS82hkS_ivr6pkW5LowQ5sCrBMQawWPhv9tUu-04a9oIwUFlYfvMpqpeapROfMW39qVZj2I4X1elk_HMAWH5adS5UdfylSDbTW_8kfh3yqytU0/s400/mariachi+outline+2.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />The detail and the line work is exemplary and breath-taking. As someone with a guitar inked on my arm, I can appreciate the intricacies of a finely-drawn instrument. The detail on the mariachi's jacket cuff is incredible.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-D6Tip6rawH-OB3InfgTcjZDjZ6V78uT17xhncbCzlqnb4ui2pRjGR6kVbkGdE7jnnlAgH1pGaiKLMvpZ0DYuYa01aOTAJLb6Qu126mERW82SIeHyHmZ9WxSQMzoke50tEQ-av5lTuq3/s1600-h/mariachi+detail.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269719773239210498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-D6Tip6rawH-OB3InfgTcjZDjZ6V78uT17xhncbCzlqnb4ui2pRjGR6kVbkGdE7jnnlAgH1pGaiKLMvpZ0DYuYa01aOTAJLb6Qu126mERW82SIeHyHmZ9WxSQMzoke50tEQ-av5lTuq3/s400/mariachi+detail.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 147px;" /></a><br />And now, for some color:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bjMatrIXqOp_IIF_sdBHQcLBRSA-tOMxasc9xXdQvBlbgY1a3lUhyeBVKNLMn6OxEorcwcU0zAcrlkYfwz1TT2TK2dlglg2lJUzkyDQZCWN1hdAUSFToyJtDYP2KkO5TQPPEIk0Hqi2G/s1600-h/mariachi+right.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269718515179009634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bjMatrIXqOp_IIF_sdBHQcLBRSA-tOMxasc9xXdQvBlbgY1a3lUhyeBVKNLMn6OxEorcwcU0zAcrlkYfwz1TT2TK2dlglg2lJUzkyDQZCWN1hdAUSFToyJtDYP2KkO5TQPPEIk0Hqi2G/s400/mariachi+right.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 400px;" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8BG4GBRddcgJXZuI-npX_gQKQOk_X9kSuS-KM7eDopjjGPxXwhZBQSsElfCgk1PESG9WHRtkyr5HoqOBNsdYmQIJzQEoepYWr7YuXCs5FKL-tx5etGeHOoMX96syQZ_wqPWjKq-VP4Sp/s1600-h/mariachi+left.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269718414681594482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8BG4GBRddcgJXZuI-npX_gQKQOk_X9kSuS-KM7eDopjjGPxXwhZBQSsElfCgk1PESG9WHRtkyr5HoqOBNsdYmQIJzQEoepYWr7YuXCs5FKL-tx5etGeHOoMX96syQZ_wqPWjKq-VP4Sp/s400/mariachi+left.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 146px; height: 400px;" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLo6X96y4Igse_fUrL-b0Teb9B58vUgjcISYt5vZ_FUUrSjT5P72GIWPbAHNhnCyw6Xm_q2DaZ-owOzQwTZoN-BWt2uKEFtv8ySo-_QtbBpNvdhAJw3sBsRJcxvq_VohWsxd6-1IjhzgSF/s1600-h/mariachi+center.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269718302019198898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLo6X96y4Igse_fUrL-b0Teb9B58vUgjcISYt5vZ_FUUrSjT5P72GIWPbAHNhnCyw6Xm_q2DaZ-owOzQwTZoN-BWt2uKEFtv8ySo-_QtbBpNvdhAJw3sBsRJcxvq_VohWsxd6-1IjhzgSF/s400/mariachi+center.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />Michael explains the basic premise of this tattoo:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">In a sense, this piece is a "memorial" tattoo, although I hate to call it that. Since I grew up in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwestern_United_States">Southwest</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_dead">Day of the Dead</a> was a regular thing, so I've always been drawn to that type of imagery, plus I like the meaning -- honoring the dead, and reminding us to live life to the fullest.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> I picked the mariachis partly because I am so into music, and partly because of the celebratory aspect of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariachi">mariachis</a>. </span></blockquote>Like many intricate tattoos with multiple elements, every part has significance. The tulips, for example, that are growing at the mariachi's feet, "are an actual heirloom varietal that I have in the garden" [and] are for my wife -- tulips are her favorite flower".<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqK3ClnntneQxWCiwiu_UvW0zNh0GNyT-SBKq6SGqQnRzcGjJbO8JlWNtylYrL1hx7rV2ZOBJeatmDMKulEGXaGEAE_4zDm76TfwTq8uCYpwOgIA6SBMYnqaWvgganF0BhxeGuYAMWnbH/s1600-h/mariachi+tulips.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285329957944922738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqK3ClnntneQxWCiwiu_UvW0zNh0GNyT-SBKq6SGqQnRzcGjJbO8JlWNtylYrL1hx7rV2ZOBJeatmDMKulEGXaGEAE_4zDm76TfwTq8uCYpwOgIA6SBMYnqaWvgganF0BhxeGuYAMWnbH/s400/mariachi+tulips.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 285px;" /></a><br />And the angel at the top of the piece (and the top of the post)?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qDgMdFWJL0p2zR3OjSoGUOohaqjk_YJ8wABuTHHQJbAjYV3sCqP26b2FuXDaTMlSUT0c1ye1IH2lVf0TLlpIqVonjztBFYmPSibzeN0xro1NE2Q5rvdgfNEXONdHG6PjK2cDKRuOc5rm/s1600-h/mariachi+top.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269719465230803490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qDgMdFWJL0p2zR3OjSoGUOohaqjk_YJ8wABuTHHQJbAjYV3sCqP26b2FuXDaTMlSUT0c1ye1IH2lVf0TLlpIqVonjztBFYmPSibzeN0xro1NE2Q5rvdgfNEXONdHG6PjK2cDKRuOc5rm/s400/mariachi+top.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 355px;" /></a><br />Michael informs us that "the angel is for my mother, who is no longer with us. The angel holds a purple iris (my mother's favorite flower), and looks down over the whole scene."<br /><br />This amazing piece was inked by <a href="http://www.doyleomite.com/">Susan Behney-Doyle</a> who works out of <a href="http://www.jinxprooftattoos.com/index.html">Jinx Proof Tattoo</a> in Washington, D.C. Mexican folk art is one of her specialties (see a gallery of her work <a href="http://www.doyleomite.com/gallerySusan.htm">here</a>) and Michael says he "gave her a few reference pieces to look at, but she basically drew it after a consultation". He continues, "we made just a couple tweaks after I saw the drawing, but it's a one-of-a-kind custom piece".<br /><br />The whole tattoo was crafted back in 2006 over a five-month, seven-session period. Michael notes that one of those sessions was devoted solely to shading the guitar. A closer look at the instrument reveals an incredible complexity of brown variations that truly makes the guitar jump off the skin.

Michael's Mariachis Celebrate Life with a Burst of Musical Color

In reconnecting with old college friends through Facebook, my old friend Michael who I haven't seen in almost twenty years sent me an am...

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