Johnny Shares His Angels and Demons

I met Johnny on the Coney Island boardwalk, and he allowed me to take a photo of his back to share with Tattoosday readers:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7-QMp1u3JZlNBvfY0zqbU0I27MV4KHfkU8fnmKyFJqWXV4YNFVSmB8-gBEOuNNwEFKOai2D3jSNTrcT-mc3XTZLNUSEeaW3a_VFbyTWLbZQD-1hvhbdFPb-HCf7NSD3gyIQDtV8WfFX0/w584-h659-no/IMG_1135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7-QMp1u3JZlNBvfY0zqbU0I27MV4KHfkU8fnmKyFJqWXV4YNFVSmB8-gBEOuNNwEFKOai2D3jSNTrcT-mc3XTZLNUSEeaW3a_VFbyTWLbZQD-1hvhbdFPb-HCf7NSD3gyIQDtV8WfFX0/w584-h659-no/IMG_1135.JPG" /></a></div><br />The top of the back reads "Brooklyn" and the bottom sums it up: Angels & Demons.<br /><br />Johnny explained:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"It's just the passions of my life. I went through turmoil and came out of it. So, basically, I'm wearing on my skin, my griefs, my sins and my dislikes."</blockquote>He couldn't be specific about who did what, but he said that the majority of the work was done by <a href="http://www.vinnytattoos.com/">Coney Island Vinny</a> and <a href="http://www.designsbymichaelangelo.com/">Michael Angelo</a>, two staples of old-school Brooklyn tattooing.<br /><br />Thanks to Johnny for sharing his back tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br /><br />

Johnny Shares His Angels and Demons

I met Johnny on the Coney Island boardwalk, and he allowed me to take a photo of his back to share with Tattoosday readers: The top of the b...

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Anna's Sea Oats Remind Her of Family and the Ocean

I spotted Anna on Seventh Avenue about a month ago, and had to stop her to ask about this incredible back tattoo:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBC-i3cHdr5t_Izy5DGI8J9-ZuRtgaVcixA6QfTdn-4SDHeKcDGjAPOswtGgh7FwmjsBfsvp4EHFxuGmfV6tA4zfRwNHuOtebPfo5PaFqIyqiRPgpM2Ev9k6RrAc_mDUA4jCz5v1eqq8/w817-h659-no/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBC-i3cHdr5t_Izy5DGI8J9-ZuRtgaVcixA6QfTdn-4SDHeKcDGjAPOswtGgh7FwmjsBfsvp4EHFxuGmfV6tA4zfRwNHuOtebPfo5PaFqIyqiRPgpM2Ev9k6RrAc_mDUA4jCz5v1eqq8/w817-h659-no/photo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The artist is <a href="http://sbtattoos.com/home.html">Joel Brennan a.k.a. Suga Bear</a>, who owns and works out of <a href="http://www.steadfasttattooparlour.com/">Steadfast Tattoo Parlour</a> in Erie, PA.<br /><br />Anna explained:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"He [Suga Bear] drew it and the concept is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniola_paniculata">sea oats</a>, which represents my family and my love of the ocean ... We went on vacation every summer to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Banks">Outer Banks of North Carolina </a>and there's beautiful sea oats in the sand dunes down there."</blockquote>Thanks to Anna for sharing this lovely tattoo with us here on Tattoosday.<br /><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2013 Tattoosday.</span></span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-46881142-3bb6-d1b3-3610-c234c2d3df0b"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are seeing this on another website other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit</span><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></span> </div>

Anna's Sea Oats Remind Her of Family and the Ocean

I spotted Anna on Seventh Avenue about a month ago, and had to stop her to ask about this incredible back tattoo: The artist is Joel Brennan...

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Barbara's Back, Courtesy of Leslie Reesen from Mad Science in The Netherlands (NYC Tattoo Convention)

One of the great things about tattoo conventions is that you get to see more back pieces than you would say, walking the streets of New York.<br /><br />I've always managed to capture at least one great back tattoo from my trips to the <a href="http://www.nyctattooconvention.com/">New York City Tattoo Convention</a> each year, and here we have another one to add to the mix:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGPeQCCSa0-tXrPEFBtJD1dp3ys5zSZcmKDF-NlnciSy54EqYmM19ojaZQ086M_tovJBQSH4zEqdl3wtbxQ7J0dZkejUgkA58Kr68mI3o2kfj7Kc0N21JA0k3Xsj28NHMBVdm5Od-bxE/w587-h659-no/IMG_0961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGPeQCCSa0-tXrPEFBtJD1dp3ys5zSZcmKDF-NlnciSy54EqYmM19ojaZQ086M_tovJBQSH4zEqdl3wtbxQ7J0dZkejUgkA58Kr68mI3o2kfj7Kc0N21JA0k3Xsj28NHMBVdm5Od-bxE/w587-h659-no/IMG_0961.JPG" /></a></div><br />This huge tattoo belongs to Barbara, who was working at the <a href="http://www.madsciencetattoo.nl/">Mad Science Tattooing</a> booth at Roseland.<br />She credited the piece to one of the artists <a href="http://www.madsciencetattoo.nl/?p=artist&artist=14">Leslie Reesen</a>, who was working the convention. Mad Science is located in The Hague in the Netherlands.<br /><br />She was happy to share this back tattoo which represents about 55 hours of work (and extends below the waist line). Barbara explained a little about its origin.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"I wanted to do the Leaf Man, the face with all the leaves ... I really like it ... I gave him [Reesen] a free hand about the design, so it's really his own drawings ... There's one detail that I really like, because I used to be a ballet dancer and, in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca">Wicca</a> ...the leaf man is the god of the dance so maybe that's why I always liked the Leaf Man, I don't know, or it's more coincidence...".</blockquote>Here's a shot I took of Reesen in action during the Convention:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_HVk-MPB3eE7WSNN2i24t8Tc1vb-BLFH09Qqs_1kgAbM-5GiO4hI61W7UfczUuJ-UBVcjhXMv-Jb56DYxEs7vtE9KxZU3bvS-Jiu09XLRZ5v_i6M0fBA1iLaCUlHd0utA4VEn_1ovL4/w742-h659-no/IMG_0965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="568" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_HVk-MPB3eE7WSNN2i24t8Tc1vb-BLFH09Qqs_1kgAbM-5GiO4hI61W7UfczUuJ-UBVcjhXMv-Jb56DYxEs7vtE9KxZU3bvS-Jiu09XLRZ5v_i6M0fBA1iLaCUlHd0utA4VEn_1ovL4/w742-h659-no/IMG_0965.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />And, in case you were wondering what he was tattooing on this woman's mohawked head, Mr. Reesen was kind enough, after the convention, to share the completed tattoo with us here on Tattoosday:<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/AVvXsEhtqi3jV6OSGkWtda6yYT_tXQb-R_xJinXt7aZnJVXnYN_Ctv4YJRVqBxB1fk4F6y91Dy4nanLpcEFnXnpe8Nui_d82VHed7oH_KuJXpnKpJX-Sdw0hw_zf2Rm2xIHf5wHBTxFUmNCw78E/s1600/reesen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqi3jV6OSGkWtda6yYT_tXQb-R_xJinXt7aZnJVXnYN_Ctv4YJRVqBxB1fk4F6y91Dy4nanLpcEFnXnpe8Nui_d82VHed7oH_KuJXpnKpJX-Sdw0hw_zf2Rm2xIHf5wHBTxFUmNCw78E/s640/reesen.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Leslie Reesen</td></tr></tbody></table>Thank you to Barbara for sharing her Leaf Man back piece with us and, in so doing, helping introduce me to the talented artists from Mad Science in the Netherlands, especially Leslie Reesen!<br /><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2013 Tattoosday. </span></span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-388b3fbd-eba8-2a4d-7eec-6e0b0fba947b"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are seeing this on another website other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit</span><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></span></div>

Barbara's Back, Courtesy of Leslie Reesen from Mad Science in The Netherlands (NYC Tattoo Convention)

One of the great things about tattoo conventions is that you get to see more back pieces than you would say, walking the streets of New York...

Read more »

2012 NYC Tattoo Convention

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrzA_Ck7Y15IUX6SPXyziMwshqwngf8po8TlVSPi_IagD_qTW7d2zCltqU0ylM06V-C3H7tvkSNa8KY7jDx5Ym7oJJzXevk5ZKm0-1anW-1zYBZceUHPXr6S4-WjG47_XSUY-Nlkn0JI/s1600/15th-Annual-New-York-City-Tattoo-Convention-May-1819-and-20-2012-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrzA_Ck7Y15IUX6SPXyziMwshqwngf8po8TlVSPi_IagD_qTW7d2zCltqU0ylM06V-C3H7tvkSNa8KY7jDx5Ym7oJJzXevk5ZKm0-1anW-1zYBZceUHPXr6S4-WjG47_XSUY-Nlkn0JI/s640/15th-Annual-New-York-City-Tattoo-Convention-May-1819-and-20-2012-2.jpg" width="442" /></a></div><br />This past Saturday, May 19, I attended the <a href="http://www.nyctattooconvention.com/">New York City Tattoo Convention</a> at <a href="http://www.roselandballroom.com/">Roseland Ballroom</a> near Times Square.<br /><br />This was the fourth year in a row that I have gone and I have to say, it finally feels like home. I’ve always felt out of place and have always been overwhelmed by the sheer sensory overload. What follows is a loose recap of the event with some photos I took with both the camera and the Droid. I plan on expanding a few of these encounters in separate posts.<br /><br />First of all, I must give a shout-out to Marisa and Brian from <a href="http://www.needlesandsins.com/">Needles & Sins</a>. They’ve always been friendly faces that I can gab with to no end, and every year I spend more and more time in their company. They were the first people I saw and, much to my delight, I ran into them on the subway platform on my way back to Brooklyn. A hearty thanks to Marisa and Brian for their hospitality. If you haven’t checked out <a href="http://www.needlesandsins.com/">Needles & Sins</a>, I encourage you to do so.<br /><br />So obviously I saw a lot of tattoos in the five or so hours that I was ensconced in Roseland. But remember, we’re not just about gawking at amazing body art, but meeting and appreciating, as well. So we are very particular about who we photograph.<br /><br />There are a few artists I want to acknowledge. I had a nice chat with <a href="http://mattvancuratattoos.com/">Matt Van Cura</a>, who is over at <a href="http://invisiblenyc.com/">Invisible NYC</a> on Orchard Street. Matt was familiar with Tattoosday from a post that featured his work <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2011/09/joe-is-armed-with-words-of-strength.html">here</a>.<br /><br />I also spent some time by the <a href="http://www.sacredtattoo.com/">Sacred Tattoo</a> booth, talking to shop manager Kevin Wilson. <a href="http://www.sacredtattoo.com/artists/jon-mesa">Jon Mesa</a> was hard at work and I got to chat with him and tell him how well I thought he had done on Oxygen’s <a href="http://best-ink.oxygen.com/">Best Ink</a> competition (he was the runner-up). A general discussion of tattoo reality shows broke out which many of you already know is a topic of great interest to me.<br /><br />I also had the honor of meeting an artist whose work I have admired for quite some time. When I snapped a photo of this phenomenal back piece, I also captured its creator (in the green shirt) <a href="http://senaspace.com/">David Sena</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEbM5ArdUyV2SBPfgL-veytYjqxZllUI0TThMMoo2xHFweA-yuCWGdUMOJiNULLaJJJmsAYnJ5Oa6CpDuQyF6CoCJyUMRqEz7KEyfBtzZ2G9Y7A79XytXtFeYVAFWBNt_QiwAr4t51sA/s490/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEbM5ArdUyV2SBPfgL-veytYjqxZllUI0TThMMoo2xHFweA-yuCWGdUMOJiNULLaJJJmsAYnJ5Oa6CpDuQyF6CoCJyUMRqEz7KEyfBtzZ2G9Y7A79XytXtFeYVAFWBNt_QiwAr4t51sA/s640/photo.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><br />Based out of <a href="http://www.northstartattoo.com/">North Star Tattoo</a>, Sena is opening a new art space soon, with a private studio for tattooing, and was excited to be showing off his handiwork.<br /><br />It’s also fun to run into people I’ve interviewed at previous shows. For example, I featured <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2011/05/nyc-tattoo-convention-spotlight.html">this back piece</a> from Jessica last year and I ran into Steve who shared a really cool Celtic tattoo last year <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2011/05/nyc-tattoo-convention-spotlight-steves.html">here</a>. He had new work, also by Agent at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/screaminink">Screamin’ Ink</a> in Fair Lawn, which again emphasized his Irish heritage:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOtWuFSnLm8czojdg0Ti-TEUu3DmDuOm35RK_phCrlrgIoxK9XnWSqHIaQ6orkuoO04T0ftvhAOEsKd27UtwQqozlsH_8Hru4Ng1FTqWboHpkpHBT70dOI0u_6WyB7aeIKe5YT2mhoAWc/s533/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOtWuFSnLm8czojdg0Ti-TEUu3DmDuOm35RK_phCrlrgIoxK9XnWSqHIaQ6orkuoO04T0ftvhAOEsKd27UtwQqozlsH_8Hru4Ng1FTqWboHpkpHBT70dOI0u_6WyB7aeIKe5YT2mhoAWc/s640/photo.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br />What also is really neat is seeing work that I had spotted outside of the convention, on the streets of New York, like when I recognized <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/07/nikis-memorial-for-elizabeth.html">a memorial cat tattoo</a> on the arm of Niki, who I met in July 2010.<br /><br />And then there’s the new tattoos I see, like this awesome Coney Island-themed back piece on Tiffany, who sells art jewelery <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/FreaksGeeksBeauties">here</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3WzrWVXkgiiyouDLDB-0Mm0eRVnruGtooe-AvYzXpjucuNC6__yg1n1tSmkyPFXxnQc9rqipxyPGnRxPoSaiKLwkO37oq5tb8SreazU5cWRhRnS3vBw5kC89u4DrGfhSz9IVVJzn-7Q/s600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="568" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3WzrWVXkgiiyouDLDB-0Mm0eRVnruGtooe-AvYzXpjucuNC6__yg1n1tSmkyPFXxnQc9rqipxyPGnRxPoSaiKLwkO37oq5tb8SreazU5cWRhRnS3vBw5kC89u4DrGfhSz9IVVJzn-7Q/s640/photo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />This is a collaborative effort, Tiffany told me, of two incredible tattooists, <a href="http://savedtattoo.com/#michelletarantelli">Michelle Tarantelli</a> and <a href="http://www.chrisodonnelltattoo.com/">Chris O’Donnell</a>, both of <a href="http://savedtattoo.com/">Saved Tattoo</a> in Brooklyn. <br /><br />Then there was Kate, who shared a tattoo that will appear on Tattoosday in a future post. She was a client of <a href="http://www.northstartattoo.com/">North Star’s</a> <a href="http://beccaroach.com/home.html">Becca Roach</a>, who was receiving a lot of attention first due to her phenomenal sleeves, and then when she stripped down to allow Becca to add a revolver to her side, which I captured here. Note the amazing work on her arms as well.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HDd2D-XEW2o2ORphtCTA0aHYKQlLTXc_3evYK1onHM0RuFj5S0TZWeNFsF1cThvR_fNcFm0L9Nt0Ay3K7kgl27z5aau3UVpnjyhA2WVp3eiYhYXy1xeaDYnKoJEE9JGE42wVpyUBREc/s533/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HDd2D-XEW2o2ORphtCTA0aHYKQlLTXc_3evYK1onHM0RuFj5S0TZWeNFsF1cThvR_fNcFm0L9Nt0Ay3K7kgl27z5aau3UVpnjyhA2WVp3eiYhYXy1xeaDYnKoJEE9JGE42wVpyUBREc/s640/photo.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br />Speaking of gun tattoos, on the day before I attended the convention, I ran into a model named Melissa on Broadway in the mid-30s. She was heavily-inked but running late, and as she had plans to go to the convention, we agreed to meet up at the show. During one of the contests, she took the stage to display her left leg, sleeved by <a href="http://tattooculture.net/gene.html">Gene Coffey</a> at <a href="http://tattooculture.net/">Tattoo Culture</a> in Brooklyn.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJiacx5D8BNXVg87sl1dcLLlAx6Sa7owbu-NEH2pSZUJEuajJykbiWS2MQcyC3cbnHeZmAXoW46bkyugWbki5JQc3Td76obFw1ISwmRRXa50L_6eBGgBw6jLQKx8J4Pjs7FcMaT81yqI4/s533/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJiacx5D8BNXVg87sl1dcLLlAx6Sa7owbu-NEH2pSZUJEuajJykbiWS2MQcyC3cbnHeZmAXoW46bkyugWbki5JQc3Td76obFw1ISwmRRXa50L_6eBGgBw6jLQKx8J4Pjs7FcMaT81yqI4/s640/photo.jpg" width="332" /></a></div><br />You can see her right leg is tattooed with a gun in a thigh holster. Earlier in the day, I sat down with Melissa and interviewed her about the gun and its back story. Stay tuned for that in a future post.<br /><br />In years past, the biggest crowd seems to draw around the artists from Japan, using traditional tattoo techniques in a booth up on the Roseland balcony. I didn’t really watch them this year, but did admire the work of <a href="http://www.tattootatau.at/">Brent McCown</a>, who was using traditional Maori techniques down on the main floor.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVN0i3YHPuctNNS2BSsMpqoOPM0JiJYhQ6MEEGmFRzUIT21sml8qyWYARl7IvgzBOlcLTjYLuPfMdHl5sUkswHAwp0d4B7Ueuz_-KZPZaoMXKcbmBAQnQ6LJICALhT59ZIZ2C8pMBSIk/s533/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVN0i3YHPuctNNS2BSsMpqoOPM0JiJYhQ6MEEGmFRzUIT21sml8qyWYARl7IvgzBOlcLTjYLuPfMdHl5sUkswHAwp0d4B7Ueuz_-KZPZaoMXKcbmBAQnQ6LJICALhT59ZIZ2C8pMBSIk/s640/photo.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />While hanging in the bar with Marisa and Brian, I also got to meet Phil Padwe, whose childrens' book <a href="http://mommyhastattoos.com/">Mommy Has A Tattoo</a> is a must have for kids with inked moms.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://mommyhastattoos.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/mhat-post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://mommyhastattoos.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/mhat-post.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>He has a series of coloring books as well, which will get some more attention from me in a future post.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTqToFTrG2T3U-zK8dkroVVlg1oMA2y0avNGG1aURidg4N6GUefog" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTqToFTrG2T3U-zK8dkroVVlg1oMA2y0avNGG1aURidg4N6GUefog" width="244" /></a></div><br /><br />You can check out some additional photos over on Needles & Sins <a href="http://www.needlesandsins.com/2012/05/nyc-tattoo-convention-2012-photos.html">here</a>, which includes a shot of me sharing my<a href="http://www.theartofheathersinn.com/heathersinn/Welcome.html"> Heather Sinn</a> tribal piece from <a href="http://www.spike.com/shows/ink-master">Ink Master</a>. You'll also see <a href="http://www.wm3.org/">Damion Echols</a>, one of the recently-released West Memphis Three, who I had the distinct honor of meeting. This was a tremendous surprise to see him at the show and I had the pleasure of talking to him briefly at the Sacred booth. Despite it not being tattoo-related, it was one of the highlights of the afternoon for me.<br /><br />Thanks to to all of the artists, subjects, and other assorted folks who yet again made my trip to the New York City Tattoo Convention a wonderful time!<br /><br /><b id="internal-source-marker_0.0525138471275568"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; 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: black; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; 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>

2012 NYC Tattoo Convention

This past Saturday, May 19, I attended the New York City Tattoo Convention at Roseland Ballroom near Times Square. This was the fourth yea...

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Aisha's Stunning Back Piece

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFSg1qLyvso5iDsU4SPDcNx-kW409Q6DFQoHSZ4l6xR5x_Ni03L_D7ptOv1-e7aS1I5ZoUgevOc5MhR2wOy_HMyeti-PfA9_Cta2Yb_TT2Qa9xwvfAtpxQQFG_cVEYR626QYxF5PurcG0/s1600/see+no+evil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFSg1qLyvso5iDsU4SPDcNx-kW409Q6DFQoHSZ4l6xR5x_Ni03L_D7ptOv1-e7aS1I5ZoUgevOc5MhR2wOy_HMyeti-PfA9_Cta2Yb_TT2Qa9xwvfAtpxQQFG_cVEYR626QYxF5PurcG0/s400/see+no+evil.jpg" width="352" /></a></div><br />This incredible back piece belongs to Aisha, a former New Yorker who now resides in Florida.<br /><br />I met her last month at the corner of 36th Street and Broadway in Manhattan.<br /><br />The tattoo is an interpretation of the old adage, "See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil".<br /><br />Inked over eleven years ago and representing about twenty hours of work, this huge piece was her second of eight tattoos.<br /><br />She remembers only that the artist's name is Rodrigo, so it may have been Rodrigo Melo who currently owns and works at <a href="http://www.northstartattoo.com/">North Star Tattoo</a>, but I am still working to confirm he was the tattooer behind this.<br /><br />"I told him what I wanted," Aisha explained. "He just drew it on my back and I loved it and that was it."<br /><br />The face is female, her eyes are closed and she has a mouth bit that represents her silence.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirH0QlAeo29WCFZYSZTEXZ6qs99o282pMFWKWZcH8YTNOdd25IgeHCRkESwdeE0B2Vk5dgHBxRW6hyGlukjmUyOLPcBCTKAh65QzTlZoo4wRkER4VkIWyff8G3-IA-ESmqawnV4-54y8g/s1600/speak+no+evil+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirH0QlAeo29WCFZYSZTEXZ6qs99o282pMFWKWZcH8YTNOdd25IgeHCRkESwdeE0B2Vk5dgHBxRW6hyGlukjmUyOLPcBCTKAh65QzTlZoo4wRkER4VkIWyff8G3-IA-ESmqawnV4-54y8g/s400/speak+no+evil+detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Despite the face's eyes being closed, she indicated that the "third eye" in the middle of the forehead is open. The third eye can be interpreted many ways, but often refers to looking inward and a greater consciousness.<br /><br />Thanks to Aisha for sharing this amazing tattoo 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. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">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>

Aisha's Stunning Back Piece

This incredible back piece belongs to Aisha, a former New Yorker who now resides in Florida. I met her last month at the corner of 36th Stre...

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Kathy's Back, The Beginning

I spotted Kathy walking in front of Madison Square Garden, near the corner of Seventh Avenue and 33rd Street earlier this month and, although I couldn't see specifically what she had going with her tattoos, I was intrigued enough to ask.<br /><br />Some folks are often dismissive of me when I approach them, but Kathy was the total opposite. She was joyful and excited to share her ink and, when she removed her outer layer and adjusted her tank top, it was abundantly clear why. She had recently embarked on a full back piece and was proud of the foundation for what is ultimately going to be a phenomenal work of art:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgLW4l-1KdiZUGtNf1jWm2v3byfPa_372DhLHX9kclEW6XOwNj3cQ7MsAVy6uBrkht2l5vUusIjhMQs6RbGFIYuhqqW6tmgq2XypNTAs498vaXv5ssD7Okyme6aM8WsL7NxSjS4zb4X4/s1600/Kathys+Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgLW4l-1KdiZUGtNf1jWm2v3byfPa_372DhLHX9kclEW6XOwNj3cQ7MsAVy6uBrkht2l5vUusIjhMQs6RbGFIYuhqqW6tmgq2XypNTAs498vaXv5ssD7Okyme6aM8WsL7NxSjS4zb4X4/s400/Kathys+Back.jpg" width="336" /></a></div><br />Kathy had enlisted <a href="http://www.dereknoble.fatzombie.com/">Derek Noble</a> of <a href="http://www.luckydeviltattooparlor.com/where.html">Lucky Devil Tattoo Parlor</a> in Seattle to create this tattoo. She explained, "he's really into horror, traditional, and all that kind of stuff, so I went to him back in January."<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br />Kathy is an interior designer with twelve tattoos and agreed to share the back piece in its early stage (approximately three and a half hours in). She has tentatively agreed to keep us posted when she heads back to Seattle at the end of the summer so that we can see the work develop.<br /><br />She explained further:<br /><blockquote><br />"I broke my back about two years ago, so I figured I'd make something nice out of a bad thing. There's little vertebrae holding candles and I love zombies ... I gave [Derek Noble] the time period, I said I wanted something Jack the Ripper era, and he went full out for it. I saw [the design] the day of, and I never even thought I wouldn't like it."</blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal">Well we here at Tattoosday can't wait to see how this turns out. With just the outlines, the piece looks incredible and, well, it's <i>Derek Noble</i>, after all, so we know it's going to turn out magnificently.<br /><br />Thanks to Kathy for sharing the early stage of her new back piece with us here on Tattoosday! I know we can't wait to see more!<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">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>

Kathy's Back, The Beginning

I spotted Kathy walking in front of Madison Square Garden, near the corner of Seventh Avenue and 33rd Street earlier this month and, althoug...

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NYC Tattoo Convention Spotlight: Jessica's Stunning Tibetan Back Piece

The last few years that I've attended the New York City Tattoo Convention, there's always been at least on person with a full back piece that captures my attention and, much to my enjoyment, agrees to share their work with us here at Tattoosday. The biggest and brightest tattoo this year for me, was this stunning work of art on Jessica:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69a-ihWUQCtNvB24gcrtCID4SlJ1Rw3OlAB-fNgSqTk02v16aTDbJx20j7wOVuaYawkLHJAAfBLksgG7KDC5oKYABWWBDK8T20PiI1tSpZiFkUKLhscvuPlkFpYM4PlQPRpW7P552mok/s1600/Jessica+princess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69a-ihWUQCtNvB24gcrtCID4SlJ1Rw3OlAB-fNgSqTk02v16aTDbJx20j7wOVuaYawkLHJAAfBLksgG7KDC5oKYABWWBDK8T20PiI1tSpZiFkUKLhscvuPlkFpYM4PlQPRpW7P552mok/s640/Jessica+princess.jpg" width="468" /></a></div><br />This beautiful piece was inked by <a href="http://nowornevertattoos.com/?page_id=23">Echo</a> at <a href="http://nowornevertattoos.com/">Now or Never Tattoos & Body Works</a> in Staten Island, New York.<br /><br />Jessica estimates that this piece took 11 hours to complete and added that there may, in the future, be more coming. "We have to fill it in the bottom and the top with a whole bunch of more flower work," she told me, but for the most part, this is complete. <br /><br />When I asked what the origin of the piece was, she told me " I had a lotus flower on my lower back, so he [Echo] expanded it to a Tibetan princess." <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33uouVyq2ZZcmcMaMch3-08JPmRrhMvUPBoB9xZ_DOoNVL0yVNZPiJRxUHZUP34DEMHpjM9i559Xq_eXmWhUafPe9RxEesaqqetJgYEUgLM4HdT6aSPwZcg2YRdOCvPhsGIFU8ifzdqw/s1600/Jessica+princess+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33uouVyq2ZZcmcMaMch3-08JPmRrhMvUPBoB9xZ_DOoNVL0yVNZPiJRxUHZUP34DEMHpjM9i559Xq_eXmWhUafPe9RxEesaqqetJgYEUgLM4HdT6aSPwZcg2YRdOCvPhsGIFU8ifzdqw/s400/Jessica+princess+detail.jpg" width="291" /></a></div><br />As for the inspiration for the piece, Jessica explained, "I had a friend of mine pass away who was Tibetan, so that's kind of where the whole meaning came from."<br /><br />As you would imagine, this piece was garnering a lot of attention from photographers and other convention attendees. I was thrilled to speak to Jessica about the tattoo and thank her profusely for taking the time to speak with me and share her Tibetan princess with us here on Tattoosday.<br /><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><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>

NYC Tattoo Convention Spotlight: Jessica's Stunning Tibetan Back Piece

The last few years that I've attended the New York City Tattoo Convention, there's always been at least on person with a full back p...

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The Tattooed Poets Project: Daphne Lazarus

Today's tattoo takes my breath away.<br /><br />The work comes to us from Daphne Lazarus, who does not have the extensive poetry credits that many of our other contributors have, but does write poems. She heard about the Tattooed Poets Project via Theresa Edwards (<a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/04/tattooed-poets-project-theresa-senato.html">day 1 of this year's project</a>), editor of <a href="http://www.hollyrosereview.com/">Holly Rose Review</a>, an online poetry/tattoo publication in which her work has appeared.<br /><br />But let's just take a look at the photo Daphne sent, shall we?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVpPYzlgydpIX6psybpYhm3KIic7BmUgzNkkWHMINgFuvFpW6hqzJ1CRuWegvzZYwgkRr88pm1Y_LfsF7cTQ8k6NHZFTvTb6KrqBGYxpSN5MtAFIP5m_f76pG-Id_qf0xrE9ONsFJ0/s1600/daphne1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462522560460335458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVpPYzlgydpIX6psybpYhm3KIic7BmUgzNkkWHMINgFuvFpW6hqzJ1CRuWegvzZYwgkRr88pm1Y_LfsF7cTQ8k6NHZFTvTb6KrqBGYxpSN5MtAFIP5m_f76pG-Id_qf0xrE9ONsFJ0/s400/daphne1.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />The first thing I would recommend is to click on the photo to see it enlarged. Daphne did want me to acknowledge the photographer Irvin Tan at <a href="http://www.monochrome-meese.com/">Monochrome Meese Photography</a>. The amazing artist behind this phenomenal back piece is <a href="http://www.horinaka.com/">Shane Tan</a>. Clicking his name will take you to the site where you can see several more photos of this work, as it was being created.<br /><br />With a piece like this, as Daphne put it, the work "speaks for itself". Agreed, but I did seek clarification on the piece at the top on her neck:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RPTBurBByF-9YLW9pBzj1a_QGDxt-Nw6Vncf6lRpMBFiKq0sJXySRTIzHnj0O13NJS4_wmhRTcQdyFK2v5rMfFlwthAGXndUNQTnU2uWH631UupU7eTuEHRqmN3gViwQcfNFSApS/s1600/daphne+neck+detail.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462522388441990546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RPTBurBByF-9YLW9pBzj1a_QGDxt-Nw6Vncf6lRpMBFiKq0sJXySRTIzHnj0O13NJS4_wmhRTcQdyFK2v5rMfFlwthAGXndUNQTnU2uWH631UupU7eTuEHRqmN3gViwQcfNFSApS/s400/daphne+neck+detail.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 342px; height: 301px;" /></a><br />This is a traditional Thai tattoo, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yantra_tattooing"><span style="font-style: italic;">sak yant</span></a>, also known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yantra_tattooing">yantra tattooing</a>, which serves as an emblem of protection. The whole work took place over numerous sittings in a one and a half month time span. "Sometimes I had to work the next day," Daphne told me, "it was...a hell of an experience but it marked a milestone in my life. So worth it." Indeed. We are fortunate to have such amazing work displayed here on Tattoosday.<br /><br />Daphne was born in Singapore. She received her BA (Hons) in Arts Management from <a href="http://www.lasalle.edu.sg/">LASALLE College of the Arts</a> in Singapore in 2009. She has curated several contemporary art exhibitions featuring emerging Singaporean artists and an exhibition featuring art works of pioneer Singapore artists from a permanent collection of an art institution. Daphne writes for a tattoo website at www.horinaka.com in collaboration with tattoo artist Shane Tan. She was also one of the event organizers for Singapore’s first body suspension show in conjunction with the first tattoo convention in Singapore.<br /><br />Daphne’s passion lies in writing about art and tattoo culture and has several articles featured in several contemporary art publications. She has also written a thesis on tattoos for her undergraduate study. She will be pursuing a Master’s in Art History at the School of Oriental and African Studies (<a href="http://www.soas.ac.uk/">SOAS</a>) at the University of London.<br /><br />Daphne is not a poet by profession, but she uses it as a tool for catharsis. She has published literary works mostly in contemporary art journals and aspires to be an art writer and art historian.<br /><br />Check out one of her poems over on BillyBlog <a href="http://oxypoet.blogspot.com/2010/04/tattooed-poets-project-daphne-lazarus.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks again to Daphne for sharing her back piece with us here on Tattoosday!

The Tattooed Poets Project: Daphne Lazarus

Today's tattoo takes my breath away. The work comes to us from Daphne Lazarus, who does not have the extensive poetry credits that many ...

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The Tattooed Poets Project: Brendan Constantine

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

The Tattooed Poets Project: Brendan Constantine

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

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Danny's Incredible Tattoos

On occasion, I will wander from 7th Avenue to 8th Avenue, through the campus of <a href="http://www.fitnyc.edu/">F.I.T.</a>, hoping to spot some creative work. One of my first posts (documented <a href="http://oxypoet.blogspot.com/2007/08/tattoosday-3-billyblog-pulls-tat-trick.html">here</a>) featured tattoos from someone I met on that stretch of street.<br /><br />Last month, I ran into Danny, who had several very nice tattoos.<br /><br />First I took a picture of this <a href="http://www.masksoftheworld.com/Orient/Japanese%20Noh%20Mask.htm" style="font-style: italic;">hannya mask</a> on his right forearm:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqB2z0vuWgWLZz-TL_EfN0ViVzakVTqY_DJSSfrdJyet_1Oxslmss6lJ47U_9MvAx_Ow05gvyRsZQNDPzfFvsrH3KHZmCMOgETnxPMlHQIFS6MFf2d9pcvwSXVHdprSkcC3yqSOSA9/s1600-h/hanya+mask.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400199455182450626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqB2z0vuWgWLZz-TL_EfN0ViVzakVTqY_DJSSfrdJyet_1Oxslmss6lJ47U_9MvAx_Ow05gvyRsZQNDPzfFvsrH3KHZmCMOgETnxPMlHQIFS6MFf2d9pcvwSXVHdprSkcC3yqSOSA9/s400/hanya+mask.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 196px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />Then I snapped this photo of the tattoo above his right wrist:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz26eCOJj8FTW28QJKpPHfNVFi3BgtCBNBZZWvTh0W9wv8ViJPHyx3yJZmguLCBkFwNVt8DPtYlDFMqb04WiYZtZnraopA3B2o-W-Hx-eo5u9vsvSZDkdBDY16RYlg-MC6d5w6BXcy/s1600-h/Metal+Plated+heart.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400199230818180082" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz26eCOJj8FTW28QJKpPHfNVFi3BgtCBNBZZWvTh0W9wv8ViJPHyx3yJZmguLCBkFwNVt8DPtYlDFMqb04WiYZtZnraopA3B2o-W-Hx-eo5u9vsvSZDkdBDY16RYlg-MC6d5w6BXcy/s400/Metal+Plated+heart.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 137px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />This metal-plated heart represents Danny's emotional toughness, with a trace of sensitivity. In his words, "even if my heart is dead, it will still bleed".<br /><br />I also took a photo of Danny's knuckles, which I wanted to post up on <a href="http://www.knuckletattoos.com/">Knuckletattoos.com</a>. However, since they're working on a six-month backlog, I thought I'd spare them the extra post and just share these here:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5E5EAabReLH6hkmJ8QkwO4Nf0-opoMob3ISmRfE30talOJc3eEtlYM-au2HIeQUKemAQ0FpowRtBP4T3T3nIH8iHT9mKJQQp7VUnQ0l9s_OFDKW0x0mQy5nbyc7wJ4izR07sRkGZ/s1600-h/hate+pain.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400198974734310674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5E5EAabReLH6hkmJ8QkwO4Nf0-opoMob3ISmRfE30talOJc3eEtlYM-au2HIeQUKemAQ0FpowRtBP4T3T3nIH8iHT9mKJQQp7VUnQ0l9s_OFDKW0x0mQy5nbyc7wJ4izR07sRkGZ/s400/hate+pain.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 298px;" /></a><br />They read, of course, "HATE PAIN". This just represents what Danny was going through at the time he had his digits inked.<br /><br />Initially, he had told me his back was done, but I didn't press him to show me the work. By the time I had taken pictures of his knuckles, I guess he felt comfortable enough to share this truly remarkable back piece:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhN121EKscBJGy0oaBLMTrQqkZ6wsd9MCSVfFt8uw_KPz3MzLl-V8crH7olJhcRNjV96h8KfDJRTB41AnJNu_TwQcfJCffOWuaTsHVbiD_XDh0cqf9BKdmoua6Et5rfnXYxeRFp_cQ/s1600-h/Danny+Back+Piece.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400198582122095202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhN121EKscBJGy0oaBLMTrQqkZ6wsd9MCSVfFt8uw_KPz3MzLl-V8crH7olJhcRNjV96h8KfDJRTB41AnJNu_TwQcfJCffOWuaTsHVbiD_XDh0cqf9BKdmoua6Et5rfnXYxeRFp_cQ/s400/Danny+Back+Piece.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 358px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />All of his work was done by Thailand Mike at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/mrscratcher1">Scratch Tattoo</a> in Elmhurst, Queens. He initially went to Mike for a cover-up on his back, providing just the central part of the design...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3rYAJuxb7hmbcmml7JWKTgMtk7g1jwMEI3vjF6e6QMWr4kbv_3KV_97ybOkRaK4dz1WT1WM7NouewefQe3bJOnq0A_KXSVyPvelosoW0ojt66SmTiP_Tqv52AW3E-wOGRAvYAKES/s1600-h/Danny+Back+Piece+detail.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400198699439298978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3rYAJuxb7hmbcmml7JWKTgMtk7g1jwMEI3vjF6e6QMWr4kbv_3KV_97ybOkRaK4dz1WT1WM7NouewefQe3bJOnq0A_KXSVyPvelosoW0ojt66SmTiP_Tqv52AW3E-wOGRAvYAKES/s400/Danny+Back+Piece+detail.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />Danny visited from time to time for over a year, having elements of the back filled in. The demon head at the top of the back is particularly cool<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsJQeU49VOadHhY13y8zhjiXH4Oxao_oli2caCY1qLjAS4Dr-fLpmvaBYYj4mnT__iu2FB0SizkGHTqsA_uhD4W4V8A8Juyvop3CyFKYikEsaYcMMoUUzEBEWu-Ncdp9fbJ17yzYa/s1600-h/Back+Demon.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400197982636830930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsJQeU49VOadHhY13y8zhjiXH4Oxao_oli2caCY1qLjAS4Dr-fLpmvaBYYj4mnT__iu2FB0SizkGHTqsA_uhD4W4V8A8Juyvop3CyFKYikEsaYcMMoUUzEBEWu-Ncdp9fbJ17yzYa/s400/Back+Demon.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />and the dragon hovering above the wasitline is also impressive:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_iks81UpE_BFug41UZKsCuXq8jxsL3fe7fiL6iJr6-FQXOQIkvW0OjSlK8tDubdRzMLzy6Kyw7QGcFKF5XPoU8CbfZDrjopvSUb6bk67_gDuV7F_H2LcsxaXaHnrLhL9APia1t2fb/s1600-h/Dragon+waist.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400197822136283634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_iks81UpE_BFug41UZKsCuXq8jxsL3fe7fiL6iJr6-FQXOQIkvW0OjSlK8tDubdRzMLzy6Kyw7QGcFKF5XPoU8CbfZDrjopvSUb6bk67_gDuV7F_H2LcsxaXaHnrLhL9APia1t2fb/s400/Dragon+waist.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 234px;" /></a><br />I rarely get to feature back pieces, as they have to be offered up by generous contributors, so when I see one, I am seldom disappointed.<br /><br />Thanks again to Danny for sharing so much of his work with us here on Tattoosday!

Danny's Incredible Tattoos

On occasion, I will wander from 7th Avenue to 8th Avenue, through the campus of F.I.T. , hoping to spot some creative work. One of my first ...

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Daniel's Back Piece Begins...

In my previous post, I described meeting Daniel and Katte. And, although Katte's work was what initially prompted me to stop the couple, Daniel offered up the bigger surprise.<br /><br />I have yet to come up with a term for the phenomenon, but anyone who responds to an inquiry about a visible tattoo with an unprompted unveiling of a covered one, earns a place in Tattoosday lore.<br /><br />(See some memorable examples <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/05/burn-my-body-carson-honors-difficult.html">here</a>, <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/09/series-of-nautical-stars-guide-me-to.html">here</a>, <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/06/syndys-windjammer-in-honor-of-nanny.html">here</a>, and <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2009/06/brians-amazing-angelic-ink.html">here</a>).<br /><br />Daniel lifted up his shirt to reveal "the start of a back piece":<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGVo0SqWZadozX8G4PpOQFFwLphTUAK5vvvJ2hGm-5aauBxckUBDMfORKytpjBwoelFE0WAjSuzYzaV_liwnie3KZymqbZVYp_DZU2Kwk9vD2EQ5qX0F9Uxgi4VX2EOObABLopTsipxU/s1600-h/Winged+skull.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359644990072727426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGVo0SqWZadozX8G4PpOQFFwLphTUAK5vvvJ2hGm-5aauBxckUBDMfORKytpjBwoelFE0WAjSuzYzaV_liwnie3KZymqbZVYp_DZU2Kwk9vD2EQ5qX0F9Uxgi4VX2EOObABLopTsipxU/s400/Winged+skull.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 280px;" /></a><br />He went to <a href="http://brokenhearttattoo.com/chuckbio.html">Chuck</a> at <a href="http://brokenhearttattoo.com/">Broken Heart Tattoos</a> in Keyport, New Jersey, with a general outline and gave the artist the "freedom to shade and color" as he saw fit. Three sessions and nine hours later, Daniel had this kick-ass skull on his back to anchor what will eventually be a much larger piece.<br /><br />Thanks to Daniel for sharing this awesome tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Daniel's Back Piece Begins...

In my previous post, I described meeting Daniel and Katte. And, although Katte's work was what initially prompted me to stop the couple,...

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Brian's Amazing Angelic Ink

On Saturday, I was at the park, playing ball with my daughter, and I noticed a guy off in the distance with some dark ink on his upper arm. When we were ready to leave, I ambled on over to him.<br /><br />What I initially spotted was just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Brian was more than generous in rolling up his sleeves and sharing his astonishing work. He showed me both biceps and his back piece which, combined, he estimates represent nearly 150 hours of work.<br /><br />First, the one arm:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmh8eq7sbdqaK4Z7V4Wwp2NfrCwaSJ_6pyk3kctPPqa1VFZ8undNML35tr07ZUbVRhpwcqoFUImNOgRvqnbT7m0Jl3sv28Jq_80q0s8_O_qrWF3_F7ZcICzU-WFMBFxLSQWRQVwxNwMk/s1600-h/bad+angel.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344793727196978546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmh8eq7sbdqaK4Z7V4Wwp2NfrCwaSJ_6pyk3kctPPqa1VFZ8undNML35tr07ZUbVRhpwcqoFUImNOgRvqnbT7m0Jl3sv28Jq_80q0s8_O_qrWF3_F7ZcICzU-WFMBFxLSQWRQVwxNwMk/s400/bad+angel.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 149px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />Then the other:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvbhdJkj0NOAtpNwGoU-GO9rv-nfm6R92C9DKf6n4EQaiyBLgTn1zSN_lpkLD6925W2hyphenhyphenz97-dTTGqSt7W0Oifo9IIKBRLFQZdxAJWIj46JG0nGEHqRclTRrvzFKQc6ouNZ1oCJlQ4B4/s1600-h/good+angel.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344793820354965170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvbhdJkj0NOAtpNwGoU-GO9rv-nfm6R92C9DKf6n4EQaiyBLgTn1zSN_lpkLD6925W2hyphenhyphenz97-dTTGqSt7W0Oifo9IIKBRLFQZdxAJWIj46JG0nGEHqRclTRrvzFKQc6ouNZ1oCJlQ4B4/s400/good+angel.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 178px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />Both pieces, what he calls Bad Angel and Good Angel, were cover-ups.<br /><br />And then, the feather in his cap, so to speak, his back piece:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhU4CCmFVGan7BmqElymMCiu2B1aTs34rlMfGNyAiIl1cJ9qJD8oox2U8K7L2r-Y-wZkftKehzZ4_nNj1hgMz2uYXiFgPgUsACFyAMvXANYKtO6K1mmMUvDhEOwjup1Bxe0YSfA4pFCZo/s1600-h/delacerda+back.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344793482115564210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhU4CCmFVGan7BmqElymMCiu2B1aTs34rlMfGNyAiIl1cJ9qJD8oox2U8K7L2r-Y-wZkftKehzZ4_nNj1hgMz2uYXiFgPgUsACFyAMvXANYKtO6K1mmMUvDhEOwjup1Bxe0YSfA4pFCZo/s400/delacerda+back.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />All three pieces were custom-designed by <a href="http://www.myspace.com/chicksdigtattoos">Denise de la Cerda</a> whose website, <a href="http://www.chicksdigtattoos.com/">ChicksDigTattoos.com</a>, is a great showcase of her work. In fact, you can see the before and after of each tattoo on the cover-ups section of her site. The back piece can be viewed <a href="http://www.chicksdigtattoos.com/archives/coverups/coverups/0001juliano.html">here</a>. The "good" angel can be seen <a href="http://www.chicksdigtattoos.com/archives/coverups/coverups/0002juliano1.html">here</a>. And the "bad" angel can be viewed, before and after, <a href="http://www.chicksdigtattoos.com/archives/coverups/coverups/0003juliano2.html">here</a>. Truly amazing!<br /><br />One of Denise's tattoos, albeit a much smaller one, appeared previously on Tattoosday <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/10/joan-of-arc-graces-clares-arm.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Brian for sharing these awesome tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Brian's Amazing Angelic Ink

On Saturday, I was at the park, playing ball with my daughter, and I noticed a guy off in the distance with some dark ink on his upper arm. ...

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Emily's Back Piece Takes Yin and Yang to the Next Level

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDEwJM4y0QgoozK7_iqdcr3-6d1ZyAtLzcH-ZzOMxTyOsg6bho6kK9b-mnzEuJZEIB9G6fXzFtJomkH2ZH75VtVby2JeXyMvxnrVmrjxQy01UXpB8TlCMW-_cj1khgfOyppDEnEINyDE/s1600-h/Emilyback+detail.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336742038765486546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDEwJM4y0QgoozK7_iqdcr3-6d1ZyAtLzcH-ZzOMxTyOsg6bho6kK9b-mnzEuJZEIB9G6fXzFtJomkH2ZH75VtVby2JeXyMvxnrVmrjxQy01UXpB8TlCMW-_cj1khgfOyppDEnEINyDE/s400/Emilyback+detail.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 358px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br /><br />I spent yesterday at the New York City Tattoo Convention at the Roseland Ballroom.<br /><br />I'll provide a fuller dispatch later but I wanted to share one of the more visually-stunning pieces that I chanced upon.<br /><br />This is Emily's back piece:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFiR5CGAMsWAqvoNYjM44Nu99gvf2zbk9L8JEwxqBv4sggBMbPsEJCT_3tO4el1lcgtgDC_yw9hyFasGITPC7LGbPcp7FCf9bdUpUDssuqgjRRByXpAcU4cWRo092tb9FTbea7S4ZEcoA/s1600-h/Emilyback.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336741991588763762" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFiR5CGAMsWAqvoNYjM44Nu99gvf2zbk9L8JEwxqBv4sggBMbPsEJCT_3tO4el1lcgtgDC_yw9hyFasGITPC7LGbPcp7FCf9bdUpUDssuqgjRRByXpAcU4cWRo092tb9FTbea7S4ZEcoA/s400/Emilyback.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 264px;" /></a><br />This represents about sixty (60!) hours of work by <a href="http://www.asylumtattoos.com/gallery/index.php/page/welcomeFrame/action/viewArtist/userId/1046">Erick Diaz</a> at <a href="http://www.asylumtattoos.com/index.php">Asylum Studios</a> in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York. A smaller, much less complicated tattoo by Mr. Diaz appeared last summer <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/08/ericas-ink-tale-of-two-tattoos.html">here</a> on Tattoosday.<br /><br />What's depicted is the classic battle between good and evil, angels and devils, heaven and hell. Emily went to Erick with the basic concept of the piece and Erick did the rest.<br /><br />"It's the state of every human being," Emily summarized, "a giant yin-yang".<br /><br />The "13" at the bottom of the back is a memorial, of sorts, but Emily didn't want to elaborate. She also noted that this elaborate piece covered up two smaller tattoos at the top of the back.<br /><br />I thank Emily for sharing her marvelous canvas with us here on Tattoosday!

Emily's Back Piece Takes Yin and Yang to the Next Level

I spent yesterday at the New York City Tattoo Convention at the Roseland Ballroom. I'll provide a fuller dispatch later but I wanted to ...

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Adam's Tattoos Honor God and Country

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

Adam's Tattoos Honor God and Country

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

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Ben's Amazing Back Piece

With the Tattooed Poets Series under way last month, I was a bit remiss in posting about the "regular" tattoo encounters.<br /><br />With apologies to the following volunteer, I am presenting some amazing work on a gentleman named Ben, who I spotted back on April 2 while walking through Penn Station.<br /><br />Ben was wearing a short-sleeve shirt and had tattoos covering his arms. When I approached him and explained Tattoosday, he enthusiastically agreed to participate. In fact, he removed his shirt to reveal an incredible back piece:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHvW-Xlu-jaQf1TkcEdyeXJPfS7Us3Gof904fGxYvcY1bc1wPbyiM7Q0clbQECi4lcFNxHPA0O2Q8BcQdByaCd8emx93F8BYzgCAfdyQZImXB7R2rr4LorjtU9lFig6CljITVftbfMtc/s1600-h/bens+back.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330634686971212402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHvW-Xlu-jaQf1TkcEdyeXJPfS7Us3Gof904fGxYvcY1bc1wPbyiM7Q0clbQECi4lcFNxHPA0O2Q8BcQdByaCd8emx93F8BYzgCAfdyQZImXB7R2rr4LorjtU9lFig6CljITVftbfMtc/s400/bens+back.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 358px; height: 400px;" /></a><br /><br />The one problem with featuring huge tattoos like this is not getting all the details in. What follows are some of the finer points of the tattoo.<br /><br />At the bottom of the back is an hourglass design, within which is, Ben said, <span style="font-style: italic;">kanji </span>representing the word "redemption":<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZBiH6UEp3sKD-XklQPOA7q5jS_pGa8rqk3YfWtDAYdAAmi1xjTFO6kcz1kmZfnm58jQmPYzaZGTjSr6mHqsvGuaLXR7jnagLE5vF0tXUx2B_Z64tpw7DLLkVm-n624fONEe5pnoPTTA/s1600-h/bens+hourglass.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330635231787903554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZBiH6UEp3sKD-XklQPOA7q5jS_pGa8rqk3YfWtDAYdAAmi1xjTFO6kcz1kmZfnm58jQmPYzaZGTjSr6mHqsvGuaLXR7jnagLE5vF0tXUx2B_Z64tpw7DLLkVm-n624fONEe5pnoPTTA/s400/bens+hourglass.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />The piece represents that he has "only so much time to redeem himself".<br /><br />The main set of Chinese text in the center of the back was loosely translated by Ben as "I have trust in no man except for the trust I save for myself":<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaBNgYgWRWvl9dWqfCN8mGlexzcShilTmyCvQPSnDHR0EDb4tqeaAMXgZ-baDVausZdfVDnWba7Q2N5AZp5UyafMJyJfTK4zOyQ8QydPmkn6rRvwaiQh9LEIn5S53cI9M2RHVO5Z6rMM/s1600-h/bens+central+quote.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330636258718809394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaBNgYgWRWvl9dWqfCN8mGlexzcShilTmyCvQPSnDHR0EDb4tqeaAMXgZ-baDVausZdfVDnWba7Q2N5AZp5UyafMJyJfTK4zOyQ8QydPmkn6rRvwaiQh9LEIn5S53cI9M2RHVO5Z6rMM/s400/bens+central+quote.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />Also of note on the back are the two kanji representing "father" (the right side) and "forgive me" (the left side). These characters are in disks on either side at the top of the back.<br /><br />The back was done by an artist no longer practicing at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/skindeepny">Skin Deep Tattoo</a> on Long Island.<br /><br />Imagine busy Penn Station, a guy standing there talking to a bespectacled blogger, camera in hand, beholding a subject covered in ink. Where to even begin?<br /><br />It's like taking someone to the world's largest buffet and telling them they can only fill one small plate with food.<br /><br />The back as a whole was impressive, but Ben was willing to share more, and we settled on this view, with a dragon and a geisha:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyfk0cmhh1X9iNJoBu7eJtjKzi-rjQjqQagmVuDOW72O5q5DXZDEIq57p1sAV4gaVXOxv8_r26uZLJXKQLtRGGpGEz4-TUgARw_hSq1Cl8Qxqfx5JU8M1vbvu2GEBJ2k5MEKzrCeFt4Ss/s1600-h/bens+front.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330638418783081826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyfk0cmhh1X9iNJoBu7eJtjKzi-rjQjqQagmVuDOW72O5q5DXZDEIq57p1sAV4gaVXOxv8_r26uZLJXKQLtRGGpGEz4-TUgARw_hSq1Cl8Qxqfx5JU8M1vbvu2GEBJ2k5MEKzrCeFt4Ss/s400/bens+front.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 346px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />Ben credits this part of his body's tapestry to an artist named <a href="http://www.dharmatattoo.com/loco.html">Loco</a> working out of <a href="http://www.dharmatattoo.com/">Dharma Tattoo</a> in Miami Springs, Florida.<br /><br />Thanks to Ben for sharing his amazing tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Ben's Amazing Back Piece

With the Tattooed Poets Series under way last month, I was a bit remiss in posting about the "regular" tattoo encounters. With apo...

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Chris Honors His Mother with a Back Piece

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXn9ueoZUznFg-DH9YRK3Utza2-_a7t7KDjcm-PXZZ2WDddJPN_MX_seLPFxaO_a8qk5d_aPTlnFPXK-_oU3O1L5pf5ksI76Nebcl2k-YVJ36YBC23jwrldMWjoYYwLp4TX9GyMS0L4A2k/s1600-h/PICT0545.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240033974369209954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXn9ueoZUznFg-DH9YRK3Utza2-_a7t7KDjcm-PXZZ2WDddJPN_MX_seLPFxaO_a8qk5d_aPTlnFPXK-_oU3O1L5pf5ksI76Nebcl2k-YVJ36YBC23jwrldMWjoYYwLp4TX9GyMS0L4A2k/s400/PICT0545.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a> Last weekend, while riding my bike along the Shore Promenade at the southern tip of Brooklyn, I spotted the back piece above.<br /><br />Although it is not completed, Chris, to whom the tattoo belongs, was more then happy to share it with us.<br /><br />The story of this tattoo goes back a bit. Chris explained to me that, when he was seventeen, his father took him to get a tattoo. He got a piece on the left side of his back. He recalls his mother being beside herself over this, upset that he had gotten a tattoo at such an early age.<br /><br />You can tell from the photo that, on the left side, one of the wings is covering the previous tattoo. Eventually, one won't be able to tell it was there.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR2alHlJxtL7zEZMJ95_Knqih1W0sZdsGgbHKGI2PBfPv0cNJVIFfRfLinYkq5epCNkEOjNHEMTzZBI_BCCDRiXWnywBC8ylW2Ndit92CDY6a0bRVL6J6tOQukWSC_Fm6NCII0X_5q79FL/s1600-h/PICT0545.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240036592303900418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR2alHlJxtL7zEZMJ95_Knqih1W0sZdsGgbHKGI2PBfPv0cNJVIFfRfLinYkq5epCNkEOjNHEMTzZBI_BCCDRiXWnywBC8ylW2Ndit92CDY6a0bRVL6J6tOQukWSC_Fm6NCII0X_5q79FL/s400/PICT0545.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a><br />Chris' mother passed away several years ago and he began this back piece to honor her memory. The central figure is the religious icon from Mexico <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe">Our Lady of Guadalupe</a>.<br /><br />Not only is it a spiritual tribute, but it is a practical one in that it is covering up the tattoo that Chris so vividly recalls upsetting his mother.<br /><br />This grand design has been a work in progress for three and a half years. Renee at Memphis Tattoo has been the artist working on the piece. Work from Renee at Memphis Tattoo (now called Top Shelf Tattoo) appeared previously on Tattoosday <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/08/tattoosday-at-mall-part-2-michelles.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Chris for sharing his tribute to the memory of his mother with us here at Tattoosday!

Chris Honors His Mother with a Back Piece

Last weekend, while riding my bike along the Shore Promenade at the southern tip of Brooklyn, I spotted the back piece above. Although it i...

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Tattoos from the Blogosphere: Introducing Mat’s Incredible Back Piece

<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">With the exception of <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2007/08/tattoosday-5-dolphins-shackles-and.html">one photo sent by my Dad</a> way back at the advent of Tattoosday, everything on this blog has resulted from an encounter in the streets of New York City.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">However, we’re branching out, and I am actually going to feature tattoos I have never seen in person. A cyber-field trip, if you will, to the canvas of a fellow blogger, Mat Giordano, whose <a href="http://www.matgiordano.com/">This Blog Right Here</a>, is a favorite web destination of mine.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p>Mat and I occasionally chat, and his blog and BillyBlog occasionally link one another for various and sundry reasons. A month or so ago, I mentioned Tattoosday to him and he told me he was heavily inked, and proceeded to e-mail me his amazing back piece:<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdSp-4pjwYqj8lTu79Auee7TRim4peg5WW9HOQcBfGBvtbw66ITUXiozWiey6BdYrIqInXux3LWXdXMlsd7Mnppol973z1lEp0KFb03Ne5ajhHH1DCwTBoHkKNM_rAJjdmihZLFIhm3dq8/s1600-h/picasa_001.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5179292305905372962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdSp-4pjwYqj8lTu79Auee7TRim4peg5WW9HOQcBfGBvtbw66ITUXiozWiey6BdYrIqInXux3LWXdXMlsd7Mnppol973z1lEp0KFb03Ne5ajhHH1DCwTBoHkKNM_rAJjdmihZLFIhm3dq8/s400/picasa_001.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Needless to say, this is one of the more impressive pieces I have seen, and I was eager to post it but you know me, I love the back story (no pun intended). I e-mailed Mat some questions and he didn’t get back to me for a while. Finally, through instant messaging, he not only sent me new pictures of other tattoos (subject for a later post), but gave me the full rundown of this incredible tattoo.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="">Me</span></b><span style="">: I need to know what [the elephant] was all about</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="">Mat</span></b><span style="">: Well, it's actually a simple one. I have a love for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephants#African_Elephant">African black elephants</a>: their patterning, symmetry, ear structure, [and] demeanor….and the platelets of jewelry and Tibetan skull crown symbolize a Tibetan tradition.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="">Me</span></b><span style="">: Since you were a kid?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b style=""><span style="">Mat:</span></b><span style=""> Yes, since I was a baby, I think. [The] tradition [is] where there's five skulls: the three in the center</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElVdqG5dqiDoAZWrdgVvCbc6HrsGbhT1vdAiwR_9phhFnLKuSL8UJliR31eKciL50xTjHOyMU9x_xUCjeNycvWwSNoaRnKc2yItIrI_Z85dIK2gCO0Z8m4q8pytbcv-Ql27Onl7U5fyyi/s1600-h/picasa_002b.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5179292615143018290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElVdqG5dqiDoAZWrdgVvCbc6HrsGbhT1vdAiwR_9phhFnLKuSL8UJliR31eKciL50xTjHOyMU9x_xUCjeNycvWwSNoaRnKc2yItIrI_Z85dIK2gCO0Z8m4q8pytbcv-Ql27Onl7U5fyyi/s400/picasa_002b.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a><span style=""> symbolizing my small family…being book-ended by prosperity to the right and longevity to the left, depending on how you are looking at it, I suppose.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="">[</span><span style=";font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" ><b>Five-Skull Crown:</b> The skulls stuck onto the five points of the crown represent the five main afflictions, anger, greed, pride, envy and ignorance, conquered and transmuted into the five wisdoms--ultimate reality, discriminating, equalizing, all-accomplishing, and mirror wisdoms. Cited <a href="http://dl.lib.brown.edu/BuddhistTempleArt/symbols.html">here</a>.]</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="">Me</span></b><span style="">: How long did it take/how many sittings? Was it one shop that you had it inked in?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="">Mat</span></b><span style="">: Nope, a friend that sleeved both of my legs started the basic line work….and in Orlando, I ran into this up-and-coming fella, BJ, in a bar. He whipped out his digital camera, took some snapshots, said 'don't make any plans on Sunday'. He went, bought some reference books, and free-handed the entire thing. Four sittings total, about 25 hours.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="">Me</span></b><span style="">: So, BJ did the majority of the work in Florida, right? After a friend of yours did the basic outline in Philly? <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="">Mat</span></b><span style="">: My back credit will go to <a href="http://www.myspace.com/brettjbarr">BJ</a> at <a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=24021612">Built 4 Speed</a><a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=24021612"> Tattoo</a> in Orlando, Florida. It should be noted that Built 4 Speed is a custom shop only...<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="">Me</span></b><span style="">: ...Custom meaning, by appointment only, no <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_%28tattoo%29">flash</a> on the walls, all original work, right?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="">Mat</span></b><span style="">: Yeah, no flash basically. That's the point I wanted to make.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Well, there will be more from Mat down the line, but I wanted to get this contribution up on Tattoosday first. Thanks to Mat for sending the photos and giving me the scoop on this awesome back piece!

Tattoos from the Blogosphere: Introducing Mat’s Incredible Back Piece

With the exception of one photo sent by my Dad way back at the advent of Tattoosday, everything on this blog has resulted from an enc...

Read more »