Cecilia's Spiritual Dreamcatcher (at the NYC Urban Tattoo Convention)

<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; line-height: 18px;">Even though the 4th annual </span><a href="http://www.nycurbantattooconvention.com/index.html" style="background-color: white; color: #b5643a; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">NYC Urban Tattoo Convention</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; line-height: 18px;"> was at the end of June, I'm still reliving the experience through posts of tattoos I saw there.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; line-height: 18px;">While speaking with one attendee named Cecilia, she pulled her shirt up to reveal this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamcatcher">dreamcatcher</a> tattoo on her ribs:</span></span><br /> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFW4sCU0-pqOm53imd75zjxkaTBWL_1Kl8uV8Jc33Se3sF41LJV5vqIfLGe5lkPCwKtEnNSJ4pnI0UWJ38fD0k4sD7JJuz3YgX_wkp8qts3ClQgcvdWCOjbS1BTjYWQJbLXmaGDPFWAo/w274-h659-no/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFW4sCU0-pqOm53imd75zjxkaTBWL_1Kl8uV8Jc33Se3sF41LJV5vqIfLGe5lkPCwKtEnNSJ4pnI0UWJ38fD0k4sD7JJuz3YgX_wkp8qts3ClQgcvdWCOjbS1BTjYWQJbLXmaGDPFWAo/w274-h659-no/photo.jpg" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4e2800;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">I recently followed up with Cecilia and asked her specifically about the tattoo.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4e2800;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4e2800;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">First, she credited this lovely work to <a href="http://southseas-tattoo.com/section/220523_Kristin.html">Kristin Lowery</a>, owner/artist at <a href="http://southseas-tattoo.com/home.html">South Seas Tattoo</a> in Hilo, Hawaii, who used a feather Cecilia had found in New York as reference material. She said she was "pretty sure, after researching, [that] it's a hawk feather."</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4e2800;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4e2800;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Cecilia was very detailed, explaining the spirituality behind this dreamcatcher:</span></span></span></span><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"... I wanted to incorporate something like a dream catcher using the symbol of the 3rd <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakra">chakra </a>... the hawk - in animal spirit medicine/as a totem in Native American tradition means</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">-messenger of the spirit world<br />-focused power<br />-power to see/clear vision<br />-connection to spirit, spiritual awareness</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">I got [the tattoo] on my left side which represents the feminine and I got it on my rib cage for it to land close to my heart and aligned with the 3rd chakra solar plexus and heart chakra.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Chakras are energy points in the human body.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">3rd chakra is a energetic center for empowerment, where your ego lives, where your inner warrior develops and where you decide who you are and project it out unto the world. It is from this place that our principles are born and developed, and where our codes for living get created and maintained. It is from here that we assert our will and stand up for 'who we are.' Self-esteem is the result of the third chakra.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">[This tattoo] represents for me a rite of passage to connect with my true nature, to gain spiritual awareness, to own my power and to become the person I was meant to and fulfill my purpose in this lifetime!"</blockquote><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4e2800;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">Cecilia's spirituality should come as no surprise, as she is an New York-based artist, whose photography can be seen <a href="http://www.ceciliat.com/Index.html">here</a>. You can also visit her Etsy shop <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/celestineimages">here</a>.</span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4e2800;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4e2800;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">Thanks to Cecilia for sharing this lovely tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!</span></span></span><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-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This entry is ©2013 Tattoosday.</span></div><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.15; 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="font-size: small; line-height: 1.15; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.15; 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>

Cecilia's Spiritual Dreamcatcher (at the NYC Urban Tattoo Convention)

Even though the 4th annual NYC Urban Tattoo Convention  was at the end of June, I'm still reliving the experience through posts of tatto...

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The Tattooed Poets Project: Laura Goode

Today's tattooed poet is <a href="http://www.lauragoode.com/">Laura Goode</a>.<br /><br />I had the distinct pleasure of recommending a shop to Laura back in January when she was planning on getting a new tattoo in Los Angeles. Knowing she was going to be near Pasadena, a lovely city I once called home, I suggested <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Resurrection-Tattoo-Body-Piercing/117923024934106">Resurrection Tattoo</a> and she was very happy with the experience. This is what she got:  <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga_4_5NGep5XhXlMfmjDD7fUvJy_ONR2he5JQRFukTkdGtlmLB1QVQRtXokDaFOfx4uuHgyRLojCO2zMPfwOh7OlOlP8rwYNcSJj-soqI25TfEM2C3Y4eRzD2fRLQM0DsTZBv9WeSLktY/s1600/goode.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga_4_5NGep5XhXlMfmjDD7fUvJy_ONR2he5JQRFukTkdGtlmLB1QVQRtXokDaFOfx4uuHgyRLojCO2zMPfwOh7OlOlP8rwYNcSJj-soqI25TfEM2C3Y4eRzD2fRLQM0DsTZBv9WeSLktY/s640/goode.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"My newest tattoo, a peacock feather, is an homage of sorts to my friend Jon, who died of cancer on January 20, 2011. Jon’s middle name was Skanda; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murugan">Skanda</a> is a Hindu god associated with the sword, symbolizing his protection, and the peacock, symbolizing his destruction of the ego. Skanda is often depicted riding around on a magic peacock, and I like to picture Jon doing that now.</blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Murugan_by_Raja_Ravi_Varma.jpg/439px-Murugan_by_Raja_Ravi_Varma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Murugan_by_Raja_Ravi_Varma.jpg/439px-Murugan_by_Raja_Ravi_Varma.jpg" width="468" /></a></div><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The particularity of Jon, and the shape and singularity of the hole his absence leaves in my life, was that he was not just friend to me, but more than that, sometimes transcendently, he was collaborator. Our relationship was marked by fervent bursts of art. He starred in, and photographed, the first play I ever wrote. He art-directed my second. He took the author photo for the jacket of my first novel. He was my colleague, my interlocutor, in innumerable conversations about queer theory and Chinese propaganda art and writing and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphex_Twin">Aphex Twin</a> and, eventually, cancer. He called the Facebook album of my author photos 'Portrait of An Author As A Young Author’s Portrait.' He told me that if there were ever a Lifetime movie made about my life, it would be titled 'Laura Goode: Heart of Gold, Womb of Steel.' During a period of time in our lives marked by wild, leaping growth, Jon wove so many fibers into the fabric of my initiation as an artist. I hope I did the same in his, but I don’t have the luxury of asking him.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">For all these reasons, it felt appropriate to mark Jon’s impact on my life, as well as the impact of his departure from it, with a work of art. I got the feather at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/resurrection-tattoo-and-body-piercing-pasadena">Resurrection</a> in Pasadena with one of my and Jon’s best friends, <a href="http://meeramenon.com/">Meera Menon</a>, who got her own feather for Jon. Afterwards, Meera and I talked about how we experienced the pain of paying homage to him in a skin-abrading way: it doesn’t hurt as much as losing him, I told her I had been thinking. We confided that we both thought the pain brought us somehow closer to Jon, closer to how much pain he had experienced himself.</blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3rd32WYHjibYKhdvJvEEBa4sKdQ2okPHwy9ipFT9PAKIHQs1r3awkDC6KFrHqlF2GDylS-stGAqNxdYnqiN_fKE-8cmT3KrKtE5VFpviUkTjJGdw0oyJVT3EghyphenhyphenkXZTR-Zg3Dg5wFTs/s1600/goode+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3rd32WYHjibYKhdvJvEEBa4sKdQ2okPHwy9ipFT9PAKIHQs1r3awkDC6KFrHqlF2GDylS-stGAqNxdYnqiN_fKE-8cmT3KrKtE5VFpviUkTjJGdw0oyJVT3EghyphenhyphenkXZTR-Zg3Dg5wFTs/s640/goode+detail.jpg" width="490" /></a></div><blockquote class="tr_bq">I look at Jon’s feather now, knowing it will walk with me always, and its splashes of wild color, its heady plumage, bring me some of the joy that Jon himself once brought me. As Skanda’s paradoxical peacock illuminates, death destroys the ego, and both the pain of losing Jon and the more literal pain of memorializing him physically have humbled me. In life Jon raised me up to the rafters of the imagination, and in death he brought me back down to earth. The below poem, I think, celebrates both contributions."</blockquote><br /><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What The Body Becomes </span></b><br /><br />Look up in wonder: the recluse<br />& the moors have come in.<br /><br />The garden’s elegant logic, a mystic<br />event, greening. A return, if one<br /><br />is willing, to the fine dark clay<br />earth. A channel somehow<br /><br />open; another closed irrevocably.<br />I have so much still to say.<br /><br />The rite of production<br />is one, too, of consumption—<br /><br />the coal, wood, even peat<br />of day. Of life. Renewable<br /><br />resources. The fact<br />of heat. We, miners<br /><br />exhorting the earth<br />to give us back the dead.<br /><br />This is what the body becomes:<br />the sustenance of another.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">~ ~ ~</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="http://www.lauragoode.com/">Laura Goode's</a> interracial gay hip-hop love story for teens, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sister-Mischief-Laura-Goode/dp/0763646407">Sister Mischief</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bill03-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0763646407" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, was released by <a href="http://www.candlewick.com/">Candlewick Press</a> in 2011. Her poems and essays have appeared in <a href="http://therumpus.net/author/laura-goode/">The Rumpus</a>, <a href="http://lareviewofbooks.org/">The Los Angeles Review of Books</a>, <a href="http://feministing.com/">Feministing</a>, <a href="http://www.thefastertimes.com/about/?u=lauragoode">The Faster Times</a>, <a href="http://www.bostonreview.net/">Boston Review</a>, <a href="http://www.denverquarterly.com/">Denver Quarterly</a>, <a href="http://dossierjournal.com/read/uncategorized/dossier-asks-tell-us-about-your-first-time/">Dossier</a>, <a href="http://www.slope.org/">Slope</a>, <a href="http://www.fawltmag.com/four/">Fawlt</a>, and other publications. She is currently producing her first feature film, <a href="http://www.farahgoesbang.com/">FARAH GOES BANG</a>, co-written with the filmmaker <a href="http://meeramenon.com/">Meera Menon</a>. Laura was raised outside Minneapolis, received her BA and MFA from <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/">Columbia University</a>, and now lives in San Francisco; you can follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/lauragoode">@lauragoode</a>.<br /><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><br /><span style="text-align: center;">Thanks to Laura for sharing her tattoo and poem with us here on Tattoosday!</span><br /><br /><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission.</span> </span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><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 http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" 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=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0763646407" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>

The Tattooed Poets Project: Laura Goode

Today's tattooed poet is Laura Goode . I had the distinct pleasure of recommending a shop to Laura back in January when she was planning...

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The Tattooed Poets Project: Adam "Bucho" Rodenberger

Today's tattooed poet is <a href="http://triphoprisy.blogspot.com/">Adam "Bucho" Rodenberger</a>. He sent in this sweet tattoo that is ideal for a crafter of words:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsmligibe0w0JUH3G2B9_hhgGjT6MQ8tZpTDixpXR8SXg1rWLFsD7BbF0R-g8enp0Xp4vMnWVfDISSjL_6RmJqvLo1cXcWdDoRss5NKJhE_GozGoCE5StRTFSW0J07miReoj_FLCVQIo/s1600/feather+ink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsmligibe0w0JUH3G2B9_hhgGjT6MQ8tZpTDixpXR8SXg1rWLFsD7BbF0R-g8enp0Xp4vMnWVfDISSjL_6RmJqvLo1cXcWdDoRss5NKJhE_GozGoCE5StRTFSW0J07miReoj_FLCVQIo/s400/feather+ink.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><br />Bucho explains:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"It had been 12 years since I'd last gotten a tattoo and, having moved to San Francisco in 2009 to pursue my MFA in Writing, I felt it was time for another mile-marker. I had been writing off and on since 1995, but got much more serious about the craft around 2003. By the time the summer of 2010 rolled around, I had completed one novel, half-completed two others for my program, and had a slew of publishing credits for some of my flash fiction and my poetry. I wanted something big, something grand and awe-inspiring, something that would keep me motivated to continue writing even when stuck in the worst of ruts.<br /><br />I always wait a year before getting any new ink done purely to make sure I want it. Once this grace period was over, I searched out artists in the bay area and found <a href="http://www.seventhsontattoo.com/gordon_combs.php">Gordon Combs</a> at <a href="http://seventhsontattoo.com/">Seventh Son Tattoo</a>. His art was both lifelike and cartoonish at the same time but without sacrificing any seriousness and I knew that he was the one I wanted. Thankfully, after months of trying to get an appointment settled, I went in for a six-hour session and had the whole piece done in a day. What I like most about the piece is that, when my arm is bent, the feather appears to be dipped into the spilled bottle of ink on the forearm. The effect is quite nice and I've received a lot of compliments on it, even though my artist is the guy who deserves the praise." </blockquote>The following was submitted by Bucho for Tattoosday:<br /><br /><b>Paris<br /></b><br /><br />Bless me, pages,<br />for I have not penned<br />and it has been several months<br />since my last confession.<br />I lack the paper<br />to summarize concisely<br />as the pen-born word<br />must be writ precisely.<br />If this ink runs,<br />my hand is unsteady.<br />My apologies,<br />I have put faith in armadas<br />to bring Helen home<br />while prayer-lighting<br />straw gods up in slow effigies<br />and my hands have<br />benedictioned themselves until weary.<br /><br />Bless me, pages,<br />for I have now penned<br />and it had been several months<br />since my last confession.<br />I prayed at your altar<br />and recited your hymns,<br />crafted cursive letters<br />birthed by Seraphim.<br />I spun tales towards the heavens<br />and made deals with below<br />while awaiting armadas<br />with Helen in tow.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">~~~</div><br />Adam “Bucho” Rodenberger is a 33 year old writer from Kansas City living in San Francisco. He has been writing off and on since 1995, but consistently since 2004. He holds dual Bachelor’s degrees in Philosophy & Creative Writing and completed his MFA in Writing at the University of San Francisco in 2011. <br /><br />He began as a poet, but soon moved to flash fiction and short stories, only turning to longer works of fiction once he arrived in San Francisco. He is currently working on five experimental novels in the magical realism and surrealism genres. <br /><br />Among his publication credits are <a href="http://www.rpwriters.com/M_Dec2007/Bucho.html">Red Pulp Underground</a>, <a href="http://www.alorsettoi.com/one/fables_rodenberger.html">Alors, Et Tois</a>, <a href="http://gloomcupboard.blogspot.com/">Gloom Cupboard</a> (#15), <a href="http://www.upthestaircase.org/bucho.htm">Up The Staircase</a> #1, and <a href="http://www.santaclarareview.com/node/39">Santa Clara Review</a>.<br /><br />You can visit Bucho at <a href="http://triphoprisy.blogspot.com/">Fists & Angles, Christs & Angels</a> <a href="http://triphoprisy.blogspot.com/">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Bucho for his participation in the Tattooed Poets Project on Tattoosday!<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission.</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><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 http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span>

The Tattooed Poets Project: Adam "Bucho" Rodenberger

Today's tattooed poet is Adam "Bucho" Rodenberger . He sent in this sweet tattoo that is ideal for a crafter of words: Bucho e...

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Amy's Feathers from Hawai'i (updated)

We're tying up some loose ends from earlier this year, and figured we'd share this cool tattoo:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QLCmzznNsbF5QvU9Xlu-jTxkE7PaLtSnbAidAvffe_cH7yyYPB2ObOpV7lvFHfqtw7i00O9IX7BsmzDbC7g9QM8Jnr8vaZ-Hx6C2g7aqiVR4ANtGufOKHNZ4Z8DvaTESDuzr1Hv-lZo/s1600/feathers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QLCmzznNsbF5QvU9Xlu-jTxkE7PaLtSnbAidAvffe_cH7yyYPB2ObOpV7lvFHfqtw7i00O9IX7BsmzDbC7g9QM8Jnr8vaZ-Hx6C2g7aqiVR4ANtGufOKHNZ4Z8DvaTESDuzr1Hv-lZo/s640/feathers.jpg" width="370" /></a></div><br />This piece, on the back of a woman named Amy's leg, came to us in March via e-mail from the island of Hawai'i. Amy was a student of my mother's at the University of Hawai'i, Hilo campus. Mom snapped this photo, with Amy's blessing, for Tattoosday.<br /><br /><strike>We don't have any further detail on the tattoo, like the name of the artist, and the origin of the design. There are peacock feathers, and I'm guessing eagle feathers, but I can't identify the other plumage with certainty. Nonetheless, we thought it was worth sharing, and clearing out our "in" box.</strike><br /><br />Amy credits <a href="http://delshay.tumblr.com/">Delshay</a> at <a href="http://www.ktowntattoo.com/">K-Town Tattoo & Body Piercing</a> in Kona, Hawai'i with this tattoo. She added:<br /><br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div>"I came up with the concept. Delshay put it all together for me. It's my bouquet of feathers.</div><div><br /></div><div>The feathers range from peacock, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bustard">bustard</a>, macaw, flamingo, blue jay, pheasant and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Myna">myna</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>The story is mine."</div></blockquote><br />Here's another photo from the artist's tumblr page:<i> </i><br /><i><br /></i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWYoJ0z0hQ-6tQRJnIV2J3FlLJZIOgUz4seo59y9OEj9h7XihJH8b-IsliLbLl5R85Xn2WQPEAhZtAPys2RCO-uSF-fWwWBmY6BXSZ32rEuDvLFynb5Dbk8UUjOGgkvHdrzdgJtV2MgM/s1600/feather+better.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWYoJ0z0hQ-6tQRJnIV2J3FlLJZIOgUz4seo59y9OEj9h7XihJH8b-IsliLbLl5R85Xn2WQPEAhZtAPys2RCO-uSF-fWwWBmY6BXSZ32rEuDvLFynb5Dbk8UUjOGgkvHdrzdgJtV2MgM/s1600/feather+better.jpg" /></a></div><i><br /></i><br /><i>Mahalo</i> to Amy for sharing this tattoo with us here on Tattoosday! And thanks to Mom for sending it our way!<br /><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><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>

Amy's Feathers from Hawai'i (updated)

We're tying up some loose ends from earlier this year, and figured we'd share this cool tattoo: This piece, on the back of a woman n...

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Melissa's Feather of Memory

Back in October, I reviewed <a href="http://www.katvond.net/">Kat Von D's</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tattoo-Chronicles-Kat-Von-D/dp/0061953369?ie=UTF8&tag=bill03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Tattoo Chronicles</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bill03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0061953369" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> (<a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/10/tattoosday-book-review-kat-von-ds.html">here</a>).<br /><br />I also went to a book-signing and met Ms. Von D.<br /><br />As you would expect, there was a long line to see the author, who is indisputably the most famous tattoo artist in the world.<br /><br />Despite the long line, I did have a chance to chat at length with several other people at the event. We talked tattoo as we queued along 46th Street, around the corner onto 5th Avenue, up an escalator, and through a maze of book stacks.<br /><br />One such fan was Melissa, a student, who was accompanied by several friends. Talking with Melissa and her friends made the two-hour wait much more bearable, indeed.<br /><br />Melissa offered to share this tattoo with us here on Tattoosday:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><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/AVvXsEgIqM6lOp1gWk9l11PMtN56r6p8mYJhtYcP-btzfQ0XOPJiCm-F-BLXqOAiBhSb7jY6hyphenhyphentxluO3kpLpOJ5XjHrNV7Y8MCG_yW4rMUCR_rcKC3kazRZaMvAK07JecZ9GHe-7NkziAVMoAK4/s1600/feather+detail+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqM6lOp1gWk9l11PMtN56r6p8mYJhtYcP-btzfQ0XOPJiCm-F-BLXqOAiBhSb7jY6hyphenhyphentxluO3kpLpOJ5XjHrNV7Y8MCG_yW4rMUCR_rcKC3kazRZaMvAK07JecZ9GHe-7NkziAVMoAK4/s640/feather+detail+wm.jpg" width="386" /></a></div><br /><span id="goog_1877593629"></span><span id="goog_1877593630"></span><br />This white feather on the inside of her right wrist is tied to the memory of her mother who passed away a couple of years ago.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOs0UoUifpMhdco3HU_C-g1z440WjVeR7rJ-3HHAhi2Fnj09aOaw1Ks15Bm98n0Nxie1AWQieJ2Ic-uhtqjgANBvJuaJilhyphenhyphenzUaunIS6c8Msmhyphenhyphenmg6260CGoM0duSeVIrQMXOUUU_nVQ/s1600/feather+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOs0UoUifpMhdco3HU_C-g1z440WjVeR7rJ-3HHAhi2Fnj09aOaw1Ks15Bm98n0Nxie1AWQieJ2Ic-uhtqjgANBvJuaJilhyphenhyphenzUaunIS6c8Msmhyphenhyphenmg6260CGoM0duSeVIrQMXOUUU_nVQ/s320/feather+wm.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />Melissa's aunt often said that a floating white feather represents the soul of someone who's died. That said, whenever Melissa sees one, she thinks of her mother. By tattooing it on her wrist, she is assured that the memory of her mom will always be close at hand.<br /><br />The tattoo was inked by Kerry O'Neill at <a href="http://www.shotsiestattoo.com/">Shotsie's Tattoo</a> in Wayne, New Jersey. Work from Shotsie's has appeared previously <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Shotsie%27s">here</a> on the site.<br /><br />Thanks to Melissa (and her friends) for keeping me company on that long day in October, and a special thanks to Melissa for sharing this poignant tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Melissa's Feather of Memory

Back in October, I reviewed Kat Von D's The Tattoo Chronicles ( here ). I also went to a book-signing and met Ms. Von D. As you would ...

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Jessica's Feather for her Mother

I met Jessica on the express platform at 34th Street earlier this month.<br /><br />She shared this gorgeous peacock feather tattooed on the upper right section of her back:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvd3mCYU0u0llU9q5pDwFbCsPZbeWiVDYUs6vCK4nv8M08isi_4m_7CFn_pcpwMllN0wzHA8mKw2QneHsq_rrPeJpbnnVTvVntciksdk5PTXTcjD73cCvbLtn4n0OSC1178HMXdkUW/s1600/peacock+feather.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvd3mCYU0u0llU9q5pDwFbCsPZbeWiVDYUs6vCK4nv8M08isi_4m_7CFn_pcpwMllN0wzHA8mKw2QneHsq_rrPeJpbnnVTvVntciksdk5PTXTcjD73cCvbLtn4n0OSC1178HMXdkUW/s640/peacock+feather.jpg" width="396" /></a></div><br />The piece is an homage to her mother, who loves everything peacock, and has countless items, like bracelets and other jewelery, that emulate the vivid colors of these beautiful birds.<br /><br />She credits this tattoo to an artist known only as Allison.<br /><br />Thanks to Jessica for sharing this wonderful tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Jessica's Feather for her Mother

I met Jessica on the express platform at 34th Street earlier this month. She shared this gorgeous peacock feather tattooed on the upper righ...

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Tattoosday Goes To Hawai'i - All in the Family, Part 5 (Ulu's Amazing Plumage)

In January 2008, when Tattoosday was a mere infant blog, my mother sent me photos of some of the ink my cousins possessed.<br /><br />I already shared Keali'i's sleeves here, but included in that email from Mom was this astonishing piece from his kid sister, my niece, Ulu:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_pCmaFdtWpcnAOgWmVq8xsS6g8TgJol__h6WmyBcA52kQLmxA6u_tjW6s7k1WJhpRuI6VFwx_gp7mrvB9-D8ZFLEGWvFo5fD0Nuisxa2jRHO8iNv7cdw2fewzQDXwfCCkGI8ELs0/s1600/Ulu+Feather.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_pCmaFdtWpcnAOgWmVq8xsS6g8TgJol__h6WmyBcA52kQLmxA6u_tjW6s7k1WJhpRuI6VFwx_gp7mrvB9-D8ZFLEGWvFo5fD0Nuisxa2jRHO8iNv7cdw2fewzQDXwfCCkGI8ELs0/s400/Ulu+Feather.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photo by Diane Scrafton Cohen Ferreira</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>I reached out to Ulu (which is a shortened version of her middle name, Uluwehi, which is abbreviated from her full middle name, Kamali'iwahineuluwehi) and we exchanged messages, but we never connected to discuss the tattoo. Then, last month, I was in Hawai'i, at the home of Ulu and her husband Travis.<br /><br />For the record, despite my inkspotting ways, I was never sure if I'd have the opportunity on this trip to document all my nieces' and nephews' ink. I knew I'd be seeing them, but my purpose for doing so was not tattoo-related.<br /><br />But as you may have read over the last week, there I was at Ulu and Travis's place, hanging out with family, and the subject turned inky, and out came the camera.<br /><br />Still, I wasn't sure I would be seeing the tattoo from my mom's photo - Ulu was wearing a dress and I'm always walking on eggshells when it comes to lower back tattoos. But I was taking pictures of everyone else's tattoos and Ulu's back piece was mentioned. She happily changed into sweats so I could take a closer look at this amazing peacock feather tattoo:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjdzdPbL4bfcQOIofu9JILBgWZprf_hyphenhyphen8CKFGHu-X4pvJ5gZWAarbj_Q489j6cnBjj6S2P0k1MqeXqaKEPOcm5vANCBbdDVwNwhxqmFhWoqO-6cXviG0qO-iLYnkA7zylcp0tVSRk/s1600/Ulu+Feather+Crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjdzdPbL4bfcQOIofu9JILBgWZprf_hyphenhyphen8CKFGHu-X4pvJ5gZWAarbj_Q489j6cnBjj6S2P0k1MqeXqaKEPOcm5vANCBbdDVwNwhxqmFhWoqO-6cXviG0qO-iLYnkA7zylcp0tVSRk/s400/Ulu+Feather+Crop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />One of the things I had always wondered was how far around the feather went. I got my answer soon enough:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgXdoXrJBKvBARXgqO1wkw0YnHaWxK6TcZ3Fkq4O9_tXto6pAwMh51EJEw8X74b4d8C2W4ZMZPBfGBlBLt0vn6d_VctKK9fJ_UOb6y8Zueb-I9nhTmnHCgmygX1nbnZyYx31977Dw/s1600/Ulu+Feather+Wraparound.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgXdoXrJBKvBARXgqO1wkw0YnHaWxK6TcZ3Fkq4O9_tXto6pAwMh51EJEw8X74b4d8C2W4ZMZPBfGBlBLt0vn6d_VctKK9fJ_UOb6y8Zueb-I9nhTmnHCgmygX1nbnZyYx31977Dw/s400/Ulu+Feather+Wraparound.jpg" width="335" /></a></div><br /><br />As you can see the tattoo dips gracefully down after it rounds the hip. I'm glad I got to see this side because I was able to capture the detail in the color and the tiny pink butterfly near the tip of the quill:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBx5jfc49AlW5KWu_-NjdKaUZ3LU6KcefMdffMUwDUC0-CbZz-oE0L6npahNx7Wz8f3z5rqNwCQ94LZeAIpyNhz_4Qc9jXaP0yAecuPNkyRSl42f7sYZfMWN2SFwasUdVy3R5JBmov/s1600/Ulu+Feather+Wraparound+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBx5jfc49AlW5KWu_-NjdKaUZ3LU6KcefMdffMUwDUC0-CbZz-oE0L6npahNx7Wz8f3z5rqNwCQ94LZeAIpyNhz_4Qc9jXaP0yAecuPNkyRSl42f7sYZfMWN2SFwasUdVy3R5JBmov/s400/Ulu+Feather+Wraparound+detail.jpg" width="366" /></a></div><br /><br />Ulu got this, aside from the beauty of it, to cover up a "tramp stamp" [her words, not mine - no angry comments, please]. The original piece is covered by the eye of the peacock feather.<br /><br />The artist responsible for this incredible tattoo is <a href="http://www.myspace.com/libratat2">Libra</a>, who freelances in Hawai'i, but occasionally does guest spots at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/808tattoohawaii">808 Tattoo</a>, and was at <a href="http://www.eastsidetattoostudio.com/artists.html">East Side Tattoo Studio</a> at the time this was done.<br /><br />In that original email from Grandma Diane (my mom), she also included the tattoos of Travis, Ulu's husband.<br /><br />I had never met Travis before, but was welcomed by him as one of the family. I took my own photo of the forearm ink he wears, also by Libra, in honor of his and Ulu's children, Ezra and Trinity.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6bN6Nj17ZqtNU8G3BS2E_O5t77pNjS9U27KKpA2dMVLg5wKxuM6GuYJxGnTiW3FPfzhiJXDjraLrDHVJ0UgnEXo8jAVagHsfuqNTjaOSS_L4jTfNcksfTfmlMAre8GPC_lVhs6l8/s1600/Travis+-+Ezra+Trinity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6bN6Nj17ZqtNU8G3BS2E_O5t77pNjS9U27KKpA2dMVLg5wKxuM6GuYJxGnTiW3FPfzhiJXDjraLrDHVJ0UgnEXo8jAVagHsfuqNTjaOSS_L4jTfNcksfTfmlMAre8GPC_lVhs6l8/s400/Travis+-+Ezra+Trinity.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>My deepest and most sincere thanks to both Travis and Ulu, not only for their hospitality and kindness, but for sharing their tattoos with us here on Tattoosday.<br /><br />This concludes the "All in the Family" subset of the Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i series. A warm <i>mahalo</i> to all of my nieces and nephews for letting their mainland uncle help share their tattoos with the Tattoosday community. <br /><br />Previously in the <i>Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i - All in the Family</i> series:<br /><br /><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/05/tattoosday-goes-to-hawaii-all-in-family.html">Part 1, A Preface</a> <br /><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/05/tattoosday-goes-to-hawaii-all-in-family_19.html">Part 2, Keali'i's Sleeves</a><br /><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/05/tattoosday-goes-to-hawaii-all-in-family_21.html">Part 3, Ikaika, In Progress</a><br /><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/05/tattoosday-goes-to-hawaii-all-in-family_23.html">Part 4, Lehua's Eternal Tribute to Poppa John</a>

Tattoosday Goes To Hawai'i - All in the Family, Part 5 (Ulu's Amazing Plumage)

In January 2008, when Tattoosday was a mere infant blog, my mother sent me photos of some of the ink my cousins possessed. I already shared ...

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The Tattooed Poets Project: Eboni Hogan

On this final day of the Tattooed Poets Project 2010, we have a double treat - the tattoos and poetry of both Jeanann Verlee (<a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/05/tattooed-poets-project-jeanann-verlee.html">here</a>) and her friend Eboni Hogan.<br /><br />What follows is a tat-alogue of Eboni's body art.<br /><br />She prefaces her work with the following proclamation:<br /><blockquote><br />"A Note About The Artist: A majority of the work (the shoulder piece, the peacock and the cherry blossoms) on my body were done by an amazingly talented artist named Craig Spencer out of <a href="http://www.myspace.com/whatevertattoo">Whatever Tattoo II</a> on St. Mark's Place who was also my boyfriend of almost four years until fairly recently. Yay! It's a sado-masochistic love story! Some liken this to getting a man's name tattooed across my boobs but I can say he is truly one of the only artists I trust with my flesh."</blockquote><br />And now the ink:<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEcSV8cUlUFORdqxi2DicE8nL_xOpsMx7X55E-NzE_q9SIhkJlk1JmskQl8IDe-tu_n_aFA6G7Oj3I6uvLUlp_dPfqUd4R9janxSlj7EADfj1ssSILcVRJjFicUkvKqOL-oa7MYFm/s1600/eboni+feathers+1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463266346092367506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEcSV8cUlUFORdqxi2DicE8nL_xOpsMx7X55E-NzE_q9SIhkJlk1JmskQl8IDe-tu_n_aFA6G7Oj3I6uvLUlp_dPfqUd4R9janxSlj7EADfj1ssSILcVRJjFicUkvKqOL-oa7MYFm/s400/eboni+feathers+1.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" /></a><blockquote>"This shoulder piece is a custom design that took the most amount of tweaking before I actually got it inked. There are three quill pens, a skeleton key and a key hole, all tied together with ribbons. I'd had a strange dream one night in which a creepy old woman handed me a set of keys, tied to three feathers and told me that if I could find the door, the key would let me out...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIzTOzXRrJljq6lT2WJHNq0xX68gp0brqyUcbjgFnEVZsMjEFk_uSuixDHGqkM8xFbP0RBK9DrtpXo0IYkJCJS5nGLKoRgbGWmleZTDA5izkns9oSANtSnN7xcIehZiueRqqMkIT8/s1600/eboni+feathers+2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463266437586234706" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIzTOzXRrJljq6lT2WJHNq0xX68gp0brqyUcbjgFnEVZsMjEFk_uSuixDHGqkM8xFbP0RBK9DrtpXo0IYkJCJS5nGLKoRgbGWmleZTDA5izkns9oSANtSnN7xcIehZiueRqqMkIT8/s400/eboni+feathers+2.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />...In my dream, I draped the key over my shoulder for safe keeping (dream logic...) but when I finally reached the promised door, the key and the feathers were adhered to my skin. The image stuck when I woke up and I talked to the artist about designing a similar piece. He suggested that the feathers be quill pens to pay homage to my love of poetry."<br /></blockquote>Next we have an image linked inexorably to the history of tattoos in the West, with its background in naval history. It was inked by an unidentified artist at <a href="http://www.capitolcitytattoo.net/">Capitol City Tattoo</a> in Madison, Wisconsin:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi267RM3HCKI7jth8swtPHpWLpD92OGj6ONnVzoQGcCXk0Ib3rEEV_Kq59hUQ_-gZ2TleiTEN8mc4X22QA1uIcPLEHtWDsT1MmOS3MSDEQvKidiT47Wxo7_kVSYz2lyii4jylwBAqDZ/s1600/eboni+anchor.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463265878026922706" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi267RM3HCKI7jth8swtPHpWLpD92OGj6ONnVzoQGcCXk0Ib3rEEV_Kq59hUQ_-gZ2TleiTEN8mc4X22QA1uIcPLEHtWDsT1MmOS3MSDEQvKidiT47Wxo7_kVSYz2lyii4jylwBAqDZ/s400/eboni+anchor.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 376px;" /></a><br /><blockquote>"I adore old school tattoos of the Sailor Jerry variety. I am also really active in the poetry slam community and every team I have ever been coined "the anchor"- the poet put up towards the end of a slam to (fingers crossed) make a home run. At the 2008 National Poetry Slam in Wisconsin, I decided it would be suitable to get this piece on my ribs."</blockquote><br />Next up we have some cherry blossoms on the back of Eboni's right biceps:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdszfg02rHzLLpKFMha4hbc85pPQjuAoywVpTC6bnnQ_-yvJkKplGe8eHMQnm-RXSTVQL55kjwRePO22oJTMLrNAjx8TwlKNTN_SjxybBrZYYtCxUveT9fjLhEsIi0sU7YNeTEzF1_/s1600/eboni+blossoms.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463265543103624066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdszfg02rHzLLpKFMha4hbc85pPQjuAoywVpTC6bnnQ_-yvJkKplGe8eHMQnm-RXSTVQL55kjwRePO22oJTMLrNAjx8TwlKNTN_SjxybBrZYYtCxUveT9fjLhEsIi0sU7YNeTEzF1_/s400/eboni+blossoms.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"Blossom on the tree you know how I feel</span>. Text by unknown artist, <a href="http://www.addictioninknyc.com/">Addiction Ink</a>, St. Mark's Place, cherry blossoms by Craig Spencer. If my life were a television series, <a href="http://www.ninasimone.com/">Nina Simone's</a> song "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feeling_Good">Feeling Good</a>" would be the theme song. On my worst days, this is the never-fail anthem. The particular phrase that I decided on just happens to be the line in the song that feels infinitely more magical when sung at the tops of one's lungs. Try it."<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="344" style="background-image: url(http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/LOrqDx5dOp4/hqdefault.jpg);" width="425"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LOrqDx5dOp4&hl=en_US&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /></div><br /><br />And last, but not least, this lovely peacock:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIdgHzrnR_LOqkUHahqBkkp5rVrlH1t0OyPiHf66ijxbcOvIpzLHilcDiW1KWCvYeKnCcsUE5bf7tW0zPcpwYN_imEAHGi0ZI8TEfevx2qD0QhSmBh6uFIngver84yKGN2FqdxIPVO/s1600/eboni+peacock.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463265413435337874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIdgHzrnR_LOqkUHahqBkkp5rVrlH1t0OyPiHf66ijxbcOvIpzLHilcDiW1KWCvYeKnCcsUE5bf7tW0zPcpwYN_imEAHGi0ZI8TEfevx2qD0QhSmBh6uFIngver84yKGN2FqdxIPVO/s400/eboni+peacock.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 161px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />"Peacocks are symbols of renewal and are revered by multiple cultures across the world. Furthermore, let's face it- they got a whole lotta swag. I found a vintage painting of a peacock that I loved though it's not the traditional green and blue image people are used to seeing. I got it on my left hip so that it could also serve as a cover-up for a pretty awful tattoo I got when I was 17 and foolish."<br /><br />Thanks to Eboni for sending along so many tattoos for us here at Tattoosday. Be sure to head over to BillyBlog to read one of her poems, dedicated to poet Jeanann Verlee, <a href="http://oxypoet.blogspot.com/2010/05/tattooed-poets-project-eboni-hogan.html">here</a>. Jeannann's tattoo (<a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/05/tattooed-poets-project-jeanann-verlee.html">here</a>) precedes this post, and <a href="http://oxypoet.blogspot.com/2010/04/tattooed-poets-project-jeanann-verlee.html">her poem</a> is dedicated to Eboni.<br /><br />24 year-old poet, actress and Bronx native, Eboni Hogan, has performed in over 30 U.S. cities and facilitated workshops from refugee camps to prestigious universities. She studied theater at New York University's <a href="http://www.tisch.nyu.edu/page/home.html">Tisch School of the Arts</a>. She is the winner of the <a href="http://wow.poetryslam.com/">2010 Women of the World Slam Poetry Slam</a>, the 2008 <a href="http://www.gotpoetry.com/News/article/sid=47993.html">Urbana Grand Slam Champion</a> and a two time representative of the <a href="http://www.nuyorican.org/Poetry/poetry.html">Nuyorican Slam Team</a>. She is published in the anthologies <a href="http://www.penmanshipbooks.com/pb/wp_b6e99345/wp_b6e99345.html">His Rib</a> and <u>Double Lives</u> and recently released her first collection of poetry entitled <a href="http://www.penmanshipbooks.com/PENMANSHIP_BOOKS/Eboni.html">Grits</a> through <a href="http://www.penmanshipbooks.com/PENMANSHIP_BOOKS/Home.html">Penmanship Books</a>.

The Tattooed Poets Project: Eboni Hogan

On this final day of the Tattooed Poets Project 2010, we have a double treat - the tattoos and poetry of both Jeanann Verlee ( here ) and he...

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Two Tattoos from Taylor

I met Taylor where she works at <a href="http://gocitykids.parentsconnect.com/attraction/kaleidoscope-toy-store-8722-3rd-avenue-btwn-87th-88th-street-brooklyn-ny-11209-0000-us">Kaleidoscope</a>, a toy store in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.<br /><br />I gave her a flier after admiring her really cool feather tattoo that was inked behind her right ear.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9CeHURUALukJXmkzRl6mH1BxtIdA0b69HyQzhVl45oj08nYuN_Fhh8rsG96c-rXwU4S6ArNHhWLO0ZK1PZQ5mjCSJWSc1kglolRNMTD-KSn9ia8u9qUm7sd5-JSd8BoJIKdbzpak/s1600/Taylor+Feather.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454365751776478610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9CeHURUALukJXmkzRl6mH1BxtIdA0b69HyQzhVl45oj08nYuN_Fhh8rsG96c-rXwU4S6ArNHhWLO0ZK1PZQ5mjCSJWSc1kglolRNMTD-KSn9ia8u9qUm7sd5-JSd8BoJIKdbzpak/s400/Taylor+Feather.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />A week later, I was zipping by on my bike and saw her on a break outside the store. That was when I had a chance to speak to her about her tattoos and take the photos for this post.<br /><br />This is one of her nine tattoos, and was done by an artist named Chris who works out of <a href="http://www.myspace.com/puncturestudio">Puncture Tattoo</a> in neighboring Dyker Heights, Brooklyn.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwyWYU0dbajGzXVCsuxB0a8nH6LpBVqB7PT4xBNVOnPk5X4YIMhx2y9WjGtnmm79jylVbPGBNIQzEXttlxTPh5FyHCazkreW_QfPE-YpXCBCuWPErU0asredf7hlIQbpt5g8PJk0q7/s1600/puncture.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454366684708720962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwyWYU0dbajGzXVCsuxB0a8nH6LpBVqB7PT4xBNVOnPk5X4YIMhx2y9WjGtnmm79jylVbPGBNIQzEXttlxTPh5FyHCazkreW_QfPE-YpXCBCuWPErU0asredf7hlIQbpt5g8PJk0q7/s400/puncture.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 306px;" /></a><br />Taylor says the tattoo is inspired by the fact that she feels free-spirited, like a bird, and that her aunt, who died in a plane crash, used to call her a "little Indian girl". The dangling feathers behind her ear seem to capture both sentiments nicely.<br /><br />Unlike the first time I met Taylor, on this occasion she was wearing a shirt that showed off this cool tattoo at the top of her back:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0qkM54_7BzuyduGLboZ_ooBzvppe5Am3nzsanS1qP_g6JI4bQBkx684_A9obBjIigz8Us3sXr93eVuzvhsiSlv-nfPoWE6uHXR0dABEMlB82fTWYW9lpgFSGOZS9vKJ0RE8SSKBan/s1600/Taylor+Cats+Eyes.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454365333060265138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0qkM54_7BzuyduGLboZ_ooBzvppe5Am3nzsanS1qP_g6JI4bQBkx684_A9obBjIigz8Us3sXr93eVuzvhsiSlv-nfPoWE6uHXR0dABEMlB82fTWYW9lpgFSGOZS9vKJ0RE8SSKBan/s400/Taylor+Cats+Eyes.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 150px;" /></a><br />Taylor explained that she loves cats and her sister's gray cat Dusty passed away from breast cancer, which has also been a disease that has run in her family, as well. She had the tattoo artist, <a href="http://www.bodyartstudios.com/peter.htm">Peter Cavorsi</a>, of <a href="http://www.bodyartstudios.com/">Body Art Studios</a>, model this piece based on Dusty's eyes.<br /><br />As always, Peter did a superb job. He is no stranger to Tattoosday, having inked one of my tattoos (seen at the bottom of the page) and several of my wife, Melanie's. <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Body%20Art%20Studios">This link</a> will show you all of Peter Cavorsi's work that has appeared on the site over the last two-and-a-half years.<br /><br />Thanks again to Taylor for sharing her two beautiful tattoos on Tattoosday!

Two Tattoos from Taylor

I met Taylor where she works at Kaleidoscope , a toy store in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. I gave her a flier after admiring her really cool feather...

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