Tattoosday (A Tattoo Blog): snakes

Showing posts with label snakes. Show all posts

Tom Shares His Escher and Hokusai-Inspired Sleeves

Back in June, I rode my bike out to the Coney Island boardwalk and did a little inkspotting. One of the several tattooed individuals I met was Tom, who had some cool work to share.<br /><br />It was his <a href="http://www.mcescher.com/">M.C. Escher</a>-inspired sleeve that first caught my attention:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipilEf1KvnMRVC67MI_G1rZXQauixeuN7Zv36TLuJ4KbYa-WZZM_TgumzMY-IydIimiPVZgNdb2rM-0E9488bVA71T1WpJbJmYT1RCjhZzKDOI15BKr45lV7nD96o2fwLxLbZX50ltWmY/s615/IMG_0361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipilEf1KvnMRVC67MI_G1rZXQauixeuN7Zv36TLuJ4KbYa-WZZM_TgumzMY-IydIimiPVZgNdb2rM-0E9488bVA71T1WpJbJmYT1RCjhZzKDOI15BKr45lV7nD96o2fwLxLbZX50ltWmY/s640/IMG_0361.JPG" width="305" /></a></div><br />Among the designs from which Tom drew inspiration were Escher's "12 Birds"<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mcescher.com/Shopmain/ShopEU/facsprints-uk/data/1000/16%20Twelve%20Birds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.mcescher.com/Shopmain/ShopEU/facsprints-uk/data/1000/16%20Twelve%20Birds.jpg" width="295" /></a></div><br />and his "Lizard."<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mcescher.com/Shopmain/ShopEU/facsprints-uk/data/1000/12%20Lizard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.mcescher.com/Shopmain/ShopEU/facsprints-uk/data/1000/12%20Lizard.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tom credited his artist Haun Duong, located in Queens, with this work.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">His other arm has a compilation of the works of the Japanese artist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokusai">Katsushika Hokusai</a>:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1pgiiy0s7bmE1KEfIU8I-RYp07_dM3Y-bgGt6QZK8Kum-auPS_wFZFKT9luFJEUmqn4uDL33d7_IZ-3j69sxqEjTDt0Mg5vtPsUnS1Q1EN7c11ZKhLMzKykay647sSvYUg9_9Hh8fBU/s614/IMG_0362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1pgiiy0s7bmE1KEfIU8I-RYp07_dM3Y-bgGt6QZK8Kum-auPS_wFZFKT9luFJEUmqn4uDL33d7_IZ-3j69sxqEjTDt0Mg5vtPsUnS1Q1EN7c11ZKhLMzKykay647sSvYUg9_9Hh8fBU/s640/IMG_0362.JPG" width="356" /></a></div><br />This is based primarily on his most recognizable work, <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa">The Great Wave of Kanagawa</a></i>:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://wiki.brown.edu/confluence/download/attachments/75703088/KanagawaWave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://wiki.brown.edu/confluence/download/attachments/75703088/KanagawaWave.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Tom told me that the <i>koi </i>fish represent the fact that he is a Pisces and that he has a twin sister. And there are additional elements from the Japanese master lower on the arm that represent him and his wife, along with three turtles (not pictured) which represent his kids. And inside the bicep:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-rrANKXgfUdyJd1l7fZB1TVXUETeeGjSPQ9zNwduy9zPTrXaZZyA_Ytox9KDRPU7IjxfQjuOpW-rrfqKUq7Q2Egi5_9RvKnFX4mxGMiIpDxJbN7ad-SFAoRBEsP4EfVzUCU2U_2XtFs/s615/IMG_0365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-rrANKXgfUdyJd1l7fZB1TVXUETeeGjSPQ9zNwduy9zPTrXaZZyA_Ytox9KDRPU7IjxfQjuOpW-rrfqKUq7Q2Egi5_9RvKnFX4mxGMiIpDxJbN7ad-SFAoRBEsP4EfVzUCU2U_2XtFs/s640/IMG_0365.JPG" width="258" /></a></div><br />The falcon and the snake represent the good and the bad within him.<br /><br />Thanks to Tom for sharing his great work with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><b id="internal-source-marker_0.9506956902332604" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are reading this on another 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/"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></span></b>

Tom Shares His Escher and Hokusai-Inspired Sleeves

Back in June, I rode my bike out to the Coney Island boardwalk and did a little inkspotting. One of the several tattooed individuals I met w...

8:32 AM

The Tattooed Poets Project: Natasha Dennerstein

As we enter into the last week of this, our fourth annual Tattooed Poets Project, things are picking up speed and readers should check back later in the day, after 3:00 PM EDT, as we have days of "double postings," to accommodate demand and greater interest among the participating poets.<br /><br />Although, I'm not sure how that works with the first of today's contributors,<a href="http://www.facebook.com/NatashaDennersteinPoetry"> Natasha Dennerstein</a>. Natasha hails from New Zealand (a Tattoosday first!), where it is a different day, already, I believe, but so it goes.<br /><br />Natasha sent us this snapshot of a portion of her tattoo sleeve:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwrLuaESUypRUyxwagKHBrNCitTTNRYHWJonvzsCxnNeSjv2-iM4bnf7AFaxe9DZg7Us68yyW2TA24NWtkMM9YssxSBYwJXvqGJmg0GAUmw-dk9pDmrahvWLoXjyUdTFBLrfVG1KPHHwg/s1600/Natasha+fragment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwrLuaESUypRUyxwagKHBrNCitTTNRYHWJonvzsCxnNeSjv2-iM4bnf7AFaxe9DZg7Us68yyW2TA24NWtkMM9YssxSBYwJXvqGJmg0GAUmw-dk9pDmrahvWLoXjyUdTFBLrfVG1KPHHwg/s640/Natasha+fragment.jpg" width="392" /></a></div><br />Here is what Natasha has to say about this colorful body art:<br /><blockquote>My sleeve started as a bracelet of flowers and birds done by a girl called Megs in Sydney, Australia. It just kept growing to encompass a giant snake wrapped around the whole arm and then grew to encompass a Garden of Eden theme. I included birds, underwater creatures, clouds and things marvellous in the natural world. Eventually it covered the entire arm from wrist to shoulder and took three years to complete in fortnightly settings. I have left my other arm completely bare for the contrast. The artist is called Kyle and he works from his own studio in Wellington, New Zealand.</blockquote>Natasha's poem, is called Emergency! and, she says, "is a good example of my style of poetry and some of the themes that interest me." It was originally published in November 2009 in the literary journal <a href="http://www.otago.ac.nz/press/landfall/"><i>Landfall</i></a> # 218 in New Zealand:<br /><br />EMERGENCY!<br /><br />She goes to work every afternoon in the Emergency Department<br />and she boards a superceded vessel on a treacherous sea<br />and the captain is a colossal squid<br />and the crew are diagnosed with drug-induced psychosis.<br />The patients are squawking fledglings abandoned in the nest<br />and their wounds are gaping mouths. She feeds<br />them Diazepam, Oxazepam, Lorazepam and other pams<br />but they're still hungry for blood and intravenous fluids<br />and they still want changing. She is<br />the Indian Godess Kali with many arms and a blue face<br />and she smokes secretly, privately, in the fire escape<br />and the smoke is saffron. The accident<br />victims have pizza faces and butcher-shop limbs<br />and their cries are winter waves smashing on graphite rocks<br />and their car-wrecks are a pasta of metal and flesh.<br />She is a hungry dog and she wolfs down her tea<br />and her tea is a piece of putrid meat. The patients<br />can harm themselves and can not heal themselves<br />and they run in screaming : “it's an emergency – I'm in love!”,<br />and the intercourse is an addiction and the pregnancy is a trauma<br />and the child-birth is a piece of litigation waiting to happen.<br />And they all say “ help me, help me” and she can not help them<br />and their cries are stones in a bottomless well. She<br />gives them a drink of love – 125 mls in a styrofoam<br />cup - and they are healed. Their wounds are pink<br />zippers and  their skin is a leather garment and<br />they are all done up and they are going home. She is<br />going home and she abandons the vessel on a paper life-raft and the<br />life-raft is made of  medical journals and  last years Womens<br />Weeklys and newspapers and the forecast is for rain.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">~ ~ ~ </div><br />Natasha Dennerstein was born in Melbourne into a Russian/Polish Australian family and now lives in Wellington. She has spent many years working as a psychiatric nurse. She completed writing poetry for her MA in Creative Writing at the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University in 2011. HYou can check out her Facebook page <a href="http://www.facebook.com/NatashaDennersteinPoetry">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Natasha for sharing her wonderful work with us here 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: Natasha Dennerstein

As we enter into the last week of this, our fourth annual Tattooed Poets Project, things are picking up speed and readers should check back ...

2:39 AM

Tattoorism: Naveed's Cobra

Occasionally we'll post a reader submission, referring to it as "tattoorism," as this is, for the most part, a New York City site. There are plenty of websites that cater solely to reader submissions but, I figure, once in a while, it's nice to see someone making the effort to send me a photo with a narrative.<br /><br />The following submission comes from "across the pond":<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0poPdmuXSeWysKQMCdNkIKf1pqylVKB2RtwyWOWyIZGPP0mQ5rGZUZmiGCNzNoT8nqdK7tj46U_boCl5gHxuKJk2-Zm_J2xdaQnxvaRLzkhesPZr4VcX1786O7QrB-JGQTOZxenEYXk/s1600/cobra+tattoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0poPdmuXSeWysKQMCdNkIKf1pqylVKB2RtwyWOWyIZGPP0mQ5rGZUZmiGCNzNoT8nqdK7tj46U_boCl5gHxuKJk2-Zm_J2xdaQnxvaRLzkhesPZr4VcX1786O7QrB-JGQTOZxenEYXk/s640/cobra+tattoo.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><br />This cool tattoo belongs to Naveed, who writes:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"I am 18 years old currently a student in the UK and I live in Bristol. I  would like to submit a tattoo, I know you prefer to upload tattoos from  people you've met but I am particularly proud of this tattoo as it is  my third. It is a king cobra wrapped around a harp with jasmine flowers  surrounding it. They are all national symbols of my ethnicities, the king cobra is the national snake of India, the jasmine flowers are the  national flower of Pakistan and the harp is the national symbol of Ireland. It was done by Phil Webster at <a href="http://www.tattoohouse.com/Main/tattoo_house_home.htm">Tattoo House</a> in Dewsbury."       </blockquote>I should note that Phil Webster is not on the Tattoo House website, but is currently be co-owner of Integrity Tattoo Lounge in Ossett, West Yorkshire. I was able to find a much crisper photo on his Facebook page, so I am reprinting it here for the sake of fully representing what a nice tattoo this is:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLCjl1XlZi-fwvNvIzzBuT6My-FmDN34RCIB5fHwRuYaSz3xHR_r9shqU6wySPo57mmfI3Y1hmBQl5IvxeqSy9pbzS1G6UeoIaxgStWFGI6Gfyg4j-GfHqM_jv39jhKjw8DC3rF-TI8A/s1600/cobra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLCjl1XlZi-fwvNvIzzBuT6My-FmDN34RCIB5fHwRuYaSz3xHR_r9shqU6wySPo57mmfI3Y1hmBQl5IvxeqSy9pbzS1G6UeoIaxgStWFGI6Gfyg4j-GfHqM_jv39jhKjw8DC3rF-TI8A/s640/cobra.jpg" width="532" /></a></div><br />Thanks to Naveed for sending along this tattoo to 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>

Tattoorism: Naveed's Cobra

Occasionally we'll post a reader submission, referring to it as "tattoorism," as this is, for the most part, a New York City s...

3:22 AM

Collin's Gypsy Snake and Time

I met Collin back in August in the middle of Broadway, between 35th and 35th Streets, sitting at one of those tables that New York City had installed in the middle of the street.<br /><br />He had a lot of ink, and chose to share this section of his upper left arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDvuPB4bdnieHnc_PqttxvX1iyVldxs39p-d53w9Amh84HQ7fIY7Q3_6VAzrIbtWDxPiYQGJD_M8AnniAHSZpcIeKaHOum3hAPB03Gogy_hfDB7VsqO9yyIBLWuqNrvbeIObn9L6-yz0/s1600/gypsy+serpent+collage.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/AVvXsEgXDvuPB4bdnieHnc_PqttxvX1iyVldxs39p-d53w9Amh84HQ7fIY7Q3_6VAzrIbtWDxPiYQGJD_M8AnniAHSZpcIeKaHOum3hAPB03Gogy_hfDB7VsqO9yyIBLWuqNrvbeIObn9L6-yz0/s640/gypsy+serpent+collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />This piece, a snake with a gypsy head, circling an alarm clock, was done by <a href="http://kingsavenuetattoo.com/artist_bio.asp?id=2">Grez</a> at <a href="http://kingsavenuetattoo.com/shop.asp?id=2">Kings Avenue Tattoo</a> in Manhattan on the Bowery. We promoted the shop opening back in May <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2011/05/enter-to-win-t-shirt-from-kings-avenue.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Collin explained the elements of this piece that curves around the arm:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"The clock represents when I was born ... the candle's my life, burning, it's the time I have left ... gypsies are usually known to be good luck ...  the snake is for the fucked up parts of my life and the gypsy head is for the good parts of my life, you know, the future."</blockquote>Collin explained that Grez initially was concerned about all of these elements combined into one piece. "At first he [Grez] thought it was going to be too much," Collin told me, "but it worked out and I'm happy with it."<br /><br />The clock is particularly remarkable:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPpdwwT3GqJIH3cPNGGYWw-HSipeMuCg5lIhFtUjDbXskoORu6N39Tmp05nWWJxMNrwlPducurVwJmtV3zi1AFOpmDwLVpUglRB45vaBlhuXVIzrXUyIwP3OURk86ZVXG-NMDGXEv2F8/s1600/gypsy+clock+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPpdwwT3GqJIH3cPNGGYWw-HSipeMuCg5lIhFtUjDbXskoORu6N39Tmp05nWWJxMNrwlPducurVwJmtV3zi1AFOpmDwLVpUglRB45vaBlhuXVIzrXUyIwP3OURk86ZVXG-NMDGXEv2F8/s640/gypsy+clock+detail.jpg" width="524" /></a></div><br />Grez's work has appeared on Tattoosday before, <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2009/07/masons-gypsy-with-new-orleans-twist.html">here</a> and <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2011/07/i-met-jenna-last-month-outside-of-penn.html">here</a>. He's a great talent, and I'm always happy to stumble upon his work.<br /><br />Thanks to Colin for sharing this great tattoo 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"><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>

Collin's Gypsy Snake and Time

I met Collin back in August in the middle of Broadway, between 35th and 35th Streets, sitting at one of those tables that New York City had ...

3:33 AM

Tattoorism: Sean Returns, Part 2

Last week, I shared more of reader Sean's vast tat-alog <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2011/01/tattoorism-sean-returns-part-1.html">here</a>. It's time to finish off our inventory of this very generous fan o' the site. Let's see what we have: <br /><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzIpGPH3xzAblYM7aig2dzbzysKSWTjKexREnpzgqLR-LqY13g2BJMQZpvXWKRTQkhMal0hNHK0BjS4CMFeEmhRye3HPg0c0XNogR2BrRlNdUTGWVXgrBEqrV6zzQwaM1rGk2MxpbvCQI/s1600/Hope+ship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzIpGPH3xzAblYM7aig2dzbzysKSWTjKexREnpzgqLR-LqY13g2BJMQZpvXWKRTQkhMal0hNHK0BjS4CMFeEmhRye3HPg0c0XNogR2BrRlNdUTGWVXgrBEqrV6zzQwaM1rGk2MxpbvCQI/s400/Hope+ship.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">...I got a clipper ship on my upper arm.  The ship is navigating    through a background of clouds and lightning bolts and has a banner    underneath reading “Hope.”  Its meaning follows the same idea behind my    anchor tattoo.  Hope is a huge part of having a positive mental    attitude, which I try (sometimes with little luck, of course) to hold at    all times.  It’s a reminder that you can make it through stormy parts   of  your life, no matter how bad they get.  It’s also done in the    traditional style I love so much.  The tattoo was done by <a href="http://electrictattoonj.com/section/6907_MIKE_SCHWEIGERT.html">Mike   Schweigert</a> at <a href="http://electrictattoonj.com/home.html">Electric Tattoo</a> in Bradley Beach, NJ.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While  attending [the 2010] <a href="http://www.myspace.com/philadelphiatattooarts">Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention</a>,  I decided to  get a  tattoo to commemorate my first convention.  For as  many years as   tattoos have been a part of my life, this was my first  convention...I got a blue rose with a candle spouting out of it in    between my sparrows and flower on my outer elbow. </div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9pbSI1EFMUcAgoP0kkWXx8lRkhyHvJfxI8ry4h37sPjH3Z1Z_G6zYog7fbHyGxjBZam3_zzGB9lm9z5dehvsSNQsezcCYwskmGrmxPoZ_kSsnX4M7GLg5hbi-n821U9F0_qdux-SEYM/s1600/rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9pbSI1EFMUcAgoP0kkWXx8lRkhyHvJfxI8ry4h37sPjH3Z1Z_G6zYog7fbHyGxjBZam3_zzGB9lm9z5dehvsSNQsezcCYwskmGrmxPoZ_kSsnX4M7GLg5hbi-n821U9F0_qdux-SEYM/s400/rose.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I’m a firm believer   in everyone  having a different reasoning for getting tattoos.  Some are   used as  place markers in one’s life, some are used to remember an  event,  some  have deep profound meanings and some are just aesthetically   pleasing. I  could probably come up with some in depth meaning behind  the  tattoo,  but in the end, I got it to commemorate my first tattoo   convention and  that’s pretty much the only reason.  Done by Rocco at   <a href="http://www.deathorglorytattoos.com/">Death or Glory Tattoos</a> in Westbrook, Maine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Finally,  I got my outer elbow to forearm  done with a snake  coiling through a  skull and dagger and impaling itself  on the dagger’s  blade.  </div></blockquote><br /><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_vim3huwfUmkRHuWCYx2dSAG1cD0jXArk4z8ViMZsIg5a61Tf6uGC-IGNX4iCEOsjJ_tLahU9xPjXl8cRG5q6ZBD4rxY2uey2qsOnuH4FDTreUjVsYtFkNz9Dk3-27i4Xp-CQmMhPXw/s1600/convention+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_vim3huwfUmkRHuWCYx2dSAG1cD0jXArk4z8ViMZsIg5a61Tf6uGC-IGNX4iCEOsjJ_tLahU9xPjXl8cRG5q6ZBD4rxY2uey2qsOnuH4FDTreUjVsYtFkNz9Dk3-27i4Xp-CQmMhPXw/s400/convention+collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I usually try to go out of my way to ensure  that my   friends/family/other people in general are happy, more often  than I   would like to admit, putting their happiness before my well-being.    This tattoo serves as a reminder for me not to do that so much,  and to   focus on myself sometimes.  The snake can be viewed as a  protection   figure, coiling around and through the rest of the tattoo,  but has also   caused injury to itself by doing so.  Basically, its my  reminder that   as much as I would like to help others, I need to keep my  own  happiness  and well being in mind before I choose which action to  take  or I’ll  end up injuring myself in the process.  Done by Mike   Schweigert at  Electric Tattoo in Bradley Beach, NJ. </div></blockquote><br />A hearty thanks to Sean for continuing to share his tattoos with us over the years!

Tattoorism: Sean Returns, Part 2

Last week, I shared more of reader Sean's vast tat-alog here . It's time to finish off our inventory of this very generous fan o...

2:33 AM

Sealed with a Snake

I spotted Steve one day, and got him to share this rattlesnake tattoo on his right arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BYru4aGDs5cwkGTnwYtxsmfX3I-NtTPAKV2k7Lc7j9FcuIai7NmnhtNInzMSG3JYQSZE7q4JwQ-ePUvaFRHV2IbtoO-M3599DOYcF5SKV-uEe8uB6Q4G_juopYWE-GVZ6iBykScR/s1600/Rattlesnake.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/AVvXsEj0BYru4aGDs5cwkGTnwYtxsmfX3I-NtTPAKV2k7Lc7j9FcuIai7NmnhtNInzMSG3JYQSZE7q4JwQ-ePUvaFRHV2IbtoO-M3599DOYcF5SKV-uEe8uB6Q4G_juopYWE-GVZ6iBykScR/s640/Rattlesnake.jpg" width="428" /></a></div><br />Steve has three tattoos and is bass player for a band called <a href="http://www.myspace.com/swak">S.W.A.K.</a><br /><br />He came up with the design and had Gary, owner of <a href="http://shotsiestattoo.com/">Shotsie's Tattoo</a> in Wayne, New Jersey, complete the process. <br /><br />Thanks to Steve for sharing this tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Sealed with a Snake

I spotted Steve one day, and got him to share this rattlesnake tattoo on his right arm: Steve has three tattoos and is bass player for a ban...

3:36 AM

Stephanie's Serpentine Strength

Under normal circumstances, I may not have stopped to chat with Stephanie about her wrist tattoo. However, she was playing with her new corn snake, which is not something you see everyday when passing through Pennsylvania Station.<br /><br />Stephanie introduced me to her new friend <a href="http://dictionary.reverso.net/spanish-english/mu%C3%B1eca"><i>Muñeca</i></a> (the Spanish word for "doll") <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcUFgHBzsJVUuHSoHEF7wUPLNQzqzdSJ1R3EvjGSuoiKldBLxJAPO7toMt6KmQVu-sjlxJ_PKQ0LA-TO0wMDnAK2W0gdziWglYHaWdXs_KuvRjkXeCwLqCk71YJuhrBZKb6kiG4bs/s1600/Snake+strength.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcUFgHBzsJVUuHSoHEF7wUPLNQzqzdSJ1R3EvjGSuoiKldBLxJAPO7toMt6KmQVu-sjlxJ_PKQ0LA-TO0wMDnAK2W0gdziWglYHaWdXs_KuvRjkXeCwLqCk71YJuhrBZKb6kiG4bs/s400/Snake+strength.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />and then elaborated on one of her three tattoos, the word "Strength" on her inner left wrist:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvV0M5ho0YEO0slB0mtTN8nYQte8EEWs7r0eC-PmDuIPZ03xWwpDcrzYXLI6pGlgeqNEUeF4fQCk_g3TqUrUDyqeKrHawClRePmkQW18THDCF7MCQCwDo4JzkGEGvKMTOL32Q9FJec/s1600/Strength+Close-Up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvV0M5ho0YEO0slB0mtTN8nYQte8EEWs7r0eC-PmDuIPZ03xWwpDcrzYXLI6pGlgeqNEUeF4fQCk_g3TqUrUDyqeKrHawClRePmkQW18THDCF7MCQCwDo4JzkGEGvKMTOL32Q9FJec/s400/Strength+Close-Up.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />She had this done at a time in her life when she was depressed, so she put the word on her wrist to remind her to always be strong.<br /><br />What's truly interesting about this tattoo and the juxtaposition of the snake is the serpentine nature of the letter "S". My friend and co-worker Maida also pointed out, when I showed her the photo, that <a href="http://dictionary.reverso.net/spanish-english/mu%C3%B1eca"><i>muñeca</i></a> also has the anatomical meaning of "wrist" in Spanish.<br /><br />The tattoo was done at <a href="http://www.progressivetattoo.com/">Progressive Tattoo</a> in Lindenhurst, New York.<br /><br />Thanks to Stephanie for sharing her tattoo and Muñeca with us here at Tattoosday!

Stephanie's Serpentine Strength

Under normal circumstances, I may not have stopped to chat with Stephanie about her wrist tattoo. However, she was playing with her new corn...

3:22 AM

Tattoosday Goes To Hawai'i: Mark's Sleeve Pays Tribute to East and West

I spent a good chunk of time at <a href="http://www.alamoanacenter.com/">Ala Moana Center</a> one of the days I was in Hawai'i. Even in paradise, malls are great places for inkspotting.<br /><br />It was there that I met Mark, who had a full sleeve to offer up.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLOGk_3qVTJjOu56oNacOZx0NuYDw7RBlr7jywBy28Vh-M7e84QRb37PGqGNryXkCnBcOnLmaHsEiV3F7jNOokRQ6xirf6k7_wmE-6gDNfxTBicZV6mKFA9yIzbgIhWWARAzCJVqsk/s1600/Mark+sleeve+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLOGk_3qVTJjOu56oNacOZx0NuYDw7RBlr7jywBy28Vh-M7e84QRb37PGqGNryXkCnBcOnLmaHsEiV3F7jNOokRQ6xirf6k7_wmE-6gDNfxTBicZV6mKFA9yIzbgIhWWARAzCJVqsk/s640/Mark+sleeve+1.jpg" width="428" /></a></div><br />Now, before we begin, let me just say that I generally shy away from featuring full sleeves here on Tattoosday, out of respect to the host, the artist and, most of all, the tattoo. A work of art laid across flesh is often difficult to express in two-dimensional photos on a computer screen.<br /><br />But Mark's sleeve was exceptional and I loved the color detail in the work. So let's check it out....<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyxUaQYt69x1ue3jHg99rncNkrv3F_-HqwJ1EVg_EbdqJJZV-6NUyKjP8v8SDuuem_EkfPYYLjCxu9JodMKSyZ745ULLukPsjWmMi8wdkMFE3WvafoLY6HdDKxnloYmTA684jKd7Ej/s1600/Mark+Lower+Sleeve+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyxUaQYt69x1ue3jHg99rncNkrv3F_-HqwJ1EVg_EbdqJJZV-6NUyKjP8v8SDuuem_EkfPYYLjCxu9JodMKSyZ745ULLukPsjWmMi8wdkMFE3WvafoLY6HdDKxnloYmTA684jKd7Ej/s400/Mark+Lower+Sleeve+Collage.jpg" width="310" /></a></div><br />Items to note in this work:<br /><br />Mark was born in the year of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_%28zodiac%29">Snake</a>, which explains the serpent.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeXljnRhDgXbL3_3Gp8nSXvBChYPGXi2sBQpwB-a1mLbKr43aAOkXE22Form833Q_SAm05eu7x9QtckxT3VNViXI3RImxCuFG4lYvKsgjCL89ab3kfUnNZJbExNFdBBwYahkICiGj/s1600/Mark+snake+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeXljnRhDgXbL3_3Gp8nSXvBChYPGXi2sBQpwB-a1mLbKr43aAOkXE22Form833Q_SAm05eu7x9QtckxT3VNViXI3RImxCuFG4lYvKsgjCL89ab3kfUnNZJbExNFdBBwYahkICiGj/s640/Mark+snake+detail.jpg" width="364" /></a></div><br />He was also born during Autumn, which is why the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_maple">Japanese Maple</a> leaves are sporting fall colors.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ELpRXHkq7dQiVfPWFeCrOPTwLcqqypkfxMtsl4sml8KApnGS-JmkTpJMMM4uoiW3jlxQT_ySsfX5kjqG2PJsyvZnYeryxSsIT_8LgtsBWS-RiY4W4DfHVQDs_ZOFvTNQhVRSSU7n/s1600/Mark+rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ELpRXHkq7dQiVfPWFeCrOPTwLcqqypkfxMtsl4sml8KApnGS-JmkTpJMMM4uoiW3jlxQT_ySsfX5kjqG2PJsyvZnYeryxSsIT_8LgtsBWS-RiY4W4DfHVQDs_ZOFvTNQhVRSSU7n/s320/Mark+rose.jpg" /></a></div><br />It's also generally non-traditional to see a bright red rose in a sleeve that is predominantly Japanese. He incorporated because he is, as he described it, "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hapa_haole">hapa</a>," a shortened form of "hapa <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haole">haole</a>," or a person of mixed heritage, part of which is Caucasian. To make a long story short, the red rose is a nod to the "Western" aspect of his lineage, as it is more a traditional element in tattoos in the west. The rose is complimented by the chrysanthemum, which is a more traditional Japanese flower design.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYtjhGa8FZ4UJ1-gfTAYZcYO6b5d7ja_foSh6KPeaQFqV4EWzSzVZ5FUzpNBbH92tfE-tCyBMvEgu8cG80LkHOS77Ja0d4suD2bBJVUw0te_evuaGDAP0x9bEf2q8ts-1SPMyQMzL/s1600/Mark+Upper+Sleeve+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYtjhGa8FZ4UJ1-gfTAYZcYO6b5d7ja_foSh6KPeaQFqV4EWzSzVZ5FUzpNBbH92tfE-tCyBMvEgu8cG80LkHOS77Ja0d4suD2bBJVUw0te_evuaGDAP0x9bEf2q8ts-1SPMyQMzL/s320/Mark+Upper+Sleeve+Collage.jpg" /></a></div><br />Similarly, the skull element at the top of the arm is more of a Western flavor, juxtaposed nicely with another chrysanthemum. <br /><br />I also love the multicolored pebbles in the design. They really pop out, especially among the milder tones of the autumn leaves and snake scales.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBevmlaWIHLclnMH8HDDbPHkqx6Tn4AiDDM84qDHzJmdcTlzMs5bqmd6ikXQDW_phWdD9-zq0h1Cz5xQmwwn5XF7DI5MGs0VdPHFIMUKmr4VZJ5dTGw4zznS-9JBlk2GgW2PPHjEeP/s1600/Mark+color+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBevmlaWIHLclnMH8HDDbPHkqx6Tn4AiDDM84qDHzJmdcTlzMs5bqmd6ikXQDW_phWdD9-zq0h1Cz5xQmwwn5XF7DI5MGs0VdPHFIMUKmr4VZJ5dTGw4zznS-9JBlk2GgW2PPHjEeP/s320/Mark+color+detail.jpg" /></a></div><br />Mark informed me that the whole sleeve was completed in five or six sittings by <a href="http://soulsignaturetattoo.com/?page_id=95">Lucky Olelo</a> at <a href="http://soulsignaturetattoo.com/">Soul Signature Tattoo</a> in Honolulu.<br /><br />Thanks to Mark for sharing his amazing work with us here on Tattoosday!

Tattoosday Goes To Hawai'i: Mark's Sleeve Pays Tribute to East and West

I spent a good chunk of time at Ala Moana Center one of the days I was in Hawai'i. Even in paradise, malls are great places for inkspot...

3:26 AM

The Tattooed Poets Project: Lisa Gill

Today's tattoo comes to us courtesy of <a href="http://www.lisagill.org/">Lisa Gill</a>:<br /><br /><br /><p><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463099951796139090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-Vw0MaEEX7ZMFrBWLUrP6tRVPIH-eVCVAQ_RZC0Qfh2rm-I434ikn9XYghAPB2yGxWdhRRbywN2IlRuTUrwBT6dVIQSGJNfrd5TaIx83IStb0qw4L3jdi9H8RmKWMPjjTuVsLGLt/s400/hands.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 244px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" /> </p><p>Lisa tells us:</p><blockquote><p align="justify">"Last September, I got a rattlesnake in my living room. (I live rural outside the small town Moriarty, NM). I spent over two hours in close proximity to the snake, and ultimately ended up calling the sheriff's department and getting a deputy to help me catch it and release it off my property. After the encounter I spent months and months writing direct address poems to the snake and ended up with a play where the snake speaks back. <em>The Relenting</em> is both "true story" and archetypal and imagined journey, paralleling the transformation the snake sparked. The encounter, and the writing where I tried to process the encounter, changed my life, and because my life had changed (and is still changing), I wanted a tattoo to symbolize the transformation.</p><p><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463099838557397010" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtyuJa8OiuTQVv64XxqD3xK0YhN14Srpgli7JmTAG_Asc44frhYKrGynAlJj3tHskYubVwJAw7qDqxUpMhpjsFJolsvvwpwVW5ICudsQsfBYPj4Nrv7pmdSw9mGg_HpNB2e3ZKVdb/s400/hands+detail.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 281px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" />The only tattoo image I considered was the Minoan Snake Goddess.</p><p><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463100394682418034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnGj2sRVlzWQ1xnpquSCPmG-KG_ewYyIP14J8sGvE4ppMqpIi8BejlFsCQ5Lv7MEOiTmz_MoTVa7aiss5Q-XEGFl4PPpO5UvA0MI2hyphenhyphenHac3Lqpf-pX0yS7ecaEayY-_gQnrzdTFZq/s400/395px-Snake_Goddess_Crete_1600BC.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 264px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" />I understood her intuitively in a way I'm still working to express with words. I worked with tattoo artist <a href="http://www.tattoosbyserena.com/">Serena Lander</a>. I knew Serena's work on visual artist <a href="http://suzannesbarge.com/">Suzanne Sbarge</a>, who regularly helps bring Serena to New Mexico from Seattle. I trusted Suzanne and was right to. I had a great experience with Serena, the right kind of energy and contemplative exchange. I wanted line work, one color, kind of ruddy toned. She took images I sent her from archeological digs at the Palace of Knossos and transformed them into the image now on my arm.</p><p>I consider the image both a prayer and a mark of a turning point in my life. (I have three earlier tattoos, two black, one white, all smaller, from a decade prior, sparked by a different significant recognition.) The subtext for the new one is this: right before the encounter with the rattler, I'd just made it out of a wheelchair I'd been in for five months due to multiple sclerosis. Arms are not something I take for granted any longer... and the tattoo in that respect is simply about gratitude and facing disability with resilience, as much as I can muster..."</p><p><br />Please venture on over to BillyBlog to read an excerpt from the aforementioned <em>The Relenting</em> <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/04/tattooed-poets-project-lisa-gill.html">here</a><em>.</em></p><p>New Mexico poet <a href="http://www.lisagill.org/">Lisa Gill</a> is the recipient of a 2007 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry, a 2010 New Mexico Literary Arts Gratitude Award, and just earned her MFA from the University of New Mexico this April. She is a literary arts activist, currently booking poets for "<a href="http://www.churchofbeethoven.org/">Church of Beethoven</a>," and the author of three books of poetry, <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Red as a Lotus</span>, <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Mortar & Pestle</span>, and <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Dark Enough</span>. A fourth book, <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">The Relenting</span>, is forthcoming with <a href="http://www.newriverspress.com/">New Rivers Press </a>(June 2010) and can be considered either a play or a poem scripted for two voices, rattler and woman. She'll be touring the play in the upcoming year, starting with a staged reading with <a href="http://www.tricklock.com/">Tricklock's </a>Kevin Elder at <a href="http://www.516arts.org/">516 Arts</a> in Albuquerque in June and then onward to Minnesota, LA, hopefully even to NY.<br /><br />Thanks to Lisa for sharing her amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br /></p><p></p></blockquote>

The Tattooed Poets Project: Lisa Gill

Today's tattoo comes to us courtesy of Lisa Gill : Lisa tells us: "Last September, I got a rattlesnake in my living room. (I live ...

9:00 AM

Mike Shares Some More Ink

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

Mike Shares Some More Ink

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

3:21 AM

Tiger Versus Viper

I had the good fortune of meeting Burton in Penn Station as he was headed back to Georgia.<br /><br />He was in town because his friend had won tickets to the <a href="http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/2009/">MTV Video Music Awards</a> the night before, and he got to tag along.<br /><br />Burton is a tattooist with thirteen tattoos, and the one he shared with me is truly spectacular:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeSF3AaZzJl7nrab-WmGSEv9se36-TmprBv-qOvYBEqGw0GbKWRvDW8feIfywkXzlOkrk0RshbWuBMSzZc0k2P_IU0uvbkl-KE5JcAXt9UBFxIzxo7o1UEoAGJsRIpV_Ga5tds1KS0/s1600-h/Tiger+Viper+1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391652078458108898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeSF3AaZzJl7nrab-WmGSEv9se36-TmprBv-qOvYBEqGw0GbKWRvDW8feIfywkXzlOkrk0RshbWuBMSzZc0k2P_IU0uvbkl-KE5JcAXt9UBFxIzxo7o1UEoAGJsRIpV_Ga5tds1KS0/s400/Tiger+Viper+1.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />He collaborated on this design with his friend <a href="http://www.psychotats.com/newweb/pages/Richard%20Nunnally/RichardNunnally.htm">Richard Nunnaly</a> at <a href="http://psychotats.com/">Psycho Tattoo</a> in Marietta, Georgia.<br /><br />Burton wanted something traditional, that represented an inner struggle.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYf2h_HmzkTzjUK5RdUcqID0YG80TQwT_fXGFx4TRq9H2bPzxhhcqnbVTc3oGxyZ2xLOCXnd7DV5-hyCNghUcxqwaPQsVF94zVGi_uCc_zs-j5w0TBeGg_LT2wMSRCf9fD26_pAIT-/s1600-h/Tiger+Viper+1+detail.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391652172652688418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYf2h_HmzkTzjUK5RdUcqID0YG80TQwT_fXGFx4TRq9H2bPzxhhcqnbVTc3oGxyZ2xLOCXnd7DV5-hyCNghUcxqwaPQsVF94zVGi_uCc_zs-j5w0TBeGg_LT2wMSRCf9fD26_pAIT-/s400/Tiger+Viper+1+detail.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 356px;" /></a><br />They developed the tiger fighting the viper (and winning), but modified it to give the design a cartoon-like spin.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8iviL6oxrttaRFKVT6uw5fy9bZEdlq1_lTjI73888babomFH2PN_HC6JiO32l7Ids8J9ouZNjAaLv0Ybh6HeG5JUHtzSWAbWX5-htpN3XeL68ANL3VajiOaMEtUs9QWlVsSmhiU7/s1600-h/Tiger+Viper+2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391651937063244146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8iviL6oxrttaRFKVT6uw5fy9bZEdlq1_lTjI73888babomFH2PN_HC6JiO32l7Ids8J9ouZNjAaLv0Ybh6HeG5JUHtzSWAbWX5-htpN3XeL68ANL3VajiOaMEtUs9QWlVsSmhiU7/s400/Tiger+Viper+2.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />He explained that they had the original design, but that it wasn't that exciting to their creative sensibilities, so they started sketching directly on the arm. The whole piece took approximately 14-16 hours.<br /><br />I especially love how the tiger's fur spirals at the elbow.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSiBIXAuVLB99b0tYpBZraeFPEFWZdd5jDj3n9VRcCrVAvncxEp30NxdonVuhWpqHU2mmYcBEE_nVmwRr7yL5lWpfc_3gwT1zm26j6_RdY6oT8lxHdspdbA9qenzKLp-2-mWT2JKNO/s1600-h/Tiger+Elbow.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391651532459544226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSiBIXAuVLB99b0tYpBZraeFPEFWZdd5jDj3n9VRcCrVAvncxEp30NxdonVuhWpqHU2mmYcBEE_nVmwRr7yL5lWpfc_3gwT1zm26j6_RdY6oT8lxHdspdbA9qenzKLp-2-mWT2JKNO/s400/Tiger+Elbow.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />Thanks much to Burton for sharing this amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Tiger Versus Viper

I had the good fortune of meeting Burton in Penn Station as he was headed back to Georgia. He was in town because his friend had won tickets...

8:36 AM

Annie Cherry and Bindlestiff Willy in New York City

I met <a href="http://www.kcsob.com/anniecherry.html">Annie Cherry</a> outside of Penn Station in early September. She was  talking with <a href="http://www.kcsob.com/bindlestiffwilly.html">Bindlestiff Willy</a>. She had visible tattoos. He did not.<br /><br />I approached them and introduced myself.<br /><br />This is Annie:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAIOx2q7brWv-M6bVB4159cA6d2DPtD0P_BWcdVvdZqSVvmaM6JTaIeMrK03YST6S9rq9Jn9l8bYVaqbDV8i_7wSRjju3tLppYnltReJZNLMQK3YPvu0x7JCm33dDlAmImeABcKpc/s1600-h/anniecherry.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387588337526722306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAIOx2q7brWv-M6bVB4159cA6d2DPtD0P_BWcdVvdZqSVvmaM6JTaIeMrK03YST6S9rq9Jn9l8bYVaqbDV8i_7wSRjju3tLppYnltReJZNLMQK3YPvu0x7JCm33dDlAmImeABcKpc/s400/anniecherry.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 278px;" /></a><br />And here is Bindlestiff Willy:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdTvrqukeASsoRI4_2PGumpB033o6xlM7fFC0-rd3ARezx6zjTze-96b9WHNbapquS4R8ALq1qz2kqC0MJjrITsmbemx3HIarG699HAfO_zvwNjhT3e8TTE5p6vZVoP0ee5DeUAsog/s1600-h/BindlestiffPaulAndrews.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387588278609818274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdTvrqukeASsoRI4_2PGumpB033o6xlM7fFC0-rd3ARezx6zjTze-96b9WHNbapquS4R8ALq1qz2kqC0MJjrITsmbemx3HIarG699HAfO_zvwNjhT3e8TTE5p6vZVoP0ee5DeUAsog/s400/BindlestiffPaulAndrews.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />Both perform with a group called the <a href="http://www.kcsob.com/index.html">Kansas City Society of Burlesque</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfg6F083qmynau5rQFpksINI3t50NmOMe8GIW_q_s8Z9WvHpnKaROvwV_MOEdFnjbAP6pFWIZfSUdDX3BkOiEpO4FzrC2CM85V3EzjvEgQRNJ3u_UTQulWkBzKNTZSP4Aq0IKjSLxt/s1600-h/kcsob.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387589709741165810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfg6F083qmynau5rQFpksINI3t50NmOMe8GIW_q_s8Z9WvHpnKaROvwV_MOEdFnjbAP6pFWIZfSUdDX3BkOiEpO4FzrC2CM85V3EzjvEgQRNJ3u_UTQulWkBzKNTZSP4Aq0IKjSLxt/s400/kcsob.png" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 400px;" /></a> They had been in New York City performing out on Coney Island the previous weekend and were heading home.<br /><br />Annie graciously allowed to photograph her two tattoos, juxtaposed nicely on her inner forearms:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioowAlRLKj3coT8erHZyCuEqEft2gau5nlEywUkfceFl3di-b3uaCa4E_onB4FHRM_qdotMsKzEHC8B77mp0IuI1PHkBAdudUGyeTiEAQ1RAWtZov0mYtcm3tCuWg7eKUgeBnwQJgH/s1600-h/Annie+Arms.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387588649004834914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioowAlRLKj3coT8erHZyCuEqEft2gau5nlEywUkfceFl3di-b3uaCa4E_onB4FHRM_qdotMsKzEHC8B77mp0IuI1PHkBAdudUGyeTiEAQ1RAWtZov0mYtcm3tCuWg7eKUgeBnwQJgH/s400/Annie+Arms.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 333px;" /></a><br />She explained the one on her left arm, saying it was a shooting star, about to be launched from a slingshot. She said the tattoo represents creative inspiration and that it reminds her "not to take herself too seriously".<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhja34SFOYHlBYLEEuj50ScpBx_VHQliOKX72QbYNePGzMxEca82_kBVQY0WtGLsHghVOm94ACmdD5hN9UXbtiWQrhio_r61ilCMqf5xfIi_ep2zvDZKzmMckX3-LfgJ6cklVkMVvnd/s1600-h/Annie+shooting+star.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387588585105458402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhja34SFOYHlBYLEEuj50ScpBx_VHQliOKX72QbYNePGzMxEca82_kBVQY0WtGLsHghVOm94ACmdD5hN9UXbtiWQrhio_r61ilCMqf5xfIi_ep2zvDZKzmMckX3-LfgJ6cklVkMVvnd/s400/Annie+shooting+star.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />Incidentally, several weeks later, I met a woman with a similar tattoo, only justaposed differently on the left arm. I was shocked to see it, but she explained that it was also a band logo for the group <a href="http://gogolbordello.com/news/">Gogol Bordello</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDieotjzSRdTHsduKmMIeUnmzugtSnfZSbdhKX7p037d34Kq0dCqoIKm7AOowNs6WmBXfmFNY96LwYH0Wqo8j31OYRGaphORrewJlPxrMrLxj1eftibkPGzBG591bWMZyPM8eK8Ym/s1600-h/gogol+thumbnail.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387590376996071506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDieotjzSRdTHsduKmMIeUnmzugtSnfZSbdhKX7p037d34Kq0dCqoIKm7AOowNs6WmBXfmFNY96LwYH0Wqo8j31OYRGaphORrewJlPxrMrLxj1eftibkPGzBG591bWMZyPM8eK8Ym/s400/gogol+thumbnail.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />The snake on her left arm represents knowledge to Annie, and a reminder that the destination is not always reached by taking the straight path.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfXWZIhqWJjuZIMGo79EfRTLXcQhSz_VmmeBoVAq8FmlQJyI7oOOLdJ3mMr3UnY2rDUcoPVfrWEP-tI6fwlE6lnyu7e-VzVf3cQ-pIdNjEuXBldPDGRvF-jYAa3TSZSvlaeGJirCG/s1600-h/Annie+snake.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387588491343104290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfXWZIhqWJjuZIMGo79EfRTLXcQhSz_VmmeBoVAq8FmlQJyI7oOOLdJ3mMr3UnY2rDUcoPVfrWEP-tI6fwlE6lnyu7e-VzVf3cQ-pIdNjEuXBldPDGRvF-jYAa3TSZSvlaeGJirCG/s400/Annie+snake.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />Both tattoos were inked by <a href="http://www.mercyseattattoo.com/portfolio-chet/portfolio.php">Chet Duvenci</a> at <a href="http://www.mercyseattattoo.com/">The Mercy Seat Tattoo & Art Gallery</a> in Kansas City.<br /><br />After talking about her tattoos, Annie informed me that her traveling companion Bindelestiff Willy had a couple of great tattoos, as well. They were inked at The Mercy Seat also, but by different artists.<br /><br />Damian removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves to reveal the tattoos on his upper arms.<br /><br />The first is on his upper left arm:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViwc6O1ae2OQjqR78xpqhd4dXfHIOJjZl-0dpgJr-VEHDKPEbBmqK5N3jzjuwFF9bzFOO-RleRO_g7r8JYzCSz1oAZZKxW8Tv3DQpSitl7gUqDgGcwL6hNoJUNIL31IkgOaPqCE-z/s1600-h/Clowns+Pinup.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387587725865883138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViwc6O1ae2OQjqR78xpqhd4dXfHIOJjZl-0dpgJr-VEHDKPEbBmqK5N3jzjuwFF9bzFOO-RleRO_g7r8JYzCSz1oAZZKxW8Tv3DQpSitl7gUqDgGcwL6hNoJUNIL31IkgOaPqCE-z/s400/Clowns+Pinup.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />If this classic pin-up girl looks familiar, scroll up to the top of the post and take another gander at the photo of Annie.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gRVITHUruk7ZSPcecuZIjM-PUDJ3M32ysKfwDUnMUmDag7QsiM_wKqXOXMGu4qJoiy7i33uLqGT2A9wdCiXuZtmvHtThRVqFcYcs1gxHEYBwXuO58mi7dC74GkqK2ChUIAaRwNXu/s1600-h/Clowns+Pinup+detail.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387587959501305282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gRVITHUruk7ZSPcecuZIjM-PUDJ3M32ysKfwDUnMUmDag7QsiM_wKqXOXMGu4qJoiy7i33uLqGT2A9wdCiXuZtmvHtThRVqFcYcs1gxHEYBwXuO58mi7dC74GkqK2ChUIAaRwNXu/s400/Clowns+Pinup+detail.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 269px;" /></a><br />The tattoo is modeled after her. The phrase "Clowns need love too" is self-referential. This piece was inked by <a href="http://www.mercyseattattoo.com/portfolio-ss/portfolio.php">Scott Shickman</a>.<br /><br />Damian, who performs under the name of "Bindlestiff Willy," is a pantomime specialist who does a great <a href="http://www.charliechaplin.com/">Charlie Chaplin</a> routine. The pun in his stage name combines the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bindle">bindle </a>stick" commonly carried by hobos and tramps (in the Chaplinesque sense) and the raunchiness of "stiff Willy".<br /><br />His second tattoo, on the right arm, is a portrait of Charlie Chaplin's "Little Tramp" were he still alive. Of course, as the 1889 implies, Chaplin is a skeleton today, so the traditional tattoo takes a macabre turn.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExUWcJz1M_TD1byKBGUV2yOJmgeeDM1zZFCSAERYhZ7eZkjTgkhrVqmif5hgZRqdgzuE43pZEUWnesTisnntzJvOv1Tal3WMOloEEftxWStBz2rstaNfobTgN0kdaGe7D1L3rm2-I/s1600-h/chaplin.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387587625468130434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExUWcJz1M_TD1byKBGUV2yOJmgeeDM1zZFCSAERYhZ7eZkjTgkhrVqmif5hgZRqdgzuE43pZEUWnesTisnntzJvOv1Tal3WMOloEEftxWStBz2rstaNfobTgN0kdaGe7D1L3rm2-I/s400/chaplin.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />This piece was done by <a href="http://thejohnmonk.com/tattoos.html">John Monk</a>.<br /><br />A big thanks to Annie and Willy for sharing their awesome tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Annie Cherry and Bindlestiff Willy in New York City

I met Annie Cherry outside of Penn Station in early September. She was talking with Bindlestiff Willy . She had visible tattoos. He did no...

3:59 AM

Kate's Snakes

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuEden-91EqirJSpCRnaG6pSdC_JUlkJltYHDjAGhiyvZd70J6WsfAmOaLot3Ez7OW4vMoF_sr9A-Yv8UuFvpX0XP04AHC4e_WxXIE5V_B4wCGec92EOqGK-JELsHM02zwftHVvukfqY/s1600-h/kates+snakes+detail.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371235274781176482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuEden-91EqirJSpCRnaG6pSdC_JUlkJltYHDjAGhiyvZd70J6WsfAmOaLot3Ez7OW4vMoF_sr9A-Yv8UuFvpX0XP04AHC4e_WxXIE5V_B4wCGec92EOqGK-JELsHM02zwftHVvukfqY/s400/kates+snakes+detail.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 381px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />Although it was Jenny (<a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2009/08/jennys-amazing-peacock.html">here</a>) who was visibly inked, Kate also had a tattoo, hidden from view.<br /><br />So when I was done talking to Jenny, I asked Kate if she wanted to share, as well.<br /><br />Kate unveiled this great tattoo on the lower portion of her back:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAO27VlX52XkZlj-Wvs7EWfnOMVOVJn62T7b1ozJ2Fcj75siAs7e7xMVBaNj8ggWBuaaygFmU4vrPahpihPkObRoF_pyTGkThdomfBbxA6Al-82yeA4FQNxVzzeLxbXpX-TDGxujg-JGA/s1600-h/Kates+Snakes.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371234838095706706" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAO27VlX52XkZlj-Wvs7EWfnOMVOVJn62T7b1ozJ2Fcj75siAs7e7xMVBaNj8ggWBuaaygFmU4vrPahpihPkObRoF_pyTGkThdomfBbxA6Al-82yeA4FQNxVzzeLxbXpX-TDGxujg-JGA/s400/Kates+Snakes.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 383px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />(A Tattoosday production note: I never solicit back tattoos but will happily feature them, when offered).<br /><br />This piece consists of a couple of snakes consuming one another, a symbol of the circular cycle of life, death, and rebirth.<br /><br />Or, in Kate's words, "what destroys us, sustains us".<br /><br />This tattoo was inked at <a href="http://www.twilighttattoo.com/">Twilight Tattoo</a> in Minneapolis, Minnesota.<br /><br />Thanks to Kate for baring her back and sharing her snakes with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br />Update: "Anonymous" commented that this looked like the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Neverending_Story#Auryn">Auryn</a> from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Neverending_Story">The Neverending Story</a>:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9R_3srtBATjkTJFUg2DbhWGUKB0uQYfjRT9taB6UAvZvSrG43OAH7VTvTviNrsHyW8YpebE0w6MGPSSVsUUjcgs0jin_fwL3A0NvDYP5RSPO0eA37soCuDsnMu1sFh5yIYzgfrCzedc/s1600-h/auryn.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371997403394412466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9R_3srtBATjkTJFUg2DbhWGUKB0uQYfjRT9taB6UAvZvSrG43OAH7VTvTviNrsHyW8YpebE0w6MGPSSVsUUjcgs0jin_fwL3A0NvDYP5RSPO0eA37soCuDsnMu1sFh5yIYzgfrCzedc/s400/auryn.gif" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 187px; height: 197px;" /></a><br /><br />It certainly does! Thanks Anonymous!

Kate's Snakes

Although it was Jenny ( here ) who was visibly inked, Kate also had a tattoo, hidden from view. So when I was done talking to Jenny, I asked...

2:34 AM

Tiffany's Tree of Life

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhI7NU-D8GtH5ULSBOs0wQFzMKtPfKfzLUGux29YRHQTMm5f6NOgWsKldXq3f36KR4n685XWOT7j5mK8E6ILUidinl7hS2lUfMEEnsAo6b22Y7kB1LNRB6xMH6yXO3D-kriUFWrEpqKw/s1600-h/tree-detail.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358253396780328514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhI7NU-D8GtH5ULSBOs0wQFzMKtPfKfzLUGux29YRHQTMm5f6NOgWsKldXq3f36KR4n685XWOT7j5mK8E6ILUidinl7hS2lUfMEEnsAo6b22Y7kB1LNRB6xMH6yXO3D-kriUFWrEpqKw/s320/tree-detail.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" /></a><br />I was walking through Penn Station back on July 3 when I noticed the woman ahead of me had an interesting-looking tattoo on her inner left bicep.<br /><br />But it was rush hour and I was off to a small birthday gathering so, when we went separate ways at the turnstiles, I sighed and thanked the tattoo deities for letting me meet two other people earlier in the day.<br /><br />A few minutes later, however, while pacing the platform, I ran into her again. And, well, I couldn't resist talking to her about this fascinating tattoo:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk1TmNJaFgfd0cLQaVttTpBlXJcvNsMSEceU6Qg-_F2JZ7pL5vynpaSs0c-abnECNUiRzlDYQZqLeV5H9Kr0RBlLMciC-lo3ArtOb_YDPO21yFYvY-B3WU4e6Bw3ulEikQIqBjIf6_bLQ/s1600-h/tree.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358253988939736722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk1TmNJaFgfd0cLQaVttTpBlXJcvNsMSEceU6Qg-_F2JZ7pL5vynpaSs0c-abnECNUiRzlDYQZqLeV5H9Kr0RBlLMciC-lo3ArtOb_YDPO21yFYvY-B3WU4e6Bw3ulEikQIqBjIf6_bLQ/s320/tree.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 182px; height: 320px;" /></a><br />Tiffany, who was visiting the East Coast from Los Angeles, was quick to point out that this was not the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden. Apparently the serpent confuses a lot of people.<br /><br />In fact, Tiffany says the tree is based on the tree of life in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Wat">Angkor Wat</a>, Cambodia, where she visited two summers ago.<br /><br />The presence of the serpent is due to her affection for snakes, and the image of the reptile climbing the tree in pursuit is a nod to the circle of life. The tree sustains the bird; the bird sustains the snake.<br /><br />Of the three tattoos I saw on my birthday, this one just made my day. The detail is phenomenal, and I just loved the concept of the piece.<br /><br />It was tattooed by <a href="http://www.fecalface.com/SF/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=559&Itemid=92">Henry Lewis</a> at <a href="http://www.incognitotattoo.com/">Incognito Tattoo</a> in Pasadena, although he has moved to Northrn California. Although not listed on their website, he has been associated with <a href="http://www.everlastingtattoo.com/">Everlasting Tattoo</a> in San Francisco. Incognito's site says he still makes guest appearances at the shop in Pasadena.<br /><br />Thanks much to Tiffany for capping off an awesome day by sharing her wonderful tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Tiffany's Tree of Life

I was walking through Penn Station back on July 3 when I noticed the woman ahead of me had an interesting-looking tattoo on her inner left b...

2:56 AM

Tattoosday (A Tattoo Blog)

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