Sharon drew this herself and had it tattooed at Fat Cat Tattoo in Sacramento, California.
I'd love to tell you more about this tattoo, but Sharon never e-mailed me to give me more details. Nonetheless, it's some nice work.
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Showing posts with label Roses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Roses. Show all posts
Sharon's Bird on a Saturday
At the end of September, I spotted this bird on the left side of Sharon's upper back:
Thanks to Sharon for sharing her bird with us here on Tattoosday!
David's Traditional Hands
Last month I met David when I stopped after noticing his neck tattoo. However, it was his hands he offered up to us here at Tattoosday:
David works in construction and is a contractor. He also manages the band, Drew Nugent & the Midnight Society.
He has about thirty-five (35) hours of work done on his body, and he explained that these are traditional pieces on his hands.
He was inspired to have his knuckles read "True Blue" as they speak to his belief that our country has lost its values that need to be regained. Key among these values are loyalty and honor, in the traditional, "true blue" sense of the words.
To him, the panther represents that we need to fight to regain these ideals.
And the two roses represent the ideal (the healthy, red flower on the right hand) and what he called the "diminished," (on the left) that is, where we're headed with our loss of values.
David embraced these traditional elements because he feels that "the only way to have a future is to look at the past".
He had the panther done at a tattoo convention. The roses and "TRUE BLUE" knuckles are credited to Rick Meggison at Marked 4 Life in York, Pennsylvania.
Thanks to David for sharing these very cool hand tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
David works in construction and is a contractor. He also manages the band, Drew Nugent & the Midnight Society.
He has about thirty-five (35) hours of work done on his body, and he explained that these are traditional pieces on his hands.
He was inspired to have his knuckles read "True Blue" as they speak to his belief that our country has lost its values that need to be regained. Key among these values are loyalty and honor, in the traditional, "true blue" sense of the words.
To him, the panther represents that we need to fight to regain these ideals.
And the two roses represent the ideal (the healthy, red flower on the right hand) and what he called the "diminished," (on the left) that is, where we're headed with our loss of values.
David embraced these traditional elements because he feels that "the only way to have a future is to look at the past".
He had the panther done at a tattoo convention. The roses and "TRUE BLUE" knuckles are credited to Rick Meggison at Marked 4 Life in York, Pennsylvania.
Thanks to David for sharing these very cool hand tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
Tim's Bleeding Rose
I mentioned in my last post that I met three guys on their way to New York Comic Con when they stopped and shared their tattoos.
Below we have Tim's contribution, one of his nine tattoos:
This piece, on his forearm, is a bleeding rose.
It was tattooed by Christopher Wilkie at Peter Tat-2 in West Hempstead, New York.
Tim added that the yellow highlights in the tattoo are a subtle tribute to Hulk Hogan.
Thanks to Tim for sharing his tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
Below we have Tim's contribution, one of his nine tattoos:
This piece, on his forearm, is a bleeding rose.
It was tattooed by Christopher Wilkie at Peter Tat-2 in West Hempstead, New York.
Tim added that the yellow highlights in the tattoo are a subtle tribute to Hulk Hogan.
Thanks to Tim for sharing his tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
Bryan's Memorial Rose
Bryan was around the corner from where I work with this rose on display:
Perched on his left elbow, the tattoo is identical to one that a friend of his had.
When his friend died, Bryan chose to commemorate his friend's memory by going to the artist that did the original tattoo on his friend, and asked for the same drawing be used to recreate the tattoo on himself.
The artist was Agent at Screamin' Ink Tattoo in New Jersey.
Thanks to Bryan for sharing this memorable tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
Perched on his left elbow, the tattoo is identical to one that a friend of his had.
When his friend died, Bryan chose to commemorate his friend's memory by going to the artist that did the original tattoo on his friend, and asked for the same drawing be used to recreate the tattoo on himself.
The artist was Agent at Screamin' Ink Tattoo in New Jersey.
Thanks to Bryan for sharing this memorable tattoo 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 inkspotting.
It was there that I met Mark, who had a full sleeve to offer up.
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.
But Mark's sleeve was exceptional and I loved the color detail in the work. So let's check it out....
Items to note in this work:
Mark was born in the year of the Snake, which explains the serpent.
He was also born during Autumn, which is why the Japanese Maple leaves are sporting fall colors.
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, "hapa," a shortened form of "hapa haole," 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.
Similarly, the skull element at the top of the arm is more of a Western flavor, juxtaposed nicely with another chrysanthemum.
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.
Mark informed me that the whole sleeve was completed in five or six sittings by Lucky Olelo at Soul Signature Tattoo in Honolulu.
Thanks to Mark for sharing his amazing work with us here on Tattoosday!
It was there that I met Mark, who had a full sleeve to offer up.
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.
But Mark's sleeve was exceptional and I loved the color detail in the work. So let's check it out....
Items to note in this work:
Mark was born in the year of the Snake, which explains the serpent.
He was also born during Autumn, which is why the Japanese Maple leaves are sporting fall colors.
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, "hapa," a shortened form of "hapa haole," 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.
Similarly, the skull element at the top of the arm is more of a Western flavor, juxtaposed nicely with another chrysanthemum.
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.
Mark informed me that the whole sleeve was completed in five or six sittings by Lucky Olelo at Soul Signature Tattoo in Honolulu.
Thanks to Mark for sharing his amazing work with us here on Tattoosday!
Mike & Norma Share Some of Their Ink
I met Mike and Norma at a local drugstore in Brooklyn in early April and they both had amazing work they were willing to share.
Their post was preempted by the Tattooed Poets Project, so I thank them in advance for their patience.
Mike shared this enormous black panther tattoo that covered a huge section of his left calf:
Mike, who estimates he has about 15% coverage, also told me that this was a cover-up. "What did you cover?" I asked. "A dolphin with a tribal design," he replied. Norma indicated that covering that tattoo had been an excellent aesthetic choice.
Mike credits Chad Smith at Screamin Mimi Tattoo in Amarillo, Texas with this piece.
I then turned to Norma, who was gracious enough to share this incredibly beautiful geisha tattoo on her left calf:
Roxxy, an artist at Elite Tattoo Gallery in Fort Worth, Texas, free-handed the design. The Japanese characters form a haiku, the meaning of which Norma didn't have with her. Regardless, it's a stunning work of art.
Thanks to Mike and Norma for sharing a little bit of their extensive ink with us here on Tattoosday!
Their post was preempted by the Tattooed Poets Project, so I thank them in advance for their patience.
Mike shared this enormous black panther tattoo that covered a huge section of his left calf:
Mike, who estimates he has about 15% coverage, also told me that this was a cover-up. "What did you cover?" I asked. "A dolphin with a tribal design," he replied. Norma indicated that covering that tattoo had been an excellent aesthetic choice.
Mike credits Chad Smith at Screamin Mimi Tattoo in Amarillo, Texas with this piece.
I then turned to Norma, who was gracious enough to share this incredibly beautiful geisha tattoo on her left calf:
Roxxy, an artist at Elite Tattoo Gallery in Fort Worth, Texas, free-handed the design. The Japanese characters form a haiku, the meaning of which Norma didn't have with her. Regardless, it's a stunning work of art.
Thanks to Mike and Norma for sharing a little bit of their extensive ink with us here on Tattoosday!
The Tattooed Poets Project: Rebecca Wolff
Like Brendan Constantine yesterday, Rebecca Wolff was a carryover poet from last year. That is, we couldn't quite coordinate getting a post together for the Tattooed Poets Project in 2009. Fortunately, we were able to get everything lined up this year.
Good things come to those who wait.
Rebecca sent us two tattoos. We'll let her describe them for us:
Rebecca Wolff is the author of three books of poems: Manderley, Figment, and The King. Her novel The Beginners is coming out in 2011 from Riverhead Books. She is the editor and publisher of Fence and Fence Books, and publisher of The Constant Critic. She lives in Athens, New York, with Ira Sher and Asher Wolff and Margot Sher.
Thanks to Rebecca for sharing her tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
Good things come to those who wait.
Rebecca sent us two tattoos. We'll let her describe them for us:
"I have seven tattoos, and the ankle is number 4. I got it in 1990, in a dock-side sailor-type tattoo parlor in Glasgow, Scotland, when I was about 22.Be sure to head over to BillyBlog to read a poem Rebecca selected just for us!
The artist was kind of a big lug, and none too bright, and at a certain point in the tattoo (I had my eyes closed) he said, "Uh, did you want the Z and the A to meet?" and I was like, "Yeah," and he was like, "Uh oh," so if you look closely at the latter end of the alphabet (right around the STUV) you'll notice it kind of gets all squinched up, and then the WXYZ is kind of all spread out so as to make it all the way around.
The wild rose on my side is what I still believe to be my final tattoo, though I find myself craving sleeves often.
I got it when I was about 31, in about 1999, and it's the only really super figurative tattoo I have. The others are all kind of ironic symbols of symbolism. So the idea was to jump into full-color symbolism and then leave it at that, and that's what I've done.
This one was done at a place on Canal Street in NYC by a young Japanese artists whose name I never really caught."
Rebecca Wolff is the author of three books of poems: Manderley, Figment, and The King. Her novel The Beginners is coming out in 2011 from Riverhead Books. She is the editor and publisher of Fence and Fence Books, and publisher of The Constant Critic. She lives in Athens, New York, with Ira Sher and Asher Wolff and Margot Sher.
Thanks to Rebecca for sharing her tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
The Tattooed Poets Project: Joseph Millar
Today's tattooed poet is Joseph Millar.
This is a bit of an unusual submission, as it was provided on behalf of Joseph by his wife, the poet Dorianne Laux. Dorianne, who herself is un-inked, was instrumental in last year's Tattooed Poets Project, referring me to several tattooed poets, who in turn introduced me to many more, acting as the lead domino in a fantastic tattooed poet domino effect.
This is the tattoo she provided on behalf of Joseph:
Dorianne explains that this tattoo is actually a two-part piece. The original was "a much smaller rose" by the legendary Lyle Tuttle. She continues:
Be sure to head over to BillyBlog and read one of Joseph's poems here.
JOSEPH MILLAR is the author of Fortune, from Eastern Washington University Press.
His first collection, Overtime (2001) was finalist for the Oregon Book Award and the Robert H. Winner Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America. Millar grew up in Pennsylvania, attended Johns Hopkins University and spent 25 years in the San Francisco Bay area, working at a variety of jobs, from telephone repairman to commercial fisherman. His poems have appeared in numerous magazines including The Southern Review, TriQuarterly Review, Prairie Schooner, Shenandoah, DoubleTake, New Letters, Ploughshares, Manoa, and River Styx. His work has won fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts in Poetry, Montalvo Center for the Arts, Oregon Literary Arts and a 2008 Pushcart Prize in Poetry. In 1997 he gave up his job as a telephone installation foreman. He now lives in Raleigh, NC and teaches at Pacific University’s Low Residency MFA Program in Oregon and yearly at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA. Pulitzer Prize winner Yusef Komunyakaa has said, “There's a tenderness at the core of Fortune, where the commonplace becomes atypical and fantastical, and each poem possesses a voice that summons and reveals. Joseph Millar is a poet we can believe.” His third collection of poems will be published in fall of 2011 by Carnegie Mellon Press.
Thanks to Joseph and Dorianne for their collaborative submission to the Tattooed Poets Project!
This is a bit of an unusual submission, as it was provided on behalf of Joseph by his wife, the poet Dorianne Laux. Dorianne, who herself is un-inked, was instrumental in last year's Tattooed Poets Project, referring me to several tattooed poets, who in turn introduced me to many more, acting as the lead domino in a fantastic tattooed poet domino effect.
This is the tattoo she provided on behalf of Joseph:
Dorianne explains that this tattoo is actually a two-part piece. The original was "a much smaller rose" by the legendary Lyle Tuttle. She continues:
"The banner was etched with his second wife's name, which I never saw as a problem. I liked his ex-wife who is an artist. In fact, her painting graces the cover of my third book, Smoke. One night he came home late with a bandage on his arm. I worried he'd been in a work-related accident. He peeled it back to show me he had the rose enlarged and my name stenciled into the new banner by Doctor Julien of [Julien's Black Lotus Tattoo in] Eugene, Oregon. I wish I could tell you I thanked him and kissed him, but what I did was sock him in the arm and call him an idiot. Secretly, I found I was pleased."
JOSEPH MILLAR is the author of Fortune, from Eastern Washington University Press.
His first collection, Overtime (2001) was finalist for the Oregon Book Award and the Robert H. Winner Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America. Millar grew up in Pennsylvania, attended Johns Hopkins University and spent 25 years in the San Francisco Bay area, working at a variety of jobs, from telephone repairman to commercial fisherman. His poems have appeared in numerous magazines including The Southern Review, TriQuarterly Review, Prairie Schooner, Shenandoah, DoubleTake, New Letters, Ploughshares, Manoa, and River Styx. His work has won fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts in Poetry, Montalvo Center for the Arts, Oregon Literary Arts and a 2008 Pushcart Prize in Poetry. In 1997 he gave up his job as a telephone installation foreman. He now lives in Raleigh, NC and teaches at Pacific University’s Low Residency MFA Program in Oregon and yearly at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA. Pulitzer Prize winner Yusef Komunyakaa has said, “There's a tenderness at the core of Fortune, where the commonplace becomes atypical and fantastical, and each poem possesses a voice that summons and reveals. Joseph Millar is a poet we can believe.” His third collection of poems will be published in fall of 2011 by Carnegie Mellon Press.
Thanks to Joseph and Dorianne for their collaborative submission to the Tattooed Poets Project!
Two Small Tattoos from Samantha
I met Samantha in Penn Station when I was passing through the New Jersey Transit waiting area earlier this week.
This simple rose is just above her left ankle:
Samantha got matching tattoos with her mother when she was sixteen. I joked with her that I shouldn't post that, since I've told my daughters that they have to wait until they're eighteen before getting inked.
She pointed out that this happened in Canada, so perhaps we could use that as an excuse.
Samantha, however, was more proud of her other tattoo, which I admit, is nicer. She peeled off the sock on her right foot to reveal this:
As a Canadian, she wanted to get this maple leaf to honor her homeland to the north. The tattoo was done at Blue Devil Tattoo and Piercing Studio in Tampa, Florida.
Thanks to Samantha for sharing her tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
This simple rose is just above her left ankle:
Samantha got matching tattoos with her mother when she was sixteen. I joked with her that I shouldn't post that, since I've told my daughters that they have to wait until they're eighteen before getting inked.
She pointed out that this happened in Canada, so perhaps we could use that as an excuse.
Samantha, however, was more proud of her other tattoo, which I admit, is nicer. She peeled off the sock on her right foot to reveal this:
As a Canadian, she wanted to get this maple leaf to honor her homeland to the north. The tattoo was done at Blue Devil Tattoo and Piercing Studio in Tampa, Florida.
Thanks to Samantha for sharing her tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
Angela's Ambivalence About a Rose
Angela, a video editor, wanted a rose tattoo that would match her eyes and serve as a "permanent necklace". This was the result:
Looks pretty good, right? Not so fast. It is not often that I get someone sharing a tattoo with which they're not completely happy. This is one of those cases.
Angela had an issue with the artist, Jon Comstock at Skin City Tattoos, in New Windsor, New York, and felt that his vision, ultimately, differed from hers. Too much neon-like color, less realism in matching her eyes, Angela said. The end result, a fairly visible tattoo that has an ambivalent host. "I wouldn't go back to him," Angela said.
I have decided to include his credit, however, as I don't think it's so bad. Of course, I don't have to live with the end result, Angela does. In a slight reversal, however, when I showed her one of the pictures I took,
she admitted it looked better than she remembered.
Despite the mixed feelings about the piece, I would like to thank Angela for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
Looks pretty good, right? Not so fast. It is not often that I get someone sharing a tattoo with which they're not completely happy. This is one of those cases.
Angela had an issue with the artist, Jon Comstock at Skin City Tattoos, in New Windsor, New York, and felt that his vision, ultimately, differed from hers. Too much neon-like color, less realism in matching her eyes, Angela said. The end result, a fairly visible tattoo that has an ambivalent host. "I wouldn't go back to him," Angela said.
I have decided to include his credit, however, as I don't think it's so bad. Of course, I don't have to live with the end result, Angela does. In a slight reversal, however, when I showed her one of the pictures I took,
she admitted it looked better than she remembered.
Despite the mixed feelings about the piece, I would like to thank Angela for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
A Yellow Rose for a Fallen Friend
I met Dan outside of Penn Station last week on a balmy December day.
He has 22 tattoos and shared this one from his right forearm:
It's a memorial piece for a friend who passed away in 2008.
Her initals are in the heart, which is pierced by a lone yellow rose. "She loved yellow roses," Dan told me, which led him do design this variation on the dagger-through-the-heart tattoo.
The piece was inked at Fat Kat Tattoo in Keyport, New Jersey. Work from Fat Kat has appeared previously on the site here.
Thanks again to Dan for sharing his tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
He has 22 tattoos and shared this one from his right forearm:
It's a memorial piece for a friend who passed away in 2008.
Her initals are in the heart, which is pierced by a lone yellow rose. "She loved yellow roses," Dan told me, which led him do design this variation on the dagger-through-the-heart tattoo.
The piece was inked at Fat Kat Tattoo in Keyport, New Jersey. Work from Fat Kat has appeared previously on the site here.
Thanks again to Dan for sharing his tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
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