SOUL SUNDAY
Here is one from The Whispers "Great Day"
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Chris Interprets Heaven and Hell
Last month I met Chris, from Malden, Massachusetts, and he shared this incredible sleeve, still in progress. He estimates that it represents 25 hours of tattooing.
The overall motif of the sleeve is heaven and hell, and Chris was kind enough to address several elements in the design, many of which are deeply personal.
Chris began this tattoo's journey to acknowledge his first year of sobriety from alcohol and drugs.
It is an omnipresent reminder that "hell is always an arm's length away". The angel resides in heaven and the gates of heaven, on the inner arm, represent the goal, or entry into heaven.
Rising up toward heaven are two figures reaching toward this goal. The pair aiming for heaven represent two of Chris' friends, both who overdosed and died, having perished in the hell of addiction.
Chris drew me attention to Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hell.
To him, the three heads of the hell-hound represent alcohol, opiates, and cocaine, the three substances to which he had been addicted.
This sleeve is the work of the tattoo artist Rafael Serrano, formerly of The Painted Bird, in Medford, MA.
Thanks to Chris for sharing this deeply personal tattoo in progress with us. We're hoping to get updates in the future when more work is done.
We appreciate Chris' forthrightness and strength, and wish for his continued recovery.
LAY N PLAY
Come check us out this weekend at the Lowrider Car Show we are bringing out 30 cars or more from the Lifestyle C.C. lineup..
This Sunday, June 6th, 11am- 5pm
National Orange Show
689 South E street
San Bernardino, Ca 92408
909.888.6788
Sasha's Cranes
I spotted this tattoo on the upper right arm of a Sasha in the Bay Ridge Century 21 store:
I love the dark colors in the piece and wanted to hear more about it.
Sasha explained that it is a cover-up of a moon tattoo, and that the design is Japanese in origin. The birds in the design are cranes, which have immense cultural and mythological significance. Among other valuable characteristics, cranes symbolize honor and loyalty.
This is one of "at least eight" tattoos that Sasha has. The tattoo was inked by Maya at Third Eye Tattoo in Park Slope, Brooklyn. We've seen a lot of work by Lou at Third Eye here, but this is the first piece, I believe, that we've featured from Maya.
Thanks to Sasha for sharing her cranes with us here on Tattoosday!
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I love the dark colors in the piece and wanted to hear more about it.
Sasha explained that it is a cover-up of a moon tattoo, and that the design is Japanese in origin. The birds in the design are cranes, which have immense cultural and mythological significance. Among other valuable characteristics, cranes symbolize honor and loyalty.
This is one of "at least eight" tattoos that Sasha has. The tattoo was inked by Maya at Third Eye Tattoo in Park Slope, Brooklyn. We've seen a lot of work by Lou at Third Eye here, but this is the first piece, I believe, that we've featured from Maya.
Thanks to Sasha for sharing her cranes with us here on Tattoosday!
Tattoosday Goes To Hawai'i - Aloha to the Islands
I wasn't sure how many tattoos I would meet on my five and a half day trip to Hawai'i, but my last day there exceeded all expectations.
As reported before, I met five separate people with tattoos at Pearlridge as I did some last-minute shopping before heading back to the airport.
After returning my rental car and clearing security, I headed to the gate, my heart heavy with the reality that I was once again leaving my childhood home, not knowing when I would return.
I guessed that my inkspotting had ended on the trip, as I dropped my carry-on at a row of seats outside of the gate, which was sealed as the earlier flight's passengers cleared customs.
I guessed wrong.
The delay in entering Gate 25 left passengers lingering in the open-aired terminal with a moment to relish the warm tropical air.
The gentleman next to me removed his outer garment to reveal a short sleeve shirt. And this tattoo:
So, for the next twenty minutes or so, I chatted with Bill, originally from Brooklyn, now living in Hawai'i. How's that for a mirror image?
What's more, Bill had this tattoo, as well, on his upper right arm:
Aloha indeed. What a fitting way to leave Hawai'i!
The top pin-up was inked at a shop in Point Pleasant, New Jersey.
The forearm design is a modified version of a flash design Bill had seen at a shop in Honolulu, up near the University of Hawai'i campus in Manoa.
The original design featured the young lady standing in the Waikiki surf, with Diamond Head behind her. Bill opted just for the pin-up, without all the extra stuff.
We had a nice chat about Hawai'i, tattoos, and Brooklyn. He was heading back to the East Coast to visit family.
Thanks to Bill for sharing his cool tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
And thanks again to everyone I met on my trip, and for being integral parts of the Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i saga!
Read More
As reported before, I met five separate people with tattoos at Pearlridge as I did some last-minute shopping before heading back to the airport.
After returning my rental car and clearing security, I headed to the gate, my heart heavy with the reality that I was once again leaving my childhood home, not knowing when I would return.
I guessed that my inkspotting had ended on the trip, as I dropped my carry-on at a row of seats outside of the gate, which was sealed as the earlier flight's passengers cleared customs.
I guessed wrong.
The delay in entering Gate 25 left passengers lingering in the open-aired terminal with a moment to relish the warm tropical air.
The gentleman next to me removed his outer garment to reveal a short sleeve shirt. And this tattoo:
So, for the next twenty minutes or so, I chatted with Bill, originally from Brooklyn, now living in Hawai'i. How's that for a mirror image?
What's more, Bill had this tattoo, as well, on his upper right arm:
Aloha indeed. What a fitting way to leave Hawai'i!
The top pin-up was inked at a shop in Point Pleasant, New Jersey.
The forearm design is a modified version of a flash design Bill had seen at a shop in Honolulu, up near the University of Hawai'i campus in Manoa.
The original design featured the young lady standing in the Waikiki surf, with Diamond Head behind her. Bill opted just for the pin-up, without all the extra stuff.
We had a nice chat about Hawai'i, tattoos, and Brooklyn. He was heading back to the East Coast to visit family.
Thanks to Bill for sharing his cool tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
And thanks again to everyone I met on my trip, and for being integral parts of the Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i saga!
Two Amazing Tattoos from Patrick of Needles & Sins
It isn't too often that I chance upon someone inked who knows who I am. So, imagine my surprise when I introduced myself to Pat in Borders, Penn Plaza, and his face lit up with recognition when I handed him a Tattoosday flier.
I had just happened to stop one of the contributing writers from my favorite tattoo blog that isn't my own, Needles & Sins. What with our sites mutually appearing on each other's sidebars, we're practically cyber-related.
So Pat was totally game to pull up a chair with me in the cafe and share a couple of his numerous tattoos that traverse his chest, arms, and legs.
First, on Pat's left shoulder/upper arm is this colorful piece:
This tattoo represents the dichotomy of the good brain versus the bad brain. He wanted something in the New School style of tattooing and Matt Lautar, formerly of Great Southern Tattoo in College Park, Maryland was happy to oblige. Matt is now tattooing out of Marlowe Ink, in Fairfax, Virginia.
For the sake of symmetry and practicality, we then looked at his right shoulder/arm for this take on the Virgin Mary.
Complete with snake and dagger, and burning heart, this amazing tattoo was beautifully inked by Eli Quinters at Smith Street Tattoo Parlour in Brooklyn. The shading and color on Mary's face are just brilliantly done.
Of course, I had the misfortune to run into Pat as my lunch hour was winding down. With more time, we likely would have talked much longer and documented a few more tattoos.
Pat added later that "I would be remiss if I didn't mention the other tattooers who I've gotten work from: Dave Wallin has easily done 25-30% of my tattoos. Chest, most of my left arm, a few on the right. I've also been tattooed by Todd Noble, Kelly Krantz, Jake, Andy Perez, Bailey Hunter Robinson and Gene Coffey."
If you haven't yet done so, be sure to check out Needles & Sins. And this link transports you to all that Pat has contributed to their most awesome site.
Read More
I had just happened to stop one of the contributing writers from my favorite tattoo blog that isn't my own, Needles & Sins. What with our sites mutually appearing on each other's sidebars, we're practically cyber-related.
So Pat was totally game to pull up a chair with me in the cafe and share a couple of his numerous tattoos that traverse his chest, arms, and legs.
First, on Pat's left shoulder/upper arm is this colorful piece:
This tattoo represents the dichotomy of the good brain versus the bad brain. He wanted something in the New School style of tattooing and Matt Lautar, formerly of Great Southern Tattoo in College Park, Maryland was happy to oblige. Matt is now tattooing out of Marlowe Ink, in Fairfax, Virginia.
For the sake of symmetry and practicality, we then looked at his right shoulder/arm for this take on the Virgin Mary.
Complete with snake and dagger, and burning heart, this amazing tattoo was beautifully inked by Eli Quinters at Smith Street Tattoo Parlour in Brooklyn. The shading and color on Mary's face are just brilliantly done.
Of course, I had the misfortune to run into Pat as my lunch hour was winding down. With more time, we likely would have talked much longer and documented a few more tattoos.
Pat added later that "I would be remiss if I didn't mention the other tattooers who I've gotten work from: Dave Wallin has easily done 25-30% of my tattoos. Chest, most of my left arm, a few on the right. I've also been tattooed by Todd Noble, Kelly Krantz, Jake, Andy Perez, Bailey Hunter Robinson and Gene Coffey."
Let's hope we can feature more of this work in the future!
A hearty thanks to Pat for sharing a couple of his tattoos with us here on Tattoosday.If you haven't yet done so, be sure to check out Needles & Sins. And this link transports you to all that Pat has contributed to their most awesome site.
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