THE FORGIVEN
ITS DOPE WHEN SOMEONE COMES IN WITH A NEW TWIST ON A CLASSIC IDEA.. THE ARM WAS DONE OVER THREE YEARS AGO AND HE WANTED ADD TO IT WITH AN ANGELIC DOVE...
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John Paul's Gorilla Tattoo Recalls the Soviet Regime
On Monday, I met John Paul in Herald Square at 34th Street, after spotting a flourish of color on his inner bicep.
He was more than happy to show me this wonderful tattoo above.
John Paul explained that it is based on a prison tattoo from a Soviet Union gulag. The artwork represents a criticism of the regime of the U.S.S.R., depicting it, not as the common Russian bear, but as the brute gorilla. It is ham-fisted and out of control, with the symbolic hammer and sickle at the ready:
John Paul told me he is fascinated with the historic aspect of the former Soviet Union and the criticism of the regime as depicted in art, especially body art. Here's a great source if you are likewise interested in learning more about Russian prison tattoos:
The piece is incomplete in that one may notice the space below the gorilla has a banner that has yet to be filled out. John Paul said the original idea was to have the letters "FTW" for "Fuck the World" inked there, but he was not willing to have that permanently inked there. He is still deciding what to ultimately fill in the space.
This was tattooed about a year ago by Adam Warmerdam in Los Angeles. Adam is a free-lance tattoo artist in Southern California. It is one of four of John Paul's tattoos.
Thanks to John Paul for sharing this fascinating tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
This was tattooed about a year ago by Adam Warmerdam in Los Angeles. Adam is a free-lance tattoo artist in Southern California. It is one of four of John Paul's tattoos.
Thanks to John Paul for sharing this fascinating tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
D.W.S/ MARK BALLAS TATTOO
ITS ALWAYS NICE WHEN BE ARE BLESSED WITH THE PRESENCE OF KIM KARDASHIAN HERE AT THE SHOP. THIS TIME KIM BROUGHT IN HER DANCING WITH THE STARS PARTNER MARK BALLAS... THIS IS A FLICK OF THE ANGEL HE BLASTED ON HIS BACK.
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LAS VEGAS LOWRIDER SUPER SHOW 2009
HERE ARE A COUPLE FLICKS OF SHOW... LIFESTYLE C.C. BUSTED OUT WITH NINE CARS FIVE OF THEM NEVER SEEN BEFORE AT A VEGAS SUPER SHOW! THANKS TO MALIBUZ, TWOTONZ AND KUTTY FOR THE FLIKS.
HERE ARE A COUPLE OF LINKS FOR MORE FLIKS
http://www.layitlow.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=435436
http://www.layitlow.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=435857
http://www.layitlow.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=89940
Mara Shares a Decorative Tattoo
I met Mara this afternoon in the plaza at the corner of 39th Street and Broadway. She was kind enough to share the above tattoo, inked on her left forearm.
She talked to me as she finished her soup, and I'm appreciative of that, as I felt a little guilty intruding on her lunch break.
Mara notes that this piece is "purely decorative". It was tattooed by Stephanie Tamez at New York Adorned, based on a design created by her friend Katherine Irwin.
The tattoo is inspired by the work of Aubrey Beardsley (who provided inspiration for a previous Tattoosday entry here). The lines and design, especially the peacock feathers, have a Beardsley-esque feel to them.
Thanks to Mara for sharing this beautiful tattoo with us!
Saint Lucy Graces David's Arm
**This post was updated for clarification of facts on October 13, 2008.
As Autumn advances on New York, tattoos have been less frequently spotted by yours truly, but a recent streak of warmer temperatures have extended the season just a bit.
I spotted the above piece on David's right bicep last Saturday at a green market in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
The tattoo was inked as a result of David taking care of a neighbor's dogs for a spell up in Bar Harbor, Maine, in 1992. The neighbor had grown up in Syracuse, New York. and attended St. Lucy's Church there. The original Syracuse, in the province of Syracuse, in the region of Sicily, in Southern Italy, was where Saint Lucy was born and martyred. She is also known as the Patroness of Syracuse.
David and his neighbor had a mutual friend who was a tattoo artist and the neighbor arranged for the artist to do the tattoo for David as a form of payment for the favor.
The basis for the artwork, which is a portrait of Saint Lucy, was a Jane's Addiction concert t-shirt, circa 1991 and the Ritual de la Habitual tour. The tattooist had a close affinity for Saint Lucy, as he had gone to a church named for her, and she is the patron saint for the blind.
I was unable to find art on the shirt, but I did find the following poster art:
and this additional image, credited to a prayer card, which bears a striking resemblance, and may in fact be the basis for the concert poster and shirt art:
David indicates that the shirt looked more like the prayer card than the poster.
According to her story, her eyes were gouged out prior to her execution, and as a result, when depicted in art, two eyes appear on a plate in the portrait. In the case of this tattoo, they appear to the left of the piece:
Her eyes are often regarded as holy relics.
David also admires her as she is seen as one of the earliest feminist figures in Christianity. He also notes that he gave his friend/neighbor the concert t-shirt which inspired the tattoo, due to his relationship with St. Lucy's Church in Syracuse, NY.
Thanks to David for sharing his tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
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As Autumn advances on New York, tattoos have been less frequently spotted by yours truly, but a recent streak of warmer temperatures have extended the season just a bit.
I spotted the above piece on David's right bicep last Saturday at a green market in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
The tattoo was inked as a result of David taking care of a neighbor's dogs for a spell up in Bar Harbor, Maine, in 1992. The neighbor had grown up in Syracuse, New York. and attended St. Lucy's Church there. The original Syracuse, in the province of Syracuse, in the region of Sicily, in Southern Italy, was where Saint Lucy was born and martyred. She is also known as the Patroness of Syracuse.
David and his neighbor had a mutual friend who was a tattoo artist and the neighbor arranged for the artist to do the tattoo for David as a form of payment for the favor.
The basis for the artwork, which is a portrait of Saint Lucy, was a Jane's Addiction concert t-shirt, circa 1991 and the Ritual de la Habitual tour. The tattooist had a close affinity for Saint Lucy, as he had gone to a church named for her, and she is the patron saint for the blind.
I was unable to find art on the shirt, but I did find the following poster art:
and this additional image, credited to a prayer card, which bears a striking resemblance, and may in fact be the basis for the concert poster and shirt art:
David indicates that the shirt looked more like the prayer card than the poster.According to her story, her eyes were gouged out prior to her execution, and as a result, when depicted in art, two eyes appear on a plate in the portrait. In the case of this tattoo, they appear to the left of the piece:
Her eyes are often regarded as holy relics.
David also admires her as she is seen as one of the earliest feminist figures in Christianity. He also notes that he gave his friend/neighbor the concert t-shirt which inspired the tattoo, due to his relationship with St. Lucy's Church in Syracuse, NY.
Thanks to David for sharing his tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
Tattoo Posts That Go Bad: Peeping Kanji
Last October, I posted a a tattoo belonging to a guy named John here. His friend Donna also had tattoos and tried to show them to me on her lower back/waistline, but she understandably couldn't successfully reveal them fully without lowering her pants to an uncomfortable level. She said she would send me better pictures. She never did. But I kept the post in my drafts folder under the title "Peeping Kanji". Unfortunately, the Kilroy-was-here-esque tattoos could not be deciphered by Kwok, my subject matter expert on the Chinese language.
So is there any value to these pictures? Maybe, maybe not. But I want to wish them adieu and maybe their inclusion here will prompt Donna to finally getting around to send me the photos.
I'd love to know what these kanji mean. Guesses anyone?
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So is there any value to these pictures? Maybe, maybe not. But I want to wish them adieu and maybe their inclusion here will prompt Donna to finally getting around to send me the photos.
I'd love to know what these kanji mean. Guesses anyone?
THE EXPERIENCE PART2
THIS IS A MURAL THAT I JUST DID FOR MY CLUB BROTHER JON KRASH. HE IS A PROUD MEMBER OF LIFESTYLE C.C. AND OWNER OF THE 1966 SUPER SPORT IMPALA "APOCALYPSE NOW" IF YOU WANT TO SEE HOW IT CAME OUT YOUR GOING TO HAVE TO CATCH IT AT THE NEXT CARSHOW... IT WILL BE BUSTING OUT THIS SUNDAY AT THE LOWRIDER LAS VEGAS SUPER SHOW.
Mr. Cartoon Murals Apocalypse Now from SkidRow Tattoo on Vimeo.
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Mr. Cartoon Murals Apocalypse Now from SkidRow Tattoo on Vimeo.
FREESTYLE MAGAZINE INTERVIEW
CHECK OUT THE INTERVIEW I JUST DID FOR FREESTYLE MAGAZINE. THE INTEERVIEW WAS GOOD I GOT TO GO INTO WHAT IT WAS LIKE WHEN I WAS JUST STARTING OUT, WHAT ITS LIKE NOW, SOME OF THE PROJECTS I'M WORKING ON AND WHAT I DO TO KEEP MYSELF GROUNDED.
Tattoorism 101: Another Form of Tattoo Regret
The other day while walking near Madison Square Garden, I stopped to talk to a woman about the tattoo on her foot. The conversation went something like this:
Me: Hey, can I ask you about your tattoo?
She: Ugh, that thing? I hate it. I got it when I was younger and wish I hadn't.
Me: Well, I write a tattoo appreciation blog, and would love to tell the story behind it anyway. Would you be interested?
She: Nah. I have three tattoos and I am so over them.
Me: [Thinking I spot an interesting tattoo on her ear] Well, would you talk to me about any of them?
She: Nah. Not interested.
Me: Well, thank you anyway. Have a nice day.
So, did she really hate her tattoos, or was she just saying it to make me go away? I'd like to think the former.
Anyway, this is a segue to the Mickey Mouse Fantasia tattoo above.
This was e-mailed to me back in July under the subject heading "Horrible Tattoo".
Here's what the sender said:
Hi Bill,
Stumbled upon your site and thought I'd share the dark side of tattoos. I was young, roughly seventeen or eighteen. Not sure which, as its been almost fifteen years now. I had been plied with beer from my high school girlfriend's brother, and the next thing I knew I was in a tattoo artist's chair. Now, I know that most tattoo artists are of the highest degree of honor, and that I have had the worst luck. Apparently a drunken teenagers wasn't much of an alarm for this fellow. The next thing I knew... I was heading home with the attached image on my arm.
I'm currently searching for a good cover-up. Contrary to a post on your blog, I was raised Christian and now try to follow more Buddhist philosophies. I debated an Aum symbol, a tree of life, a koi fish... none have really struck me as something possible for a coverup. Its quite a depressing thing to hate wearing short-sleeves or taking off one's shirt in the summer. Please pass my warning to the young readers, REALLY THINK about what you want, and never make any decisions while under the influence (which you shouldn't be anyway)! Make sure that it will have a meaning which will stick with you for years, for it shall.
By the by, if you or anyone has any ideas of coverups, please feel free to pass them my way!
-Keith
Thanks to Keith for sharing this tattoo and his story. If anyone has ideas for a cover-up, feel free to post them below in comments.
And please, folks, don't be sending me pictures of horrible tattoos, there's already a website for them.
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