FKA René and Christ the Redeemer (The Tattooed Poets Project)

Our next tattooed poet is FKA René, who sent along this tattoo:

René tells us:

"I got this tattoo of Christ the Redeemer at DV8 Tattoos in Concord, CA. I was 18 at the time and wasn’t a writer then. I’ve always been drawn to religious iconography and the concept of God in the traditional religious aspect but also the belief that 'mother can be God.' The poem [below] invokes my mother as a 'master of death,' a common theme seen in much of my poetry with deals with the intersection of border violence and the weight that it carries from generation to generation. 

The Invocation

I asked mother

What is death?

She turned to the southern sun, hand on her waist

Mind on her pistol

Xibalba, land of the dead

Where the skeletons eat sweet bread

Mother

Who shot down death himself

Cracked open tombs

With black hair and

Silver steel

Killed all gods

New and old

Wisest and harshest

I asked mother

What is a god?

Victims of the night and cold steel

I’ve smashed their vials and

Temples

God is found

As the scar I wounded on your tummy

In April, on the day you

Were born

~ ~ ~

FKA René, anti-poet, miso based, AKA Young Ryan, college drop out and the Trap Bukowski tweets from @fka_rene.

Thanks to René for sharing his poem and tattoo with us here on Tattoosday and the Tattooed Poets Project!

This entry is ©2018 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission.

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 http://tattoosday.net 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.

St. Jude on the "A" Train (Tattoosday Plays the Alphabet Game)

As discussed in the introductory post here, I decided to play the alphabet game with the MTA one day last month.

So, let's begin...

8:16 AM, R train leaving 95th Street, Brooklyn: So, after years talking about it, I'm finally going to try the alphabet [game].

The concept: start with the A train. Find and photograph ink on a tattooed passenger. Switch to a B train. Rinse, repeat. Do it in a day.

That's, if you're not familiar with the NYC subways, A,B,C,D,E,F,G,J,L,M,N,Q,R,S,W, and Z. 16 trains in all. If super successful, and motivated, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7  - the Magnificent Seven to follow.

I honestly don't know how successful I'll be. But I'm going to try. Train inkspotting is more challenging than open air inkspotting. People are more guarded, more locked into their ear buds, more suspicious. I have a good 20 minutes to psych myself up - at Jay Street in Brooklyn, I will switch from the R to the A. And the game will be afoot.

First conundrum: do I try to talk to the woman next to me on the R? She has some interesting linework tattoos, but she is earbudded and the train is crowded.

I'm also superstitious. If I try to go out of sequence, will that jinx the project? If she rejects me, will it start me off on the wrong foot, dinging my confidence?

I've decided to let her be. If the ink was better, I might try, but it won't haunt me if I pass.

There's a point there, however. The quality of the work. This is a quantity not quality challenge. I also get to explore the subways a little.

8:50 AM, Switch to the A at Jay Street/Metrotech

At 8:58  A.M., I sit down next to Lucas who shares this tattoo:

Lucas explains that this is a representation of his St. Jude medal, which he used to wear on a chain. Now, he carries it with him wherever he goes, tattooed on his wrist.

Under normal circumstances, this isn't a tattoo that would have necessarily drawn me into a conversation on the train, but, remember, I'm playing the alphabet game, and this was the first step in the journey.

Thanks to Lucas for sharing his tattoo with me on the A train. Come back tomorrow to see if I met any success on the B train!

This entry is ©2017 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing this on another website other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit 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.

Larry's Back (at the NYC Tattoo Convention)

Last weekend at the NYC Tattoo Convention, I met Larry, the owner of Bklyn Ink Works, a shop down in south Brooklyn in the Bensonhurst/Dyker Heights area.

Larry was proudly standing outside of his booth whenever I saw him at the show, talking to people and proudly showing off the work of Andrey, one of the Brooklyn Ink Works tattooers, which he wears proudly.
Here's his back:

This religious-themed black and grey work is pretty impressive.

Check out Bklyn Ink Works on Facebook here.

Andrey Tarasov can be found on Facebook as well and on Instagram (@sverlo1).

Thanks to Larry for sharing his work with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2015 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing this on another website other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit 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.

The Tattooed Poets Project: David Krilivsky

Our next tattooed poet is David Krilivsky. David sent us a wide array of his tattoos:

David tells us:

"Almost all of my tattoos are religious in nature. I was raised in a family which is Catholic on both sides all the way down the line. It was part of my daily life: Catholic school, Sunday mass, etc. While I no longer practice my faith, it was the stories, and particularly the images, that have stayed with me and become part of my fabric, and, over the years, part of my body. Whether it's my sleeve devoted to the death of Christ or the portrait of St. Sebastian, my tattoos represent a belief I no longer subscribe to but secretly hope is true. They are monuments to the haunting images of my youth. Monuments to the haunting images still playing on a loop in my mind in my adulthood. I cannot separate my self from that which shaped me, and from my choices in tattoos it's evident I don't want to even if I could."

He credited all of his work displayed here to Josh Jones from Good Ink Tattoo in Waterbury, Vermont.

David tells us that the poem he sent us, My Inventory is a Wilderness, takes its title from a letter written by Larry Eigner and was first published at Weird Deer. He invites you yo listen to the audio recording here: 

My Inventory is a Wilderness

I have taken stock.

I am not a river.

Not even stones

in a river are my bones,

not smoothed by current

or skipped by teenagers

ditching school to smoke weed

in the woods out of an empty soda can.

I shake rusted fishhooks from my hair,

tie line around my wrists until they bleed.

My thoughts are a character in a Bergman film

riding a horse along a jagged path,

no, lying in my brother’s arms

on the bottom of an abandoned boat.

My eyes.

My tongue is a tree.

My words are fallen twigs

that snap under the weight of your boot.

My love is a plane somewhere on the side of a mountain.

My guilt is a sonata by Scriabin

listened to on headphones as the plane went down.

I smash my teeth with a rock to relieve the pain.

I write letters addressed to no one pleading for forgiveness,

then burn them in a pile of leaves.

My hands are ash.

My limbs smolder.

When I try to sleep, ghosts lean against my lids,

blow rings from phantom cigarettes.

I tell them to leave, but don't mean it.

~ ~ ~

David Krilivsky holds an MFA in Poetry from Queens University of Charlotte. His work can be found at Weird Deer, Poets & Artists, Found Poetry Review, Uut Poetry, and elsewhere. He lives in Burlington, Vermont.

Thanks to David for contributing to the Tattooed Poets Project on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2015 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoos are reprinted with the poet's permission.

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.

The Tattooed Poets Project: Fox Frazier-Foley

In case you hadn't had enough of the Tattooed Poets Project in April, we will be continuing, while supplies last, with featuring tattooed poets here on Tattoosday. I mean, why should we have to wait until April to celebrate tattoos and poetry? Fox Frazier-Foley is happy to be our first Tattooed Poet of the Week.

Fox tells us:

"This tattoo was done as part of a thigh sleeve by Jess Morsey, who runs her own business, Mad Tatter Ink, in upstate New York. The sleeve has four panels; the first three are each a different representation of a venerated spirit known as St. Bridget (in the Catholic Church, she is seen as St. Patrick's equal, the patroness of Ireland, and a woman who held authority and education that was unparalleled for her time, especially within the hierarchy of the Catholic Church), Maman Brigitte (in the Haitian Vodou tradition, of which I am an initiate), and Brighid (the Celtic goddess of healing, poetry, and smithcraft).

The fourth panel is a scroll with a quote from the Catholic St. Bridget: 'We become that which we love.' 

Overall, the sleeve symbolizes different aspects of my religious and cultural identity - my family is Irish by heritage, I was raised Catholic, and later in life I converted to Haitian Vodou (a syncretic religion that blends elements of African Tribal Religions with Roman Catholicism), and was formally initiated into the religion. For me, these images are a source of strength and inspiration, and they remind me that if I take the time to love the deepest and most regal aspects of myself, those aspects will thrive, and my identity will develop in a beautiful way, as will my ability to help create joy, beauty, and healing in a world that too often feels cruel, broken, and lacking."

Here's a collage of the combined tattoos, courtesy of the artist:

Fox sent along the following poem, which she says "is about a positive experience of spirit possession."

St. Gemini is Possessed by Silibo Nouvavou, St. Revelation, and Begins to Breathe Psalm 42:7

                                   

as a child, I set books

of matches ablaze                  (Deep calleth unto deep)        my lungs convulse

                                                                                                to tautness. Known blue

                        in pools of water. She has

                        been me & I her daughter     wasp breaks between

                                                                                    my fingers, now

                                    (at the sound of thy waterfalls)

     someone will enter –

            her Self made flesh

            again. O sacred Scarlet          unwinged, its painless

                                                                splinter mangled

    a birth of monarch

                        flutters through my throat        Silibo –

                                    (all thy waves and billows)

                                                            Woman cloaked in sun

                                                                        & starry night. We are

                                    come to burning. I feel

            myself retreat: her swaying,

                        blued-rush entry. I find myself

                                                               complete: one in gasp

                                                                        then laugh  (gone over me)  my borders

                                   

                        blurred with blue: burst

                                                                                    we know that which

                                                                                    we are            we are

                                                beyond my body’s private star

~ ~ ~

Fox Frazier-Foley is founder and Managing Editor at a nifty little press called Ricochet Editions. She received her MFA from Columbia University, and is currently a Provost's Fellow and PhD candidate in the Literature & Creative Writing program at University of Southern California. Her website is currently under construction, but you can find her on Facebook, and in the pages of journals such as Paterson Literary Review, Denver Quarterly, Western Humanities Review, THEThe Poetry Blog, Jerry, Spillway, and Mantis. She loves travel, gin fizzes, and her dog, Dalí Nimbus. She and Rod Serling share a hometown.

Thanks to Fox Frazier-Foley for sharing her tattoos and poem with us here on Tattoosday's Tattooed Poets Project!

This entry is ©2014 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoos are reprinted with the poet's permission.

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.

The Tattooed Poets Project: Khadija Anderson

Our next tattooed poet, Khadija Anderson, expressed an interest in our Tattooed Poets Project last year, so we're happy we were able to finalize her contribution for 2013.

Noting "it was hard to choose since I love all my 7 tattoos!" Khadija sent us this photo:

Khadija tells us:

"My tattoo is Arabic calligraphy of a verse from the Qur'an (9:40), " laa ta'hazen fa innah Allaha maana". The translation is 'Don't give up hope, Allah is with us.' I chose this design because the calligraphy is gorgeous, I love the humanitarian message of the verse, and I like to show that I am a Muslim in a non-traditional way. A friend of mine, Russell Moore, did the tattoo in my living room in Los Angeles in 2008 shortly after I moved back to LA. It was the 5th of my 7 tattoos."

It seems appropriate that Khadija sent us a poem, as well, that is related to her faith:

Today for Jury Duty I decide to wear the Hijab

for the first time in 5 years
except to pray
I put it on and felt
a familiar feeling

People stared
since white skin blue eyes
and black skinny jeans
are not what most people imagine
a good Muslim would have on
under a scarf

One man stared furiously
I held my tongue
and smiled sweetly
like the good Muslim
that I am

~ ~ ~

Khadija Anderson returned in 2008 to her native Los Angeles after 18 years exile in Seattle. Khadija's poetry has been published in Pale House, Unfettered Verse, Washington Poets Association's online whispers & [Shouts], CommonLine Project, Qarrtsiluni, Gutter Eloquence, Killpoet, wheelhouse 9, and many other online and print journals. Khadija was a 2009 Pushcart Prize Nominee and she holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University Los Angeles. Her first book of poetry, History of Butoh, was published in 2012 by Writ Large Press. You can learn more about her at: http://khadijaanderson.com.

Thanks to Khadija Anderson for her contribution to the Tattooed Poets Project on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2013 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission.

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.

Be Still

I love tattoos comprised of words. When done well, they are fascinating.

The phrase "be still" on the inner left forearm of Tara, above, has a simple and beautiful meaning.

She explained that she understands the phrase as the only expression that is common to the Bible, the Koran, and ancient Hindu proverbs.

The tattoo artist used the font Dear Joe 4 and this was done at Stingray Body Art in Allston, Massachusetts near Boston.

Thanks to Tara for sharing her words with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday.

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.

Tattoosday at the Cincinnati Airport: Patrick’s Ink

Happy New Years from us here at Tattoosday! We still have some old 2011 encounters to recall which, for one reason or another, got postponed until now.

Regular readers may recall that I went briefly to Covington, Kentucky at the end of April and I spotted a few tattoos in my travels.

On my way back to New York, I was navigating the maze that is the TSA security checkpoint when I spotted a guy with a lot of interesting ink. However, common sense dictated that a crowded airport checkpoint was likely not the best place to start taking pictures and interviewing people.

So I put on my shoes and headed off to the gate. I just missed the little shuttle that transports travelers 150 yards or so from one section of the airport to the gate section of the terminal, so I waited, and who should walk up and stand next to me, but the guy I saw at the security checkpoint.

Knowing I couldn’t possibly ignore a clear sign from the fates that this gentleman should be on Tattoosday, I started up a conversation about his ink and five minutes later we were at the airport bar, talking about his tattoos, as I snapped photos of his sleeve, between sips of a very tall frosty glass of Shocktop Ale.

Patrick was kind enough to not only answer all my questions, was also nice enough to buy my beer for me. He works as a bartender on a river barge in the Cincinnati area and has a full sleeve, along with a separate piece on his left biceps. The work was finished in 2004 and took about four to five years due to the fact that he took some breaks between ink sessions.

Patrick is a Christian, and many of his tattoos are reflective of his faith.

For example, this quote, that reads, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart/with all your soul/with all your mind/ And with all your strength”.

The text on the forearm says “that was/to the/Rose/make/tenfold”.
 

  
The roses reflect the rose of Sharon.

The kanji on Patrick's right biceps, he told me, symbolize “truth, love and happiness.” The bird inked nearby is a dove.

The triangle at the top of the arm represents Christianity’s Trinity. And obviously, the crosses are also representative of his faith.

The tattoo on Patrick’s left biceps is a design representing the eye of God.

He got that tattoo in 2003 from Kenny Smith at Karmic Tattoo in McDonough, Georgia. Kenny Smith and Kenny Thompson, also of Karmic, are the two artists responsible for all of Patrick’s ink. It should be noted, however, that both Kennys are not listed as staff on the current Karmic website

Thanks to Patrick, not only for sharing his work with us here on Tattoosday, but for buying me the beer, and helping me pass the time at the airport.

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday.

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.

Ryan's Religious Verse

I met Ryan at the end of September outside of Madison Square Garden, approaching him to ask about this tattoo on his upper right arm:

 

He explained that Philippians 4:13 was his confirmation verse. He added, "I went with the hands and everything because I already have a cross on my back."

Philippians 4:13 reads "I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me." (American Standard Version)

The chain in the hands connects to this part of the tattoo on the bicep:

Ryan commented that "I put only God can judge me because I've been going through some legal difficulties." It's a reminder that, when all is said and done, the ultimate judge is, in the belief of many, above and beyond the world in which we live.

Ryan credits Joe Bawden from Skin Alternative in Hillside, New Jersey, with this tattoo.

Thanks to Ryan for sharing his ink with us here on Tattoosday!

Jay's Hands Express Faith and Doubt

I met Jay in Penn Station, stopping him because he had a whole lot of tattoos. He estimated that he is probably 60 to 70 percent covered. He offered up his most recent work (as of May 31, 2011), the following tattoos:

Jay explained that, as a Christian, and as a pastor at the Revolution Church in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, faith and doubt are two things that he deals with on a regular basis. Jay expounded on this for me:

"I got [these tattoos] because of this quote by Paul Tillich [a German-American theologian] that says doubt is not the opposite of faith, it's merely an element of it. And to me, being a believer, a Christian, having a church and a bar ... I deal a lot with crisis of faith, even in my own life ... So, I decided to embrace doubt, because I think embracing doubt allows you to embrace your faith much more. And it's not about belief then, you know, it is actually faith and everyone doubts ... I think there is this kind of idea that if you doubt, you're bad or something, so it kinda has to do with that."

Jay's hand tattoos were inked by Bailey Hunter Robinson, a freelance artists in Brooklyn.

You can learn more about the Revolution Church at Pete's Candy Store at http://www.revolutionnyc.com/.

Thanks to Jay for sharing his tattoos and thoughts of faith and doubt with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.

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.

Mark's Tattoo is Bound by Faith

I met Mark in Penn Station on Friday, as I was passing through the New Jersey Transit waiting area. It was a rainy, unseasonably warm day, so I spotted his tattoos easily, as he sat in a short sleeve shirt waiting for his train.

Mark has six tattoos in all, and he shared this one on his left forearm:

There's a lot going on here, in this tattoo which was completed in two sittings.

In essence, this is a religious tattoo, which Mark considers an expression of his Christian faith.

The base of the tattoo may look familiar, as it resembles the caduceus, which is now a symbol of the medical profession.

However, Mark explained that this symbol was originally attributed to the cult of Mithraism that existed in Rome in the first to fourth centuries, before the city became the center of Christianity. The caduceus was originally attributed to the Roman god Mercury, and the symbol also important to the god Mithras. The Vatican in Rome is built over the remnants of Mithraism and Mark bears this symbol that represents that which Christianity replaced.

At the base of the tattoo are the letters "XIVI". This is the Roman numeral for "17". Again, there is more to this than meets the eye. Many may think that the number 17 in Roman numerals is written differently, as XVII. However, Mark explained that this reversal of letters is intentional. According to wikipedia, "In Italian culture, the number 17 is considered unlucky. When viewed as the Roman numeral, XVII, it is then changed anagramatically to VIXI, which in the Latin language it translates to "I have lived", the perfect implying "My life is over." (c.f. "Vixerunt", Cicero's famous announcement of an execution.)". It is this "I have lived" phrase that resonates most with Mark, who told me that the "XIVI" number is often seen on gravestones. 

And finally, the word "SINNER," which runs vertically down the caduceus, is the belief that "we are all sinners". Again, this ties in deeply to Mark's faith.

The piece was tattooed by Matt Pope at Another Tat2 Shop in South Amboy, New Jersey.

Thanks to Mark for sharing this cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Amanda's Irises (and a Quote)

This start-of-the-year post is courtesy of Amanda, who I met at the end of October in the Borders at Columbus Circle.

It was her sleeve of irises that first captured my attention:

These are inspired by the work of Vincent van Gogh, perhaps this one:

The tattoo was done by Dennis Halbritter when he was at Incognito Tattoo in Pasadena, California. He has since moved to High Voltage Tattoo, Kat Von D's shop on L.A. Ink.

Dennis also inked this on Amanda's inner right bicep:

This quote "IO FU QUELLO CHE VOI SIETE E QUEL CH'IO SON VOI SARETE" is taken from an Italian fresco credited to Masaccio. This is the artwork in question:

The Holy Trinity, with the Virgin and Saint John and donors, in Florence

If you look at the bottom of the fresco, right above the skeleton is the phrase Amanda has inscribed on her arm.

The phrase is translated as "I once was what you are and what I am you also will be".
These words remind her of her own mortality.

Thanks to Amanda for sharing these lovely tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Anthony's Dragon (and more!)

I spotted Anthony on the N train in Brooklyn and was happy to see him also switching for the local R train at 59th Street.

As luck would have it, both of us were headed home to Bay Ridge.

Anthony has a bunch of tattoos, and I snapped this photo of the dragon on his upper right arm:

It was inked by Joe at Brooklyn Ink.

He estimated that the work so far has been completed in about three two-hour sessions.

Work from Joe and other artists at Brooklyn Ink has previously appeared quite frequently on Tattoosday (all posts tagged as such here).

Anthony later emailed me photos of these shots as well:

The praying hands holding the rosary, I recall him telling me, were tattooed at Distinction Ink in Brooklyn. The tattoo reads "Forgive me Father, for I have sinned".

He did not tell me where he had this tribal sun done, but it's definitely an attention-grabbing piece and certainly worth a mention.

Thanks to Anthony for sharing his tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i: In Nomine Patris

On my last day in Hawai'i, I was at Pearlridge, when I spotted a guy walking through Borders. The swirling script on his inner left forearm grabbed my eye:

This Latin phrase, "In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti " translates to "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit".

Dustin, who serves in the Navy, is a Catholic, and he wanted something that expressed his faith. This is one of his three tattoos.

The tattoo was inked by Jeremie Miller at 3D Ink Tattoo Studio in Pensacola, Florida.

Thanks to Dustin for sharing his tattoo with us here at Tattoosday!

Milo's Tattoos Honor Family

I met Milo at Trader Joe's in Brooklyn on the first Saturday in May. Working the door as a greeter, Milo's tattoos were peeking out from under a shirt sleeve so I couldn't help but stop to chat. Twenty minutes later, when Milo was on break and my groceries were bought, we continued our conversation.

This tattoo is actually a series of family-themed pieces that make up what is currently a quarter-sleeve. The work to date has been completed over the course of two years by Myles Karr at Saved Tattoo in Brooklyn. Myles is now co-owner of Three Kings Tattoo in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Each element is a tribute to, and/or inspired by, members of Milo's family.

I generally shy away from larger pieces that circumvent the limbs, but each part, in and of itself, as fascinating.

For example, Milo's grandfather was a doctor and a skier, which is represented by a stethoscope and crossed skis.

Milo's grandmother was a musician and the instrument on the inner part of the bicep is a scaled-down representation of her double bass.


What I originally took for severed octopus arms dripping colorful blood, upon closer examination, and a gentle explanation from Milo, was revealed to be shofars (ram's horns). These are traditional instruments that are sounded on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, to welcome the arrival of another year. They are included in this mix of symbols as a tribute to the
Jewish heritage of Milo's father and paternal grandmother.

The lines of color exuding from tubes of paint nestled in the shofars are a nod to the same two forebears, who were artists.

The top of the tattoo, which features a baby eagle and a crown, represents Milo's paternal family crest.


And finally, on the back side of the bicep, these leaves pop out in a brilliant explosion of greens:


Tattooed are three different types of kale: your basic everyday kale, dinosaur kale and Tuscan flatleaf. Milo explained that, growing up, food culture dominated the home. It was integral to the family and the kale not only pays tribute to family, but reminds Milo to eat right. It seemed
fitting to find a kale-themed tattoo at Trader Joe's, one of my favorite grocery stores, and a standard for healthy food.

I want to thank Milo for taking the time to tell me about the numerous tattoos that seemed so personal, yet universal for so many. We here at Tattoosday loved the uniqueness of Milo's ink.

Check out this other piece, also by Myles Karr at Saved Tattoo, which appeared last May on Tattoosday.

Adam's Tattoos Honor God and Country

On April 28th, I was walking across Penn Plaza, outside of Madison Square Garden, and saw a couple of guys taking pictures.

This is fairly common outside of "the world's most famous arena".

Depending on the event going on that day or night, one can get an eyefull of tattoo ink. When there is a rock concert scheduled, there is quite a few visible tattoos on the plaza, when the Westminster dog show's in town, not so much.

On this particular day, there was a WWE wrestling event at the Garden, and the guys I saw taking pictures were waiting for the show to begin.

I approached and met Adam, who had this very cool tattoo on his right bicep:


The piece is designed to flow with his musculature and falls under what I call the "torn flesh" category of tattooing. That is, the tattoo takes on an additional dimension, as it is inked to appear as if the flesh is ripped away, allowing the viewer to see what lies below the skin.

In Adam's case, he bleeds red, white and blue in the form of the American flag. His patriotism is exemplified by this tattoo. As a member of the United States Air Force, he serves our country proudly, and his tattoo is a symbol of how his love of our country runs deep.

Adam also wanted to show me his back piece, a religious-themed work that reflects his faith:


The cross takes up most of the space, and is anchored by a banner that proclaims "May God Have Mercy".

There are also two biblical verses on either side of the cross at the top of the back.

The left is from the book of Joshua, Chapter 1, Verse 9 (New Revised Standard Version):

"Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

The right is from lines 14 and 15 of Psalm 91 (also NRSV):

"Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. When they call to me, I will answer them..."

All the work shown here on Adam was inked by Adrian at Ken's Underground in Dover, Delaware.

Thanks to Adam for sharing his awesome tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Jesse's Religious Experience

Religious imagery is among the most popular of themes in tattoo art. There is, to the shrinking minority of people who don't like tattoos, a greater level of acceptance of Christian-themed body art.

[Jewish tattoos are coming along, but the majority of Jews have fundamental issues with ink on Jews. Islamic tattoos are less common, and I can't speak to their acceptance. Eastern religious tattoos may be the most popular of religious ink, but there is a greater understang of body art when it comes to Hindu and Buddhist themes. But I digress.]

I generally avoid talking to people about full sleeves, but when I started talking to Jesse while we were browsing the books at the Chelsea Salvation Army store, it was clear that his right sleeve, which continued onto his chest, was the most important work he had.


Jesse's ink is a reflection of his faith. It is inspired by religious images that he has come across while visiting churches in Europe. He couldn't give me the specific locations of the art which inspired his work (Rome, Paris), but I'd be happy to hear from readers who may recognize the
work.
Aside from the obvious depictions of the Virgin Mary and Jesus, Jesse also pulled up his shirt to show me the most recent of his ten tattoos, which was the extension of his sleeve into his chest:


All of this work was done by Mike Pastore at Masterpiece Tattoo in Staten Island, New York. Work from Masterpiece has appeared previously here.

Thanks to Jesse for sharing his tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Blessing the Ball

I met Jason while he was chatting with Jessica, who was featured in this post.

As I was about to see a WNBA playoff game, it seemed fitting that Jason had a basketball tattoo to offer up.

The above piece, inked on his left calf, depicts a basketball, below which are two hands, clasped in prayer.

Jason played college basketball for the University of the District of Columbia. He got this tattoo in 1999 in D.C. when he was in school there.

The hands represent a blessing over his ability to play basketball, which was a significant aspect in his life, as it is with any college athlete. The ability to compete athletically is a God-given talent and many believe that their faith accompanies them onto the courts, fields, and tracks, giving them the strength to accomplish their goals.

Thanks to Jason for sharing this sports-themed inspirational tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!