Soraya's Amazing Tattoos Honor Her Family History

Last summer, down by the New York Stock Exchange, I met Soraya, who was visiting the city from Porto Allegre, Brazil. She shared some amazing work dedicated to her family, starting with this stunning black and gray portrait of her mother:

The compass is part of the overall theme of her sleeve, honoring her family's rich tradition as explorers. Thus, she has this amazing ship:

And this lighthouse:

As well as this chart and compass rose:

Soraya credited the artist Verani Fontana (@veranifontanatattoo) at Verani Tattoo (@veranitattoo) in Porto Allegre.

Thanks to Soraya for sharing this amazing work with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2019 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.

Swim When It Hurts

I met Marcy on a subway platform in lower Manhattan back in September 2017. She had a lot of work on her arm and indulged me as I took quite a few photos.

This building is part of the Oceanic Hotel on Star Island in Isle of Shoals, New Hampshire, where she used to vacation when she was younger.

Below this image is the phrase "swim when it hurts," which reminds Marcy about overcoming things that are difficult:

These tattoos, part of a whole nautical sleeve, help her "center herself."

This Cape Cod-style lighthouse helps her find her way in life.

Marcy credited her work to Becca Genné-Bacon, who tattooed her when she was at Hand of Glory Tattoo (@handofglorytattoo)in Brooklyn. Becca has since moved on to Kings Avenue Tattoo (@kingsavetattoo) in Manhattan. I love Becca's work, and follow her on Instagram at @beccagennebacon.

Thanks to Marcy for sharing her awesome work with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2019 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.

Nigel's Lighthouse, Shining Steadfast

Late last month, I met Nigel, who was visiting from New Zealand, across from the New York Stock Exchange on Broad Street.

He shared this cool tattoo on the back of his calf:

I love the artistic take on this structure, almost as if it is half-hidden by fog. A really cool concept.

Nigel credited Craigy Lee (@Craigy_Lee) at Union Tattoo (@Union.Tattoo) in Wellington, New Zealand for the work.

"A lighthouse doesn't go around saving boats," Nigel told me, "it just stands there shining steadfast."

Indeed, it does.

Thanks to Nigel for sharing this great tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

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.

Two Seaworthy Tattoos for Tuesday

Last week on Broad Street in lower Manhattan, I met Barbara and Natalia, two tourists from Brazil, sporting a couple of awesome tattoos.

It was Barbara's mermaid tattoo that first caught my eye:

Barbara told me she likes mermaids, the sea, and the old-school style of tattooing. She credited the work to an artist named Nahu (@nahu.nah) at Casamata Tattoo in Florianópolis, the capital of Santa Catarina, in Brazil.

Barbara's friend Natalia, also shared an awesome tattoo:

Natalia works on a cruise ship and she told me she loves lighthouses and the sea. This was also tattooed at Casamata, but by a different artist named Otto.

Thanks to Barbara and Natalia for kindly sharing their cool nautical tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

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.

A Light for the New Year

It has been a quiet fall, but we're gearing things up in the new year by sharing leftover work spotted in 2015.

First up is this piece I spotted on 4th Avenue in Brooklyn:

This tattoo is on the right thigh of Danielle, who I met back in August in Bay Ridge.

This is a traditional- style piece with a nautical theme. The lighthouse is actually a candle, with a storm approaching - dark clouds and lightning approach. The piece is bordered in rope with a cherry blossom at the bottom. A paper boat floats on the blue sea.

In Danielle's words:

"Basically, it's the light that never goes out. You got the rain, the candle and the candle's still going pretty strong - that's guiding the paper boat."

Danielle credited Matt Huff at Brooklyn Ink with this work. Most of her tattoos were done by Matt and the other artists at Brooklyn Ink.

Matt had a piece featured over the summer, here, an awesome George Carlin tattoo.

Click through the tag for Brooklyn Ink below to see all the work we've featured previously on the site.

Thanks to Danielle for sharing this cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday.

Happy New Year to all!

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: Russ Woods

Our next tattooed poet is Russ Woods:

Russ tells us:

"This one was my third tattoo, and the one I have the best picture of. It's an illustration of an abandoned lighthouse in Denmark by one of my favorite musicians, Jens Lekman. You can see the source if you scroll down to the April 17th entry here

via http://www.jenslekman.com/

The tattoo was done for an absurdly reasonable price at Anonymous Tattoo in Savannah, GA. I unfortunately did not get the name of the artist."

Russ sent us the following poem, which was originally published in Sway Press issue 2:

THIS MORNING WAS A ROCK IN THE MOUTH

of a cave I came across fly fishing.
It had a word written on it I couldn't
figure out, except that it made my mouth
move something like "azimuth" or "coriolis"
or some other word I can't hold at once
& I said it softly while inhaling,
like an apartment fire you keep
in your chest when your town is too dark.
The fish I caught were scaleless & sang
I'm still in love with you like a choir
you hold in a box next to your ear
when you're shaking too hard to stand
& the altos lit matches all at once in unison
& that cave lit up like a bronze statue caught
in a floodlight & all our parents were there
with knives in their teeth, looking hard at me
& asked where you were & I said you were
in surgery & they asked what was wrong
& I said you were in surgery & they said no
what was wrong that you needed surgery
& I explained how the doctors don't know
how it got there but on the x-ray there is a
tiny not-you that is just like you but dead
& it is growing & pushing the you-you out
& they have to act fast or there will be only
not-you, dead-you left in you & the fish started
crying & their matches went out & alone there
I said that word again & again like it was your name,
like I was a nurse in the wrong waiting room.

~ ~ ~

Russ Woods directs us to his poetry portfolio site at http://moonbears.biz. He is the author of two books coming out this year, Wolf Doctors (Artifice Books, March) and Sara, or, the Existence of Fire (Horse Less Press, Fall). Recent/forthcoming publications include Salt Hill, Guernica, Columbia Poetry Review, Denver Quarterly, Gulf Coast.

Thanks to Russ for sharing his tattoo and poem with us here on Tattoosday's Tattooed Poets Project!

This entry is ©2014 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.

Marjo Shares an Amazing Lighthouse from the UK

Back in June, in Herald Square, I ran into a couple named Marjo and Jon, who were visiting from the UK. Both were tattooed, but it was the Marjo's half-sleeve that really brought down the house:

Marjo credited an artist named Sergi Besa at a shop called Nine, in Brighton, with this amazing tattoo work.

At the inner part of the upper arm near the shoulder, is an amazing compass rose:

I only wish the sun had not been so bright, as it washed out some of the color in my photos.

Marjo explained that she had the original concept for the tattoo and Sergi did the rest.

Truly a remarkable piece of work!

Thanks to Marjo for sharing her lighthouse sleeve with us here on Tattoosday!

UPDATE: Jon's tattoo appeared in December 2012 here.

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday.

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.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.

Christina's Owl and Lighthouse

I met Christina one day after work while walking outside of Madison Square Garden.

She had this incredible tattoo, which she gladly shared with us here on Tattoosday:

This tattoo that covers her upper left arm was actually done in two segments by artist Orrin Hurley, who currently tattoos at Dare Devil Tattoo in Manhattan.

As for the source material behind this beautiful tattoo, Christina chose a piece of art by Frances Olive Esme Eve:

A closer look at the tattooed owl shows how it was changed, but you can still see that there is still a lot from the original design:

The lighthouse was inspired by the Portland Head Light on Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

Thanks to Christina for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday.

Sean Shares a Host of Traditional Tattoos

I ran into Sean at the Foodtown in my neighborhood and when I stopped to talk to him about his tattoos (he has nine), I ended up with photos of several pieces, all of which reside on his left arm.

Most of the designs are traditional tattoo subjects, all of which were inked by Eli Quinters at Smith Street Tattoo Parlour in  Brooklyn. Work from Smith Street Tattoo has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

First up is this amazing lighthouse:

Sean explained that this tattoo is for his mother, as this tattoo is based on her "favorite lighthouse," the Fastnet Lighthouse on the most southerly point on the coast of Ireland.

Then there is this owl tattoo:

This was done for no other reason that Sean has always liked owls. If you love owl tattoos, be sure to head over to this site.

Then there is the elephant tattoo:

He has this piece because "elephants never forget".

I know we posted a sugar skull yesterday, but here's another one:

This was all Eli's design. Sean gave him free reign and likes the fact that it is unusual in that there are not a lot of colors in it, like one sees in most sugar skull tattoos. For all that have appeared on Tattoosday previously, check this link.

There is also the traditional female figure, not modeled after anyone in particular, just done in a traditional style:

And Sean's last tattoo is this bat:

He told Eli that he "wanted something spooky" that included the moon. Quinters free-handed this piece, starting with a white Sharpie and then finished with a darker Sharpie before finishing the tattoo.

What's neat about all of Sean's tattoos is that they flow nicely together, as readers can see elements of many of the tattoos on the borders of the photos of specific designs.

Thanks to Sean for sharing these amazing tattoos by Eli Quinters with us here on Tattoosday!