Tattoorism: Sean Returns, Part 2

Last week, I shared more of reader Sean's vast tat-alog <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2011/01/tattoorism-sean-returns-part-1.html">here</a>. It's time to finish off our inventory of this very generous fan o' the site. Let's see what we have: <br /><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDQQqXPFieFHjqlqq2cHhVe9tbmGy1yQsq1juEKJgsJaaAf6jX16lu6j1EyWf0BK2D4vXhn5zEqOv5LP0xzxhS14WyE1j5RZSw_P3t_c8JbLupzoeqQ1u8y53FpRG7OQ3tTknjgMo-Wc/s1600/Hope+ship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDQQqXPFieFHjqlqq2cHhVe9tbmGy1yQsq1juEKJgsJaaAf6jX16lu6j1EyWf0BK2D4vXhn5zEqOv5LP0xzxhS14WyE1j5RZSw_P3t_c8JbLupzoeqQ1u8y53FpRG7OQ3tTknjgMo-Wc/s400/Hope+ship.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">...I got a clipper ship on my upper arm.  The ship is navigating through a background of clouds and lightning bolts and has a banner underneath reading “Hope.”  Its meaning follows the same idea behind my anchor tattoo.  Hope is a huge part of having a positive mental attitude, which I try (sometimes with little luck, of course) to hold at all times.  It’s a reminder that you can make it through stormy parts of your life, no matter how bad they get.  It’s also done in the traditional style I love so much.  The tattoo was done by <a href="http://electrictattoonj.com/section/6907_MIKE_SCHWEIGERT.html">Mike Schweigert</a> at <a href="http://electrictattoonj.com/home.html">Electric Tattoo</a> in Bradley Beach, NJ.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While attending [the 2010] <a href="http://www.myspace.com/philadelphiatattooarts">Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention</a>, I decided to get a tattoo to commemorate my first convention.  For as many years as tattoos have been a part of my life, this was my first convention...I got a blue rose with a candle spouting out of it in between my sparrows and flower on my outer elbow. </div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8aDlU9a4s21t1o2kjYcZJgVsiIKrr2mUiHwFbU4oI_yloclIj6R4l0KjCojU_VdtCx7sOTMKi1P-XMSzeT4SnplVgYxo49iZ8Jk6Nl8VVByWO9Ucnw4sHo8JPpDCgVld6hfwSKidE1oA/s1600/rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8aDlU9a4s21t1o2kjYcZJgVsiIKrr2mUiHwFbU4oI_yloclIj6R4l0KjCojU_VdtCx7sOTMKi1P-XMSzeT4SnplVgYxo49iZ8Jk6Nl8VVByWO9Ucnw4sHo8JPpDCgVld6hfwSKidE1oA/s400/rose.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I’m a firm believer in everyone having a different reasoning for getting tattoos.  Some are used as place markers in one’s life, some are used to remember an event, some have deep profound meanings and some are just aesthetically pleasing. I could probably come up with some in depth meaning behind the tattoo, but in the end, I got it to commemorate my first tattoo convention and that’s pretty much the only reason.  Done by Rocco at <a href="http://www.deathorglorytattoos.com/">Death or Glory Tattoos</a> in Westbrook, Maine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Finally, I got my outer elbow to forearm done with a snake coiling through a skull and dagger and impaling itself on the dagger’s blade.  </div></blockquote><br /><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmOi2fJXchYSsS0LvvcnA5E3JlxoKSOoH7K52sFyyjZbox5LOZoj30aLeYRBs8Zqe1x0KB8yg0l5PLaibpX0g7fHk5Va7xMLCAiL3-ItwTDzPC3SdmgI_cdSRXV4ZPfK3Dfw0ocTjXiCU/s1600/convention+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmOi2fJXchYSsS0LvvcnA5E3JlxoKSOoH7K52sFyyjZbox5LOZoj30aLeYRBs8Zqe1x0KB8yg0l5PLaibpX0g7fHk5Va7xMLCAiL3-ItwTDzPC3SdmgI_cdSRXV4ZPfK3Dfw0ocTjXiCU/s400/convention+collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I usually try to go out of my way to ensure that my friends/family/other people in general are happy, more often than I would like to admit, putting their happiness before my well-being.  This tattoo serves as a reminder for me not to do that so much, and to focus on myself sometimes.  The snake can be viewed as a protection figure, coiling around and through the rest of the tattoo, but has also caused injury to itself by doing so.  Basically, its my reminder that as much as I would like to help others, I need to keep my own happiness and well being in mind before I choose which action to take or I’ll end up injuring myself in the process.  Done by Mike Schweigert at Electric Tattoo in Bradley Beach, NJ. </div></blockquote><br />A hearty thanks to Sean for continuing to share his tattoos with us over the years!

Tattoorism: Sean Returns, Part 2

Last week, I shared more of reader Sean's vast tat-alog here . It's time to finish off our inventory of this very generous fan o...

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Out With the Old.....

As we wind down 2010, and look ahead to 2011, I wanted to take care of one of my several loose ends from the past year.<br /><br />Back in July, I met a guy named John on the D train. He had tattooed arms and we chatted a bit. He said he'd send me photos and he did a few weeks later.<br /><br />I never posted the photos because the resolution was low, and when I tried to increase the size, they blurred. I was going to include these in the Christmas housecleaning post, but the work is just too good.<br /><br />So hear you have them, small photos, but recognizably amazing:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLB0yrwBaKQiU8GTRyRKycRGTu4juzXv_cPwYJMcnak_AumFetWMaM83_raHzgPT9SJmJHa-Kt0zjtLaSsECudDjZ_IvEFEq51mIkidx5xGrFQC_CZLJfuorjuq5lNiHpvCWGJLOn7CCw/s1600/john+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLB0yrwBaKQiU8GTRyRKycRGTu4juzXv_cPwYJMcnak_AumFetWMaM83_raHzgPT9SJmJHa-Kt0zjtLaSsECudDjZ_IvEFEq51mIkidx5xGrFQC_CZLJfuorjuq5lNiHpvCWGJLOn7CCw/s1600/john+2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHHQcd4qRP6_W8UJe5cWPYfzxA14z8RTeNAZl9C5Ezn6DceL8-jJuu91Ab0vEg2XGBjnCm3MvvvBgfOZbv2O2HzpwF8fzXCI31BaKhfozVTcpUeuoJCHGv9C4aEwEaPwRPWlDaGQ-BUQo/s1600/john.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHHQcd4qRP6_W8UJe5cWPYfzxA14z8RTeNAZl9C5Ezn6DceL8-jJuu91Ab0vEg2XGBjnCm3MvvvBgfOZbv2O2HzpwF8fzXCI31BaKhfozVTcpUeuoJCHGv9C4aEwEaPwRPWlDaGQ-BUQo/s1600/john.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6U2wKZoZOaCfm_ofbGhyphenhyphen1JV8z0GmhHPM4X6nMdHIsWOhQMJlNw3Y8grfYo9u39yb5r9Jg9MUZAsWxZWzaC08qYiebErEt8Ich_kWZTYHKVRqTuSHwaftQH_yudBlYs37g6Il7ev6Y8Pc/s1600/john3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6U2wKZoZOaCfm_ofbGhyphenhyphen1JV8z0GmhHPM4X6nMdHIsWOhQMJlNw3Y8grfYo9u39yb5r9Jg9MUZAsWxZWzaC08qYiebErEt8Ich_kWZTYHKVRqTuSHwaftQH_yudBlYs37g6Il7ev6Y8Pc/s1600/john3.jpg" /></a></div><br />I mean, what is there to say? This work is quite excellent. The koi, the tiger, the sailing ship, sugar skull, nautical stars - it's all quite a body of work!<br /><br />The artist is Nacho, who appeared once before on the blog <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2009/06/matt-wears-his-heart-of-bacon-on-his.html">here</a>. You can check out Nacho's work <a href="http://www.nachotattoo.com.ar/home_eng.htm">here</a>. in New York, he tattoos out of <a href="http://www.studioenigma.com/">Studio Enigma</a> on Avenue U.<br /><br />Thanks to John for sharing these amazing tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br />And thanks to all of our fans and contributors for making 2010 a successful year of inkspotting!

Out With the Old.....

As we wind down 2010, and look ahead to 2011, I wanted to take care of one of my several loose ends from the past year. Back in July, I met ...

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Christmas House Cleaning

Regular readers of Tattoosday will notice that, although I generally follow a chronological order when I share tattoos I have encountered.<br /><br />However, certain pieces, for various and sundry reasons, have been bypassed, and haven't made it to the blog, until now.<br /><br />I was originally going to post a dozen to represent the Twelve Days of Christmas, but I settled for eight. For the nights of Chanukah, perhaps?<br /><br />Without intending to offend anyone for not receiving a post all to themselves, I have lumped these tattoos, spanning from late August to late October, in one post.<br /><br />These are the neglected tattoo pictures that are just a little off, some not through the fault of the contributor, but for reasons beyond their control.<br /><br />The quality of the photo may not be ideal, or the host and I faced a language barrier that prevented a good back story from emerging, or I didn't find the story behind the tattoo especially compelling. And then<br />there's what is likely one of the poorest tattoos I have seen, but the story behind it is somewhat compelling.<br /><br />So, without further ado, here is a Christmas cleaning, eight posts rolled together into one gigantic one.<br /><br />~~~<br /><br />First up, we have Esteban, who shared his sleeve when I met him in September, at <a href="http://www.fairwaymarket.com/Directions/redhookdirections.html">Fairway</a> in Red Hook:<br /><br />Alas, I was still using a borrowed camera, and several shots were over-exposed and/or blurry, but I was able to salvage this one:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCKpO9H6mA_MZ5ou0CpD-J2GxeRk5BO22IgXm2D1q3nv-aiJZciRF6GQkQT9zEvURzPbrUADwkMXgWYESPM5JR0zCNFWBvDeNtpGFrQz8ko2I5vsCK6glxYHmWQCxHF4MN3EYkBj4m4Q/s1600/esteban.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCKpO9H6mA_MZ5ou0CpD-J2GxeRk5BO22IgXm2D1q3nv-aiJZciRF6GQkQT9zEvURzPbrUADwkMXgWYESPM5JR0zCNFWBvDeNtpGFrQz8ko2I5vsCK6glxYHmWQCxHF4MN3EYkBj4m4Q/s640/esteban.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><br />The artwork is pre-Colombian in its inspiration, and is part of a larger tropical motif. <br /><br />Next up we have Dave, who I met in Penn Station. He has over 25 tattoos and selected this one to share:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivUYW36jsOIdEdy7Br_K51DbhbKVpJZeviRPRK6c-dv9bN7PoJzWNGOq4cjBho_9y2pwP2dw78jJb83c9WIIRagbp5oqwOcoAIEC6y4dr-kPO0yq4sGALADusGIlFL2l3zzTknV1E_iw/s1600/United+and+Strong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivUYW36jsOIdEdy7Br_K51DbhbKVpJZeviRPRK6c-dv9bN7PoJzWNGOq4cjBho_9y2pwP2dw78jJb83c9WIIRagbp5oqwOcoAIEC6y4dr-kPO0yq4sGALADusGIlFL2l3zzTknV1E_iw/s400/United+and+Strong.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />The phrase "Uniting the Strong" is the title of a song from <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victim_in_Pain">Victim in Pain</a></i>, the second album from the band <a href="http://www.agnosticfront.com/">Agnostic Front</a>. This is a friendship tattoo that stresses unity and the host's nod to the hardcore punk scene.<br /><br />Dave credits Jelena at <a href="http://www.lonewolftattoo.com/">Lone Wolf Tattoo</a> in Bellmore, New York with this piece.<br /><br />~~~<br /><br />Next we have Orlando, a Fine Arts student at <a href="http://www.fitnyc.edu/">FIT</a>, where I met him outside while walking toward 23rd Street on my lunch break, also in September.<br /><br />This ship tattoo is an homage to his father, who served in the navy for thirty years. He wanted a "classic look" in the Sailor Jerry style.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0f_MXKN9uSjgLjcday1WfHZN1TZSdu2fRosiuhNWHNcnHsbuMf69hOk3WvRa0TpmTaeTwHemlJSbsx-iavyVZVmgEthqjSm4ZPOSm3ivAxyf4zMkEFd4mWqMDaxFGsII4m_z29TW1StQ/s1600/Orlando+Ship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0f_MXKN9uSjgLjcday1WfHZN1TZSdu2fRosiuhNWHNcnHsbuMf69hOk3WvRa0TpmTaeTwHemlJSbsx-iavyVZVmgEthqjSm4ZPOSm3ivAxyf4zMkEFd4mWqMDaxFGsII4m_z29TW1StQ/s400/Orlando+Ship.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><br />Orlando confirmed for me that his dad loves the tattoo.<br /><br />It was inked at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/crazy-fantasy-tattoo-new-york">Crazy Fantasy Tattoo</a> in Manhattan by an artist named Antonio.<br /><br />[Update: I got a better, crisper picture from Orlando of the ship tattoo in May 2011:]<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXuKT0m7hHLVSvg4hcB4lChONTyq6mAC6bl2w7Do8p_j0wS9DaVXTGrI3YJGxXwQATLk9GJNzuWE6Kafg9b3YmujeAmfHBZq-OSsc54qNKLBwhyphenhyphenbdREno1tdPBnXga6HtWT0KJWab7wI/s1600/Orlando+Ship+2011_picnik.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXuKT0m7hHLVSvg4hcB4lChONTyq6mAC6bl2w7Do8p_j0wS9DaVXTGrI3YJGxXwQATLk9GJNzuWE6Kafg9b3YmujeAmfHBZq-OSsc54qNKLBwhyphenhyphenbdREno1tdPBnXga6HtWT0KJWab7wI/s400/Orlando+Ship+2011_picnik.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><br />Orlando has seven tattoos in all [in May 2011, he updated this number to ten], and shared this one, as well, inked at <a href="http://www.daredeviltattoo.com/">Dare Devil Tattoo</a> on the Lower East Side.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZZvCEjXPnsUIZo5PVmbnlgU5aTF1FXanSPmRG1RnmRhHCfY6hdMuejtxSu5VKPGL3NUoGVfNX7f8-r9MAu_izIL8oxI0YofyOis2GFZ4TDf2e-Uv9MwjoOagh9SwEpSBsyu1p_ZDwiY/s1600/Orlando+Bon+Iver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZZvCEjXPnsUIZo5PVmbnlgU5aTF1FXanSPmRG1RnmRhHCfY6hdMuejtxSu5VKPGL3NUoGVfNX7f8-r9MAu_izIL8oxI0YofyOis2GFZ4TDf2e-Uv9MwjoOagh9SwEpSBsyu1p_ZDwiY/s400/Orlando+Bon+Iver.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><br />The quote, "<span id="search" style="visibility: visible;">This my excavation and today<i></i> is Kumran"</span> is from a song called "re: Stacks" by <a href="http://www.boniver.org/">Bon Iver</a>.<br /><br />Orlando explained that he interprets this quote as a reminder that "every day has the ability to make you or break you. It just depends on what you do with it." Other interpretations are <a href="http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858674649/">here</a>.<br /><br />For the record, I did email Orlando to ask for an opportunity to get clearer pictures, but I did not hear back from him.<br /><br />~~~<br /><br />I met Farkas in <a href="http://www.unionsquarenyc.org/">Union Square</a> back in October. He had this wolf on his right arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMA9a9FQPdqfB8UFR6MAWlhxzNETG9XACGNz2uBX5BnprYOKwltlwngCfa1eSaHky1albtHSpBK726mOjzqOuhHZH5VGXhXv0WovIhOrBI5x1v-oSb86MIz0V0Wp7w5ryBG8Q0qU9QRLg/s1600/Farkas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMA9a9FQPdqfB8UFR6MAWlhxzNETG9XACGNz2uBX5BnprYOKwltlwngCfa1eSaHky1albtHSpBK726mOjzqOuhHZH5VGXhXv0WovIhOrBI5x1v-oSb86MIz0V0Wp7w5ryBG8Q0qU9QRLg/s400/Farkas.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />He explained that his name means "wolf" in Hungarian, and that one of his friends in Hungary did this tattoo for him.<br /><br />~~~<br /><br />A couple days after meeting Farkas, I met an Israeli named Ran on 34th Street across from <a href="http://www.macys.com/">Macy*s</a>. He shared this iguana on his right leg:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHj2VounzL4T6Mx3cKaxi-zeRl040YaomM-YqtDCvi8VRfCmdpZHf74w8Ryg1n3rXY3p5vJ6azsEr4mCA1u8BlpJOoKnIYTP1QrFdKgLCxLdZrPl7RSC62Id019VaFMOnZhDff55WnuM/s1600/Iguana_picnik.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHj2VounzL4T6Mx3cKaxi-zeRl040YaomM-YqtDCvi8VRfCmdpZHf74w8Ryg1n3rXY3p5vJ6azsEr4mCA1u8BlpJOoKnIYTP1QrFdKgLCxLdZrPl7RSC62Id019VaFMOnZhDff55WnuM/s640/Iguana_picnik.jpg" width="304" /></a></div><br /><br />It's a pretty nice tattoo, but he hasn't sent me any further details about it.<br /><br />~~~<br /><br />A couple weeks later, I was in the West Village before a concert, and met Carlos, a manager at the <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&expIds=17259,27342,27642,28067&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&cp=9&qe=cWRvYmEgMTAwMA&qesig=ioAfmDfQL9io8qJXivfDRw&pkc=AFgZ2tn4CORECvVIyeLyU2neM3rYho1uXF-JgkCMN3WPXIASZMzsBqf9zoXZYVCZMemdAnlBQwpPIUCXg07_bR4jmJS4wGewDw&client=firefox-a&hs=mBF&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=qdoba+10001&fb=1&gl=us&hq=qdoba&hnear=New+York+10001&ei=-DoWTejMIM6s8AaP58W7Dg&sa=X&oi=local_group&ct=image&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CAQQtgMwAQ&iwloc=3378200444570630634">Qdoba Mexican Grill</a> where we were having a quick bite before the show. He shared this intricate tattoo on his right arm:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn8KUnEG425eSfjpANGwbxuUSu-w2jJZCT2xzDpA4H05-MXMrw9ZIyOZFF6rYlCx-rPDwnSqfT526k8_7fsGRDjTcesXnP7Lqr3eVmI9FzLCIiNFq4d4G1cp4Utm8VK7bE7CIf_TZjsTE/s1600/puzzle+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn8KUnEG425eSfjpANGwbxuUSu-w2jJZCT2xzDpA4H05-MXMrw9ZIyOZFF6rYlCx-rPDwnSqfT526k8_7fsGRDjTcesXnP7Lqr3eVmI9FzLCIiNFq4d4G1cp4Utm8VK7bE7CIf_TZjsTE/s640/puzzle+wm.jpg" width="234" /></a></div><br />He and friend collaborated on this tattoo together. He told me that, when he was little, he did jigsaw puzzles with his mother a lot. The tattoo reminds him of those fun times growing up.<br /><br />~~~<br /><br />The following week, I ran into Iancu in Penn Station, and he shared this piece on his upper left arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEila4qrxm6SgDAx48PTDTSd93tZiNLvZrZ9pm02Xr9fGp-SM7AgtwiL9L7_1pCHfJCb0Kxw6ebhkEV4I7M83bq-zVJszsVpRh0Mmk6PcVWqjXMAOBL2M58lp2qjTTUkY2KIXQnZBqSM404/s1600/guns+roses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEila4qrxm6SgDAx48PTDTSd93tZiNLvZrZ9pm02Xr9fGp-SM7AgtwiL9L7_1pCHfJCb0Kxw6ebhkEV4I7M83bq-zVJszsVpRh0Mmk6PcVWqjXMAOBL2M58lp2qjTTUkY2KIXQnZBqSM404/s400/guns+roses.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />Iancu told me he came to the artist, Rico, formerly of <a href="http://www.risingdragon.com/">Rising Dragon</a> in Manhattan, who was initially unwilling to do the tattoo. However, he convinced him to do it. It's basically a <a href="http://web.gunsnroses.com/index.jsp">Guns N' Roses</a> tribute although, he<br />noted, the guns were added about a year and a half after the original design was inked.<br /><br />~~~<br /><br />And finally, I must first say that  it is very rare that I ever criticize the quality of a tattoo.<br /><br />Even if it is inferior to the work of much better artists, I always like to believe there are some redeeming qualities in a tattoo.<br /><br />Which is why I struggled with this next tattoo, which I photographer back in August, and which I have included in this odds and ends post in December.<br /><br />I approached a guy named Danny who had a lot of interestingly-tattooed words and such on his arms.<br /><br />However, he offered to remove his shirt in Penn Station so I could photograph this:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5tErFkoR-1ZguP7shaYccHEfl1TmXehyphenhyphenugnQkyYRXSAx4R84vjq09C4-v26HETL4z79Ge7O81RmsTALz7RTgEW9cH0hwgqzjM856GwE8X6K-lO8T62RVUcJ7ht-yM4F-dGyMqxnvqPjs/s1600/diamonds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5tErFkoR-1ZguP7shaYccHEfl1TmXehyphenhyphenugnQkyYRXSAx4R84vjq09C4-v26HETL4z79Ge7O81RmsTALz7RTgEW9cH0hwgqzjM856GwE8X6K-lO8T62RVUcJ7ht-yM4F-dGyMqxnvqPjs/s400/diamonds.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Um, yeah.<br /><br />If this was done by an experienced artist, I would likely not have posted it. Despite its obvious flaws, it is compelling, in my opinion, because Danny told me, like all his tattoos (15 or 16, he told me), this one was<br />self-inked. Now, I can see tattooing one's arm or leg, but I cannot even fathom how challenging it would be to self-tattoo your chest. He estimated this took one and a half hours to do.<br /><br />The message is "Diamonds Aren't Forever," or, in  Danny's words, "don't take what you have for granted".<br /><br />~~~<br /><br />So there you have it, a Spring Cleaning for Christmas.<br /><br />I do sincerely thank the individuals who shared their tattoos in this entry. Happy Holidays, y'all!

Christmas House Cleaning

Regular readers of Tattoosday will notice that, although I generally follow a chronological order when I share tattoos I have encountered. H...

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