Tara's Stunning Tattoos Represent Clarity and Freedom

I was riding my bike along the water and the Belt Parkway in South Brooklyn last month, when a woman passed me on her roller skates, headed in the other direction.<br /><br />I quickly reversed directions and caught up with her because I wanted to ask her about her half-sleeve:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhN7qOdxCIJ-hVfEUZ5pxgF_NHAlE4tmBZX3vfGcoHbI5Mx8yZ4XP2KYmtzNIQwIgZTKqZMRJGXHKlX6ti65maaBQRInMEh4_oyuVJnjYB47MP3fAfgoQaW_IYHeVTjLPPfqSeftaXjWs/s1600/skate+ink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhN7qOdxCIJ-hVfEUZ5pxgF_NHAlE4tmBZX3vfGcoHbI5Mx8yZ4XP2KYmtzNIQwIgZTKqZMRJGXHKlX6ti65maaBQRInMEh4_oyuVJnjYB47MP3fAfgoQaW_IYHeVTjLPPfqSeftaXjWs/s640/skate+ink.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><br />It's really quite stunning, and I was interested in who was the artist responsible for this work. Tara credited <a href="http://www.silkcitytattoo.com/christian-masot/">Christian Masot</a> at <a href="http://www.silkcitytattoo.com/">Silk City Tattoo</a> in Hawthorne, New Jersey. I've seen a lot of cool stuff come out of the shop and Christian was responsible for the work on the last two people I've met having been inked there. Check out all the Silk City work that has appeared previously on Tattoosday <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Silk%20City%20Tattoo">here</a>.<br /><br />As for Tara, she's a Roller Derby Girl, who skates under the handle PMA, with the number 24/7,  because she has a Positive Mental Attitude, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.<br /><br />She explained, "I was going through a lot of stuff in my life a couple years ago and finally I had clarity ... so the lotus symbolizes ... clarity."<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_Xeak5LF6TJyd74fATf-vlWhyjc9JOvzNCqvuuv6SkbLVEfB0KSjfJc6BoI6FYhq7LaG6pVsRu_INajHdKas1xSCsBziIin5di0ADxUxoOdkt7M2wXho80H5XE6xS4keq88cWUkHl_s/s1600/skate+ink+detail+flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_Xeak5LF6TJyd74fATf-vlWhyjc9JOvzNCqvuuv6SkbLVEfB0KSjfJc6BoI6FYhq7LaG6pVsRu_INajHdKas1xSCsBziIin5di0ADxUxoOdkt7M2wXho80H5XE6xS4keq88cWUkHl_s/s640/skate+ink+detail+flower.jpg" width="456" /></a></div><br />As for the butterfly, Tara told me that her butterflies "symbolize change and freedom."<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKjIT3CIG9nPEReg-6a_rZt1kl5CxOry1OXGBIctjjH-1nvgQtSxHwbDB1u-4JO2msKAuqJ6GdVk7tcnFNIElTiydRHUTwSNDveodWL4zhqQ4meZuE3NuOyuw8jhrhm5xTUE8BwypFg0/s1600/skate+ink+detail+butterfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKjIT3CIG9nPEReg-6a_rZt1kl5CxOry1OXGBIctjjH-1nvgQtSxHwbDB1u-4JO2msKAuqJ6GdVk7tcnFNIElTiydRHUTwSNDveodWL4zhqQ4meZuE3NuOyuw8jhrhm5xTUE8BwypFg0/s640/skate+ink+detail+butterfly.jpg" width="428" /></a></div><br />Tara elaborated, saying that she brought three pictures in for reference [there's a monarch butterfly on her inner arm] and Christian "made it his own," in part by adding the design that represents the wind.<br /><br />When I asked Tara how many tattoos she has, she said, "I lost count."<br /><br />Thanks to Tara for sharing these stunning tattoos with us here on Tattoosday! Keep on skating with that positive mental attitude!<br /><br />If you want to see more of Tara's ink, you can glimpse it on various videos on her YouTube channel <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/MissLiz13">here</a>. She talks a lot about Vegan and Gluten-free recipes. I'm including one below that features her skating on the Shore Road promenade where I met her:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="314" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uJi1OiS8ExM" width="500"></iframe><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">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 <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> 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.</span></div>

Tara's Stunning Tattoos Represent Clarity and Freedom

I was riding my bike along the water and the Belt Parkway in South Brooklyn last month, when a woman passed me on her roller skates, headed ...

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James and His Colorful Sleeve

Last month, I had the pleasure of running into James, in Penn Station. He has an incredible sleeve, which he gladly took some time to share with us:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo70xqDQsxjOyZUf4Lob7XbN-DNT3YzmkHTpvfCmd3VJL182K4Qq5XpWmFjETdgDji4hqBQS77PdayAdd4T1SpPmkC6yf6YFmd8iVeWGOx3sOpgnfK3CWnpDcyqAg9cwSRlJ0DpLJbYbI/s1600/samurai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo70xqDQsxjOyZUf4Lob7XbN-DNT3YzmkHTpvfCmd3VJL182K4Qq5XpWmFjETdgDji4hqBQS77PdayAdd4T1SpPmkC6yf6YFmd8iVeWGOx3sOpgnfK3CWnpDcyqAg9cwSRlJ0DpLJbYbI/s640/samurai.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><br />James is very interested in Japanese traditions, and this piece, by <a href="http://www.silkcitytattoo.com/christian-masot/">Christian Masot</a> at <a href="http://www.silkcitytattoo.com/">Silk City Tattoo</a> in Hawthorne, New Jersey, is a stunning colorful tribute. I mean, check out this detail:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIPfmK4b7bJHsNG5qmopoqO-2J92Pp39QZGzjQvkPczchmxNkrh_wmUF6hB3VCXeTvSLtNETe9PnuSugUYT01-Yz9a2jQ_NKvJVLUF2QrJjdb4aePLKXv_FPjISTDZRFB20vbY-xqcOs/s1600/samurai+detail_picnik.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIPfmK4b7bJHsNG5qmopoqO-2J92Pp39QZGzjQvkPczchmxNkrh_wmUF6hB3VCXeTvSLtNETe9PnuSugUYT01-Yz9a2jQ_NKvJVLUF2QrJjdb4aePLKXv_FPjISTDZRFB20vbY-xqcOs/s640/samurai+detail_picnik.jpg" width="346" /></a></div><br />Work from Silk City has appeared before on Tattoosday, check out <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Silk%20City%20Tattoo">these examples</a>.<br /><br />On the bottom of James' right arm is this incredible collage:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2_xPP2kwMjxCLg-0RnbxydizhN8GVUeHWk3viOj_zWSSVi3SA5vqWtwhnVVfgAqGWyqLgJpo1Wz1qXpbr7xwtIV74JViLmVq1Fwo_LL2KSesrxhqpPD8PldCZptHZFDtWaa9z0u3_hv8/s1600/frog+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2_xPP2kwMjxCLg-0RnbxydizhN8GVUeHWk3viOj_zWSSVi3SA5vqWtwhnVVfgAqGWyqLgJpo1Wz1qXpbr7xwtIV74JViLmVq1Fwo_LL2KSesrxhqpPD8PldCZptHZFDtWaa9z0u3_hv8/s400/frog+collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />This burst of color includes a poison dart frog, a Jackson chameleon, a lotus, a mum, and a tulip.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1uva3btioC1iocbfxU1ZuAJ-aacHw7hcCt5mlc5b3jldajUjpTDSQyy4O1Fj5hHQqqbZ6YK2uIswvtuOoJFUYN2Akc5kvLm-W8Hr3TwqE-0EygNLSNnuk-ofk4VKNZlXrx9F-ovQtdk/s1600/frog+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1uva3btioC1iocbfxU1ZuAJ-aacHw7hcCt5mlc5b3jldajUjpTDSQyy4O1Fj5hHQqqbZ6YK2uIswvtuOoJFUYN2Akc5kvLm-W8Hr3TwqE-0EygNLSNnuk-ofk4VKNZlXrx9F-ovQtdk/s640/frog+detail.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />Thanks to James for sharing his amazing work with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";}</style> <![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. <br /><br />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 </span> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> 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.</span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>

James and His Colorful Sleeve

Last month, I had the pleasure of running into James, in Penn Station. He has an incredible sleeve, which he gladly took some time to share ...

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Two for Tattoosday: A Purple Lotus and the Fletcher House

In keeping with the spirit of duality, today's post is a two-for-Tattoosday Tuesday special.<br /><br />Yesterday outside of <a href="http://www.thegarden.com/">Madison Square Garden</a>, amid throngs of <a href="http://www.ironmaiden.com/">Iron Maiden</a> and <span id="goog_997700808"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/">Dream Theater<span id="goog_997700809"></span></a> fans, I met two guys who just happened to be there. If you want to see a great Maiden tattoo, look back in the archives <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2009/11/eddie-graces-eggheads-shoulder.html">here</a>.<br /><br />I met <a href="http://www.romanrimer.com/">Roman</a>, who conceived and performs in "<a href="http://magnettheater.com/viewshow.php?showid=35311">Evolution</a>," showing Tuesday, July 13, and Tuesday, July 20, at the <a href="http://magnettheater.com/">Magnet Theater</a> (254 W. 29th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues). With him was Louie, who directs the show which is billed as "international and comedic true stories intertwining spirituality, sex, laws, identity, drug vusts, discomfort, fear and discovery from a spontaneous road trip down south".<br /><br />Roman shared first, which seemed only fair, as it was his tattoo I noticed,creeping out from under his left sleeve:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSrkYCqx3xtOTTyiPPkyh_OP1ltf1IqRWqes7bvylAZQkn8aK-1y4c2mZTIwHRLBN4K0iCD1_TI0BFAcHbM1h-IQaamHcgnzS1V6EkxGVP6wm5hZe46b3xc_YlTupimOhtCaibWQO/s1600/purple+lotus+true.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSrkYCqx3xtOTTyiPPkyh_OP1ltf1IqRWqes7bvylAZQkn8aK-1y4c2mZTIwHRLBN4K0iCD1_TI0BFAcHbM1h-IQaamHcgnzS1V6EkxGVP6wm5hZe46b3xc_YlTupimOhtCaibWQO/s640/purple+lotus+true.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />He got this purple lotus because he likes the color purple (the actual color more than <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088939/">the movie</a> of the same name). And the lotus is special because, in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism">Buddhism</a>, he understands the lotus to symbolize "freedom of attachment and desire".<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTNAFqmIdx6kpcu2sTOEI9QI-sDA2cC8KbwKrekGWFnghXjrLx8vBj7r8fswVGUzCRlv2zYk_3qIsyx-2Mg69ioy6fB0EgRI436LqmbZelpHezO9MicGT_rjF8vjlAiN6IAgCSltVo/s1600/purple+lotus+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTNAFqmIdx6kpcu2sTOEI9QI-sDA2cC8KbwKrekGWFnghXjrLx8vBj7r8fswVGUzCRlv2zYk_3qIsyx-2Mg69ioy6fB0EgRI436LqmbZelpHezO9MicGT_rjF8vjlAiN6IAgCSltVo/s400/purple+lotus+collage.jpg" width="353" /></a></div><br /><br />This tattoo took 3 to 4 hours and was inked by <a href="http://www.senaspace.com/">David Sena</a> when he was at <a href="http://www.risingdragon.com/">Rising Dragon</a> when they were at their 23rd Street location, although Sena is now at <a href="http://www.northstartattoo.com/index.php">North Star Tattoo</a>, the shop he co-founded in the East Village.<br /><br />Louie's tattoo was much smaller, but it had a more elaborate story:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYaKwzOukYNzPYaD5iLvbuwPnlHOCi5l5T5ayVE33lksFxG_vz38oFYZ3ph8lzdxsJFENTMvxN2cmMkHxRaD5m4aCHgjdei_nb8hp3YwGF4yWE_Zh2V5ed5GcVWUjITEnaWQ0PeTz8/s1600/Fletcher+House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYaKwzOukYNzPYaD5iLvbuwPnlHOCi5l5T5ayVE33lksFxG_vz38oFYZ3ph8lzdxsJFENTMvxN2cmMkHxRaD5m4aCHgjdei_nb8hp3YwGF4yWE_Zh2V5ed5GcVWUjITEnaWQ0PeTz8/s400/Fletcher+House.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />This small design, on the outer left ankle of, represents a house in <a href="http://vancouver.ca/">Vancouver</a>, British Columbia, in which he and seven different people lived at different times during their college days. The house and the memories they all shared together there are so important, that Louie and six other friends share the same tattoo.<br /><br />The narrative took on a more elaborate spin, as Louie explained that his group of friends came up with a family name to represent the denizens of this house. They were/still are "the Fletchers," all residing in the Fletcher House. He likened them to an extended family like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramones">The Ramones</a>, and they chose the name because it sounded tough.<br /><br />So, as Louie a.k.a. "Rock" Fletcher tells it, his friend "Slim" Fletcher drew up the simple design for the house tattoo, and they had it inked at <a href="http://www.addictioninknyc.com/">Addiction Ink NYC</a>. Over the years, when one of the Fletcher family came to town, they went down to the shop to have the family member tattooed with the same design, not necessarily on the ankle, like Louie/Rock.<br /><br />It should be noted that Kim Fletcher, who is a relatively new mom (congrats Kim), has avoided the tattoo, so the rest of her Fletcher family created a needlepoint design of the house for her, so that she has the tattoo in a different shape and form, needled, but not in her flesh. Yet. Now that it is written here, forever on the pages of Tattoosday, it is only a matter of time. Kim Fletcher, you destiny is calling.<br /><br />Thanks again to both Roman and Louie for sharing their tattoos with us here on Tattoosday! Be sure to catch their play "Evolution" at the Magnet. If you show up at the box office and mention this post, you won't get any kind of discount, but I'm sure that they'll be thrilled to hear that you showed up as a result of their contribution here!

Two for Tattoosday: A Purple Lotus and the Fletcher House

In keeping with the spirit of duality, today's post is a two-for-Tattoosday Tuesday special. Yesterday outside of Madison Square Garden ...

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