Tattoo Review

So the summer's got me thinkin'...I see all these scantily-clad boys and girls bopping around my neighborhood showing off their body art...and I want more ink. I've got the itch and now I want to scratch it. Only problem is that my artist is booking out until November. So much for instant gratification!

So to make myself feel better, I'm going to celebrate the art that I DO have! Here it goes:

The top center piece was my first (Oct 1998-9?). I found the image in a Mehndi henna design book. I held onto it for long enough that I figured I was ready to put it on my body permanently. It was done by Tattoo George of The Portsmouth Tattoo shop in Portsmouth NH.

Then a few years later (Sept 2001 & Jan 2002?), I felt like I was ready to add to it! I had a roommate that had recently graduated from RISD and was a fabulous artist. He and I came up with the concept and the rough sketch of the larger piece to go below my first.I met with Fat Ram of Fat Ram's Pumpkin Tattoo in Jamaica Plain, MA to finalize the sketch and we completed the tattoo in two sessions.

Then the shoulder idea came along. I came upon some plum flowers and peonies in a Chinese brush painting book that I had forever and all of a sudden the idea was born. Through some research I found that I like Japanese cherry blossoms better and went to see Darlene Dibona at Fat Ram's Pumpkin Tattoo (April 2006). I get tons of compliments on this piece.

My maternal grandfather passed away March 2007. It was a horrible time for me. The thought of that night still brings tears to my eyes. I've never been much for memorial tattoos but I for some reason I really needed to do it. My Pop was an amazing man who lived 30 years with heart disease. He was a strong yet sensitive person who played an important role in my life. I wanted to have something that would always remind me of the good times. I chose a (healthy!) anatomical heart image to be tattooed on the inside of my right wrist by Justin, also at Fat Ram's (see my loyalty to local business!) in August 2007. He did an amazing job with the detail of this tiny piece. When people see it they think that it's weird but I love it for many reasons and always will.

Here's a bit of a funny Christmas present from my best friend! We've been trying to do things together for the last few year fro Christmas rather that exchange presents. It's so much more practical and less to travel home with!We chose a protection symbol-- the seven-pointed star and we both got the same image tattooed. I got mine on the inside of my left wrist and she got hers on her left hip. We had them done at Stingray Body Art and Tattoos by Ray (Dec 2007). Not only did he do a lousy job and totally overcharge us, he was the most unfriendly, impersonal artist that I've ever met. I've had thoughts of going back and having it touched up but he did a shit job the first time so I'm not sure if he'd do much better with a second go around. I guess you win some, you lose some...unfortunately it's a visible piece.

The Vitruvian Man, one of my favorite Leonardo DaVinci sketches ever! The original resides in Venice, Italy but is only shown on special occasions. Being that I've worked, in one way or another, in the health care field for the last ~15 years, this image has always been prevalent in my life. So I decided that it was something that I want on my body. Again, it's the work of Justin at Fat Ram's (Jan 2008). It's not straight up black-- he muddied up the black with brown to achieve the actual tones of the original. I love it. Hurt like a bastard but I love it!

Then my latest (May 2008) is my lovely Day of the Dead Skull done by Dee at Great Southern Tattoo in Alexandria Va. She whipped up her own rendition of a dia de los muertos skull with my input. It's over the Achilles' tendon on my left ankle. I've gotten mixed reactions to this one. Some think it's lovely and actually know what it is, and some think it's hideous. Oh well. I love it!

So that's all for now...I'm sure that there will be more to come. It's addicting.