The Tattooed Poets Project: Emmalea Russo

Today's tattooed poet is Emmalea Russo.

Emmalea says, "I am obsessed by simple lines - straight and wavy," and sent along this photo to share her line tattoos:

"These five [lines] are by Ron [Mor] at Hand of Glory Tattoo in Brooklyn's Park Slope," she explained.

Emmalea shared this poem, which originally appeared in Ambush Review:

able to be framed by a train window

it’s meadow framed
in window half drenched
gone it is bigger than train
it is tame from here wilder
than lawn than a book + weighs
less - weighs nothing

if I undo the meadow if I uproot
each blade what would it weigh in
my hands more with water like metal

how many gone things
weigh nothing is sh
adow a thing is light
is a tunnel longdrenched
speed through it

~ ~ ~

Emmalea Russo is a poet and visual artist living in Brooklyn. She received her MFA in Poetry from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Recent work has appeared in Ambush Review, ILK, Wicked Alice, and Yew Journal.
Two chapbooks, clearing (dancing girl press) and book of southern and water (Poor Claudia) are forthcoming in 2013

Thanks to Emmalea for sharing her line tattoos with us here on Tattoosday's Tattooed Poets Project!

This entry is ©2013 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.

Happy Birthday, Tina Tassels!

One of the perks of randomly going up to people with interesting tattoos is that I have, over the years, met several burlesque performers. Whether it be Annie Cherry from Kansas City, or NY-based performers Legs Malone and Miss Clams Casino, I occasionally find myself in the presence of some very talented artists.

Case in point, this summer I ran into a woman on the subway with a diamond tattooed on one of her knuckles. Although I didn't photograph it, we stayed in touch and I learned that she was none other than Tina Tassels.

Photo Courtesy of Molto Burlesque (via Facebook)

When I first met Tina in the spring, her arms were covered, so I didn't get to initially see the three pieces on her arm, but I subconsciously registered them. A few months later, in the middle of the summer, when I sat down on the train next to a pink-haired lady on the subway, I recognized the work, but couldn't remember where I'd seen it. After five years of inkblogging, such things are hard to instantly recall.

However, when I saw her diamond knuckle, it all came back to me, and Tina and I got to chatting again. In the glare of the R train's fluorescent lights, I snapped this photo from the back part of Tina's arm:

This may not be the best of Tina's tattoos, but it was her first, and it is near and dear to her heart.

She pointed out that it says Mommy instead of Mom, because she was concerned with how her mother would react to her getting her first tattoo. "Basically," Tina told me, "it was my first tattoo to butter her up."

The scissors and comb represent the fact that her mom is a salon owner and as Tina explained, "that's what I associate with her before anything ... she's a hard worker."

Tina had this done in 2009 by Derik Snell when he was at Hand of Glory Tattoo in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Derik now tattoos out of Flying Tiger Tattoo in New Britain, Connecticut. I have a Derek Snell design (inked by Brian Faulk) as well (documented here) and his work has also appeared on Tattoosday here.

I want to wish Tina a happy birthday and encourage people to check out her blog, Big Hips, Big Dreams. She's also performing in honor of her birthday tomorrow on Staten Island at the Full Cup!

Thanks again to Tina for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday! Have a Happy Birthday Tina!

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.

This Little Piggie ... Runs Up Peter's Arm

Earlier this month, I headed to the Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn on a mission - Melanie had sent me to Shelsky's Smoked Fish on Smith Street to fetch her some, well, smoked fish. Shelsky's has amazing lox, herring, and other tasty treats that cater to that refined palate. They also make some amazing sandwiches, flavored cream cheeses, and salads. I enjoyed their horseradish cream cheese and their citrus-roasted beet salad. Melanie's still kvelling about the thinly-sliced pastrami lox and house mustard herring. But, I digress.

Peter Shelsky, the owner, was gathering my order and I couldn't help but admire the pig tattoo on his arm:

He even rolled up his sleeve to show me that the tattoo had two parts:

Since the shop was busy when I was snapping the photos, I later asked Peter to tell a little more about the piece:

"My tattoo is an old-fashioned butcher's diagram of a pig.  He is running into my Nenox chef knife which is above the elbow.

I got them done in 2009 after eating pork every day through 2008.  I decided on New Year's eve 2008 that I wanted to make a resolution that I knew I would gladly commit to.  Eating pork every day of 2008 was that resolution, and I did it.  Pork is my #1 favorite meat.  The pig is a miracle animal. You can use every single part of the pig.  So, naturally, the tattoo just made sense to me.  The juxtaposition of me owning a Jewish appetizing shop, and working behind the counter with a pig tattoo on my arm is great.  It's a conversation starter, and I really like that.  I'm sure some folks are offended by it, but that's life."

Peter's tattoos were inked by Robert Bonhomme at Brooklyn Tattoo. I reached out to Adam Suerte at the shop, since Peter told me that Robert had moved on. Adam informed me that Robert is now working out of Hand of Glory in Park Slope.

Today is the second day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and it seemed appropriate, or inappropriate, depending on your perspective, to share this during the holidays. After all, as Peter reminded me, Shelsky's has "tons of smoked fish, salads, and platters to offer for Break Fast on
Yom Kippur!" Check their full menu out at www.Shelskys.com!

Thanks to Peter Shelsky for sharing his porcine tattoo with us here on Tattoosday! And Happy New Year to  all!

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.

Vicki's Half-Woman, Half-Octopus Tattoo

I met Vicki at the DeKalb Avenue subway station in Brooklyn last month and I had to ask her about this tattoo.

This design is a half-woman, half-octopus, and was done by Brian Faulk at Hand of Glory Tattoo in Park Slope. She elaborated:

"I went to him [Brian] with a picture from the Victorian era that was of a woman who is all buttoned up, with a high collar, and then her bustle and her skirt are an octopus, so I went to him and said this is something to go from, but I want it to be more modern and not so buttoned up...it was [also] inspired by a song by Carla Kihlstedt, who's in a band called Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, so this is from a song from her band 2 Foot Yard ... the song is called "Octopus" [and] it's the story of a woman and all the different facets of her personality, pulling her in different directions."

Here's another look at the tattoo from the shop's website:

© 2012 The End Is Near - All rights reserved

Brian, the artist from Hand of Glory/The End is Near, has tattooed me before, as reported here and here.

Thanks to Vicki for sharing her woman/octopus with us here on Tattoosday!

Here's a performance of "Octopus" from YouTube:

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.

Derek Shares Three Tattoos Inspired by Alice's Adventures Under Ground

Looking back to the summer, I ran into Derek one evening while waiting to board the R train at 36th Street in Brooklyn.

I first noticed this piece on the outside of his right leg:

Derek explained that he had this illustration by John Tenniel from Alice's Adventures Under Ground by Lewis Carroll because Alice's passion and curiosity appeal to him. The book is a classic of children's literature and was later published as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

This piece depicts Alice being stretched tall, and Derek added this tattoo to his chest:

That one (above) is just incredibly well-done.

Just last week, Derek sent me his latest Alice-inspired piece to me via e-mail :

Inked on his right forearm, this is another Tenniel illustration from the book featuring the scene in which Alice observes three playing cards painting white roses red, on orders from the Queen of Hearts. Derek noted that "this particular image is a reminder not to blindly follow orders without considering the consequences of my actions."

Derek credited all three of these tattoos to Craig Rodriguez at Hand of Glory Tattoo in Brooklyn. Craig is an amazing artist whose work first appeared on Tattoosday here. I'm a big fan of the shop, as evidenced by these posts. I plan on visiting them again in January for their regular Friday the 13th extravaganza.

Thanks to Derek for sharing these awesome tattoos 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.

Thanksgiving Re-Post: Have a Happy and Safe Holiday!

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for many things, especially my lovely wife and two amazing daughters. You, the readers out there in the world, are also people for whom I am thankful. Mahalo, as they say in my childhood home, for visiting often.

I am also thankful for the month of November, which always seems to be a slowdown month for me and Tattoosday. My posting pace slows significantly, despite still carrying a backlog of posts from the summer. Consider them my tattoo acorns that I'm saving for those cold days ahead when a tattoo sighting in New York generally means someone has removed their gloves or scarf!

Stay tuned in the weeks ahead for a flurry of book reviews, just in time for the holiday shopping season and, in the mean time, enjoy this post from last Thanksgiving, slightly edited, which appeared here.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

In honor of the holiday, I am sharing this, my newest tattoo, located above my knee on my right thigh:

This was done at Hand of Glory in Brooklyn yesterday as part of the shop's $75 Thanksgiving Tattoo Special ...

For those of you just tuning in, check the pre-post here, which includes all the Thanksgiving flash designed for the occasion. I asked readers to vote on which tattoo to get, and this one sneaked out a narrow victory over the traditional Native American profile.


I like this design because it combines a lot of traditional tattoo elements and delivers an image with a sociopolitical subtext. We have the traditional American flag and handshake designs, but the added element of crossed fingers serves as a reminder that, despite apparent good intentions, there was subsequently a historical betrayal of that initial good will.


But that's just one perspective, of course, and the Thanksgiving holiday focuses on the positive in our society. The mere existence of the tattoo reminds me to be thankful, which I alluded to in my original post.


I was fortunate enough to have BJ as my artist again. He had inked my Friday the 13th tattoo last August, and I appreciate that he works quickly and concisely.

BJ at Work

It was nice, also, that this design was one of his contributions to the flash sheet, as he was kind enough to embellish slightly on the original design, and it always seems better when an artist is tattooing his or her own design. As for the idea behind it, he was trying to represent graphically a broken treaty. I'm extremely pleased with the end result.
...

I want to thank all of the readers who voted for designs, and for everyone who reads and supports the site.


And thanks again to ... BJ at Hand of Glory, and to my family, at home in Brooklyn and across the U.S., for their support

This entry is ©2010, 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 can contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.