Jenna Shares Two - A Lionfish and a Gustav Klimt

I met Jenna last month outside of Penn Station last month and took a few pictures of her tattoos, one of which is based on the work of the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt.

As today is the anniversary of Klimt's birthday, 149 years ago in 1862, I felt it would be a good day to share Jenna's work.

This tattoo is on her upper left arm:

This is based on a work called "The Blood of Fish" (1898):

Jenna explains:

"...The print is a pen and ink done by Klimt called The Blood of Fish. I've always been a very big fan of Klimt's work but alot of it has all been done before in terms of tattoos. When I saw The Blood of Fish I just kind of knew that it was for me, there was something very beautiful and fluid about it and I knew I wanted it to be a part of me ...

...The only adjustments added were the little feet at the bottom and I opted out of nipples on the women, I babysit and am around kids alot I'd rather keep things PG. Either way my mother and grandmother had a heart attack, supposedly women arent supposed to get naked women tattoos, I didn't get that memo."

She credits Dan Trocchio at Three Kings in Brooklyn with this incredible tattoo.

Jenna also shared another phenomenal piece, on the upper right portion of her back:

This lionfish tattoo was inked by Grez at Kings Avenue Tattoo in Massapequa, New York.

Again, I'll let Jenna explain:

"The Lion Fish was my first real tattoo. For years I had wanted a Lion Fish. I used to sit the marine biology lab during middle and high school and just draw and paint fish. Like all of the creatures on the earth, saltwater fish are really remarkable and incredibly beautiful. My father (who originally got me into salt water tanks) used to tell me that god hand painted every stripe on the lion fish. While I'm not a very religious person, it doesn't change just how much of a miracle that the oceans and the beauty they hold are. I just feel like sometimes people don't stop and look at how amazing these creatures are. My lion fish isn't only a symbol of my passion for marine life but also a piece of art that was originally hand painted by god."

Thanks again to Jenna for sharing her amazing tattoos with us here on Tattoosday, and for taking the time to share her thoughts about the work. And a happy 149th birthday to Gustav Klimt!

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.

Charles - Art and Science, Together in Ink

Last month, on a journey to the Fairway market in Red Hook, Brooklyn, my daughter Jolee was begging me for a couple of Snapples. "Only if you find me a cool tattoo," I teased her. She dashed off and, within seconds, it seemed, she was back, beckoning me to the next aisle.

There, I met Charles, who shared this interesting tattoo on his left arm:

I find this piece fascinating. I asked Charles to describe what went into its creation. He said it represents

"that rare occurrence when art can meet science ... The dancers are the expressive artist part of it and then this is the anatomical heart at the bottom ... this kind of green foliage-looking stuff behind the dancers is a representation of a brain neuron. I'm not a scientist by trade, but I'm a scientist by heart."

This "intersection of when expression can meet science" was inked in two sessions of two to two and a half hours each by an artist named Guido Baldini. Guido's work has appeared on Tattoosday before, here and here. Guido is based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico, but also spends quite a bit of time in New York doing guest stints at local shops.

Thanks to Charles for sharing this fascinating tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

(And yes, Jolee got her two Snapples).

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.

Musician Monday: A Trio of Tattoos from Justin Y. of Everyone Dies in Utah

 Back in May, I met Justin in the Borders at Penn Plaza and he shared his three tattoos. Justin had recently been signed to a band from Texas called Everyone Dies in Utah and he was moving out from Maryland. He offered up his knuckle tattoos:

Justin has been playing drums for about eleven years and loves drums, which explains these knuckles. Of course, I would be remiss if I mentioned knuckle tattoos and didn't direct you to KnuckleTattoos.com to see more, courtesy of my friend Nathan.

The most compelling tattoo Justin shared was this piece, on his right forearm:

He explained:

"I have a little sister, she's ten now, but it was last year, so she was nine, and she was all bummed that I was moving really far and touring and stuff, so I told her I would get a tattoo for her ... I was trying to think of what would be absolutely unique, and the only thing I could think of was fingerprints. So, I decided it would be cool to get her hand print, so I went out and got a big old ink pad and did her hand print on a piece of paper, took it in, and he [Jason Kramer at Positive Image Tattoos in Baltimore] did all of his magic and got it done."

Justin's third tattoo was this piece on his left forearm:

He told me

"I love Jesus ... simple as that. I was thinking about doing a whole arm, faith-based kind of thing, and I ike the ides of just being able to walk into a room and people know exactly like, well, that guy's definitely a Christina and he's for serious ... It's a good starting piece to talk to people."

All of Justin's work is by Jason Kramer at Positive Image Tattoos in Baltimore.

Be sure to check out Everyone Dies in Utah on Facebook here.

Thanks to Justin for sharing his cool ink 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.

Adam Hays at Conspiracy Inc. next month

So, it looks like my last post here was a costume post of sorts, and actually this one was supposed to be one of those too (apparently we dress up a lot in the summer? I'll post those pictures real soon!) but as it turns out, i have more important news to share.

You see, next month we're having one of them guest artists at the shop, and i thought it was about time to tell you who, and to show you some of his work.
From August 18-20 (and possibly a day or two more, if his travel plans work out that way), super swell guy and fellow Star Wars geek, Adam Hays from Red Rocket Tattoo in New York will be working at our shop.
If you'd like to book with him, here's how to do it: send an email to conspiracyinctattoo@gmail.com with your ideas for the design and placement, possible budget and dates you are available. Remember that it must be custom, as always, and unless you're planning a trip to New York in the near future, it should be something that can be finished in one session.
After recieving your email, i'll get back to you with a possible date for the tattoo, and give you specifics about deposit and stuff.
So pretty much the usual.
Serious inquiries only, and i can't stress that enough.
It's bad enough when people cancel at the last minute with Allan or Eckel, but doing it to a traveling guest artist is completely unacceptable, so please think before booking.


DK: Fra den 18. til 20. August  kommer Adam Hays fra Red Rocket Tattoo i New York og arbejder i butikken.
Hvis du kunne tænke dig at blive tatoveret af ham skal du sende en mail med dine idéer til designet, samt placering til conspiracyinctattoo@gmail.com.
Som sædvanligt her i butikken tilbyder vi kun custom tatoveringer, og husk også på at tatoveringen skal kunne laves færdig på en session, med mindre du snart skal en tur til USA.
Når jeg har modtaget jeres mails vender jeg tilbage med et bud på en tid, og diverse detaljer ang. din mulige aftale.
Vær venlig kun at kontakte os hvis du er 100% sikker på at du vil tatoveres, og du har tænkt dig at overholde din aftale. Da dette guest spot er så kort som det er, vil det være et stort problem for vores gæst og os, for ikke at tale om at det ville være synd for folk der måske gerne ville tatoveres men ikke kunne få en tid, hvis der er nogen der booker en tid bare for at aflyse i sidste øjeblik, så kun seriøse henvendelser, tak.
Se flere eksempler på Adam's arbejde på hans hjemmeside eller i hans portfolie der snart skulle ankomme i butikken.
Spørgsmål? Læg en kommentar her eller send os en mail!

Matthew Shares Two Tattoo, from Thailand and French Polynesia (by way of Biarritz, France)

I generally do not ask people about tribal designs because they are not particularly interesting to me. That is not to say they are not good, just that thy are not my cup of tea. But occasionally, an exception will come along, and I will be more than pleasantly surprised.

Take Matthew, for example. I spotted him sitting on Penn Plaza early last month, and something about his tribal piece on his left calf intrigued me:

Matthew, who is French, explained:

"I got it in Thailand in Ko Chang, which is an island at the frontier of Cambodia and Thailand ... it was done by a guy named 'Chung' - it was done in the old way of traditional Thai tattoo, which is with bamboo. So, basically, it lasts four hours and ... he put the bamboo in the ink ... between the thumb and the index [finger and] ... just tattooed ... three, four hours, all traditional.

I went there and I already had the symbol in my head. I wanted a little rooster face here (because I'm French, I like the rooster) ... then he first designed it with a pen and we agreed on the drawing ... then he began it and four hours later I had it and I don't regret it."

Then, Matthew totally blew me away when he raised his shirt to show me his other tattoo:

Matthew explained this amazing piece of tattoo craftsmanship:

"It was done in France just a few months ago by a guy who is from Wallis and Futuna, which is islands in French Polynesia l’Océanie polynésienne...  So, it's a symbol of a family, so here you see too little men [at center]:

that's my brother and my sister ... This is the symbol of the god ...

...which represents the man's strength. This is a ... lizard:

which, in the Polynesian culture, is a messenger of God, which looks behind you, in case of any danger."

Matthew also noted that the top section of the tattoo is in the shape of a silver fern, which is symbolic of New Zealand, and Maori tattoo traditions:

He also pointed out the traditional shark's teeth, which is a popular element in traditional Polynesian tattoo:

The Polynesian artist credited by Matthew for this tattoo is Soane Paninia, who works out of Polynesian Cultural in Biarritz, France.

Matthew also told me that "normally, the traditional Polynesian tattoo are much more thicker, but through the Western influence, they now are very thin ... I asked for a thinner one, because I preferred this way."

A very special "merci beaucoup" to Matthew for taking the time to show and explain his tattoos to me. I may have missed an element of two, but nonetheless, both pieces are spectacular in their own ways.

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.

I´m not alone in the shop anymore.

Here are some works from Lenny Lenert, who is working at Origin with me.

The Tattoosday Book Review: Ink Flamingos

Full disclosure: Ink Flamingos, by Karen E. Olson, features a tattoo blogger who is an instrumental figure in the narrative. I also have it on good authority that Tattoosday was, in part, inspiration for this plot point. And yes, Ms. Olson thanks me in the acknowledgements, much more profusely than I anticipated. All that being said, skeptics might argue that there was a snowball’s chance in hell that, here on Tattoosday, you’d see a negative review of this, the fourth installment in the Tattoo Shop Mystery series.

Fortunately for me, I have no moral dilemma, as Ink Flamingos is, like its predecessors, a great read. All bloggy plot points aside, I can whole-heartedly recommend not just the book, but all four volumes. They are consistently fun, humorous, exciting and, quite importantly, respectful to the tattoo industry and the good people therein.

Before I continue, however, I’ll point you to my previous reviews of  Driven to Ink, Pretty in Ink, and The Missing Ink for the whole suite of opinions on Ms. Olson’s tattoo-themed work. Click on the titles to be transported back in time to my reviews.

As flattering as it was to learn that I helped, in part, inspire the blogging aspect of this latest volume in the series, I took pause when I learned that the blogger was not a benign presence in the novel. Fortunately, Olson’s easy-going narrative style, transported me past my initial misgivings, and into the brisk current of the story. 

Despite the presence of the blogger, the real meat of the mystery derives from the dead rock singer, who appears to have been the victim of a an allergic reaction to some color ink, and a doppelganger/impersonator of our heroine, tattooist Brett Cavanaugh, that shines the spotlight on her as a suspect, at least in the eyes of some.

The whole cast of characters is back, as we watch Brett go very easily from being determined to not getting involved to rapid ascension into the thick of police matters. We get a little less Bitsy and Dr. Bixby, and a little more Joel this time around. But fans of Brett Cavanaugh's stormy love-him-or-hate-him relationship with her peer, Murder Ink's Jeff Coleman, will not be disappointed.

And, as always, the city of Las Vegas plays an important part, as well. With Brett Cavanaugh's shop being based in an upscale casino, the character of the city in the dessert is omnipresent.

Karen Olson continues to develop her characters and feature the art of tattooing at the forefront of her plot lines which, for me, is always entertaining. We've come far beyond the days of tattoos being nothing more than part of a murder suspect's characteristics, and tattoo artists being portrayed as suspects on the fringe of society.

If you are reading this and just learning about the series, head on back to book 1 and start from the beginning.

The series is fun and light, and treats tattooers and the tattoo industry with the respect and dignity it deserves. Remember, folks, these are murder mysteries, and their purpose is to entertain. Present volume included, Brett Cavanaugh has never bored me, and Olson knows how to spin a tale efficiently and with a sense of humor, as well.

Ink Flamingos is the latest journey into the world of Brett Cavanaugh, the best damn fictional tattoo artist I know. It's always a pleasure to join her as she unravels some mess, and I encourage Tattoosday readers to check out her shop in the pages of Karen E. Olson's books. It's a whole lot of fun and costs a lot less than getting a new tattoo.