Elisa's Pulp Tattoo by Karel Mato

Once in a blue moon, I'll get off of my bike on the bike path to ask people about their tattoos. I rarely will disembark and hop off onto a sidewalk to interview someone. However, this summer I did just that, back in August, when riding along Ridge Boulevard in Brooklyn, I saw a woman with an amazing tattoo in front of the Bay Ridge branch of the Brooklyn Public Library.

I can only imagine how disconcerting it is to have some guy jumping off his bike to ask about your tattoo but, fortunately for me, Elisa was forthcoming and allowed me to take a photo of this gorgeous piece on her upper left arm:

Elisa gave me some details about this incredible tattoo:

"I love pulp paperbacks, and the art work on the covers. I collect them. One of my favorite artist's is Robert Maguire. His covers are beautiful. I also love Jim Thompson. This is the cover art from [his 1957] book called, Wild Town. I love her, and identify with the emotion and clandestine darkness of this cover. 

It was hard to choose a cover, I have many I adore... but I am 100% happy. I can hardly wait for my the next one...."

Elisa credited this tattoo to an artist named Karel Mato, who works out of Electric Church Tattoo Parlour in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Karel is a good friend of Elisa's and he tattooed this piece on one of his visits to New York. If you're interested in Karel's work, check out his shop's Facebook page, linked above, and see some more of his amazing tattoos.

Thanks to Elisa for sharing her tattoo and the story behind it with us here on Tattoosday!

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