Suzanne Rocks Iconic Tattoos (by Tommy Montoya and Chris Torres)

I met Suzanne at the NYC Tattoo Convention in June and well, when I saw her, you know I had to ask:

Yes, that is a Jimi Hendrix tattoo and, as a fan of the late great guitar maestro, I rarely turn down a chance to post one when I see one.

What's more, she credited the amazing Tommy Montoya, who tattooed this at the Wooster Street Social Club on an episode of NY Ink. More specifically, it was on the episode "Last Man Standing."
Suzanne told me, "Jimi said, 'When the Power of Love Overcomes The Love of Power, The World Will Know Peace!' "

Her other arm hosted a piece also from an NY Ink alum, Chris Torres, who actually did this piece when he was at Inborn Tattoo.

That, of course, is Janis Joplin.

Chris Torres now works out of Brooklyn Tattoo a few days a week, as well as at his own private studio. His Instagram is here.

I also snapped a shot of this piece on her back, also by Torres, of  this iconic image:

That's from the cover of The Allman Brothers Band album Eat a Peach

Suzanne explained:

"The Eat a Peach for Peace Tattoo was a quote by Duane Allman who passed on years ago but, I had the pleasure to meet him when he was still playing, in Atlantic City Steel Pier Ballroom. I was all of 16yrs. old. Got to hang with him and famous roadie Reddog. What a treat! They were super friendly and gentleman from the south and unfortunately, 3 months later he was killed in a motorcycle accident. I got the Tattoo in memory of Duane, an Amazing guitar player and legend."

Thanks to Suzanne for sharing her awesome tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

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Three Tattoos, Three Artists, Courtesy of Alice from New Zealand

I knew Friday was going to be a great day when I got off the subway at Whitehall Street and waiting at the corner was a woman with tattoos named Alice.

Alice is part of our ongoing international theme, as she hails from New Zealand. She was kind enough to share several of her tattoos with us, starting with this portrait of Christoper Plummer from The Sound of Music:

Alice credited Michele McLaughlin at Jackson Street Tattoo in Wellington, New Zealand. She got this because The Sound of Music was her favorite childhood movie.

You may notice a tortoise shell in the lower corner of the photo, which is part of this tattoo just below:

No story there, just that she liked the idea of a sea tortoise. This was done by an artist with the moniker Nursey, from Dr. Morse INC Tattoo, also in Wellington.

Finally, I spotted a feline on Alice's left thigh. I just had to ask:

We're seeing a lot of memorial cat portraits these days. This one is in memory of Alice's tabby Vodie, who was a rescue cat. Kev from Tattoo City in Wellington was the artist who inked this lovely work.

It was great meeting someone from New Zealand, to be sure. I don't recall ever having featured work from that country before, and to find a contributor who had work from three talented artists was quite a bonus for me.

Thanks to Alice for visiting New York City and being so kind as to share her work with us here at Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2015 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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.

The Tattooed Poets: Chantele Theroux

I'd be remiss if I didn't share this Canadian poet's tattoo:

This is Chantele Theroux, who told us:

"I had my Johnny Cash tattoo done (at Pagan Tattoo of Edmonton in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada by Sean Tracy) to honour the artistry and work Johnny Cash brought to the world. He sung about (and advocated for) the underdog, the prisoner, and very noble but unpopular opinion. He was a rebel with a cause and his life changed mine."

Chantele is the poetry editor for an online publication called Rebelle Society. She sent us the following poem "show me your tattoo," which originally appeared on the site here:

What’s moved you, sailor?

Shaken you,

taken you

to bleed it out through process,

exquisite pleasure and pain…

(I want to know you.)

Because the needles dragging through you,

                                        they carried the ink

                                                                     that dripped the colors

                                                                                   of your hurt and delight

into art…

Now coursing through your veins,

deep inside your body,

beating forever from your heart…

(Your pulse sounds amazing…)

What wounds do you wear?

Or is it joy that you share?

The mystery of milestone

in monument and shrine,

your stained visceral visage,

a chaotic collage,

only you’ll truly see,

and ever know.

(I love your style…)

Because those words, these snapshots,

your times drawn eternal,

these etchings of essence,

show me you’re bold

and you’re raw enough,

to share you with the world.

(I adore your courage..)

Or was it rebellion

a now-faded reminder,

 of youth drunk on juvenile

design and desire,

now your proud symbol of regretful whim.

(Your life’s been gorgeous…)

If you dare, be bare,

hold your scars deep within,

You’ll be nude, never naked,

like many stained souls have been.

Stay closed, picture perfect,

your form in façade…

since diving within,

means  baring your sin,

and not settle for sinking,

but choosing to swim.

(Dead men tell no tales, my dear…)

Because this your life,

your one wonderful, wicked ride,

be it in ink or blank canvas,

no one here gets out alive.

(Pillage and plunder with me?)

~~~

Chantele also pointed us to a Johnny Cash article called "Johnny Cash: Life, Love & the Magic of Being Your Badass Self" that she wrote for the same publication here,

Chantele Theroux is an editor, poet, and writer based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Her works express the resonance of personal creative force driven to reflect the brilliance buried in the dark and shadow of the soul. Reveal the rock 'n' roll of your soul and it will be the exquisite end of life as you know it. Visit her on Facebook or at chanteletheroux.com.

Thanks to Chantele for sharing her cool tattoo with us on Tattoosday's Tattooed Poets Project!

This entry is ©2015 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo 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.

Paulie Wears Gene Proudly on His Sleeve

For quite some time, I have been passing by a street vendor on Wall Street who has been sporting a pretty cool tattoo.

I usually see him around lunch and he's often busy selling sandwiches, so I always balked at bothering him when he was busy.

Finally, a couple weeks back, he had a break and so I introduced myself.

When I told Paulie about the site, he was happy to share this tattoo on his left forearm:

That is, of course, Gene Simmons, the bassist from the band KISS known for many things, including his long tongue.

Why does Gene grace Paulie's arm?

"I've been following KISS for the longest time ... He's like a mentor to me ... what he has, we have something in common ...Gene's always working, always working, even when he's retired, always working to make the money, and I like that."

And what do they have in common? Paulie showed me:

The best part of the story, for me, was finding out who did this tattoo. Paulie told me it was a guy named Siki, aka Siki Boy or Siki the Kid, from Brooklyn, who was coincidentally the artist that did my first tattoo back in 2003.

So if you're walking down on Wall Street and you see a guy with Gene Simmons staring up at you from his arm, say hi to Paulie and buy a sandwich from him. They're pretty damn good!

Thanks to Paulie for sharing this cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2014 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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.

Matt Shares George Carlin with the World

Not many tattoos stop me in my tracks, but that's just what happened when I was walking down 4th Avenue last week and spotted Matt outside of a laundromat with this awesome tattoo:

This fantastic tattoo of the late great comedian George Carlin is by far one of my favorite portraits of a celebrity I've ever seen inked on flash. Perhaps being a huge fan has something to do with it.

Turns out the fan with the tattoo is Matt Huff, tattooer and piercer at Brooklyn Ink, where Joe Mags laid this portrait down. The fact that the image was so immediately recognizable to me speaks volumes of the quality of the work.

Later, in an email, Matt gave me a detailed rundown of his relationship to the tattoo:

"There are several reasons that I decided to get my George Carlin portrait.  I suppose the best place to start is my own personality, and how I will crack a joke about anything, no matter how lighthearted or serious it can be. George Carlin was someone who was a part of my life from when I was a little kid watching Shining Time Station on PBS, to being an adolescent who thought the 7 dirty words skit was edgy and rebellious, through my angst filled teenage years. I've carried the 'bullshit is everywhere' attitude my whole life, and learning the ability to brush it all off and laugh about it have been an integral part of my transition into the person I am today. I figured if there was a person who I quote almost daily, that I should pay homage to, it would be him."

I couldn't agree more - I cut my teeth as a kid in the 70's sneaking peeks at Carlin doing stand-up on HBO specials, an despite never seeing him perform,. I did meet him twice at book-signing. This signed photograph hangs in my bathroom:

Who cares if my name isn't Wayne, it's as funny as hell.

Here's a classic piece of Carlin that I still love:



Thanks to Matt for sharing his George Carlin portrait with us here on Tattoosday. If you hadn't guessed by my gushing, it is truly an honor!

This entry is ©2014 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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.

Kristin Shares A Drawing by Her Father

Last month I met Kristin on Murray Street in lower Manhattan and she shared this tattoo on the back of her calf:

That's W.C. Fields and Kristin explained why he's inked on her leg:

"My father drew the picture and ... Ryan Reyes [formerly of Asylum Tattoos] tattooed it ... My dad was a huge W.C. Fields fan and he drew his likeness constantly. He was an artist and he passed away a few years ago and I got in in memory of him and that's my dad's signature right there [on the bottom right]."

Thanks to Kristin for sharing this cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2014 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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.

Edward Scissorhands (at the NYC Urban Tattoo Convention)

Simple and to the point. I met Alexandria at the NYC Urban Tattoo Convention last Saturday. She shared this tattoo on her left thigh:

She credited this to an artists named Milton somewhere in SoHo. She got it because she loves Johnny Depp and his character Edward Scissorhands.

Thanks to Alexandria for sharing this awesome tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2014 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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.

More Tommy Montoya Portraits on Kate!

Last year, I met Kate in Penn Station and, what luck! She had some amazing work by acclaimed artist Tommy Montoya (known to many via NY Ink). See those portraits here.

Much to my surprise, I ran into Kate a year later, just last week, on the subway platform in my neighborhood out in Brooklyn. Initially, I couldn't place her - it is easier to remember people when I see them around the same location, and here we were, a year and a borough apart!

Nonetheless, she was generous yet again, and shared her two latest Tommy Montoya portraits of Marlon Brando (top) and Frank Sinatra (bottom) from the 1955 film Guys and Dolls:

I'm guessing this was the source photograph from which Montoya worked:

It's always amazing to see work from a great artist like Montoya, and I thank Kate for once again sharing her tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2013 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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.

Jeffrey's Jimi Hendrix Portait (at the NYC Tattoo Convention)

I met Jeffrey at this year's New York City Tattoo Convention last weekend, and he shared the above tattoo, one of a dozen famous portraits he has adorning his body.

That is, of course, Jimi Hendrix.

Jeffrey told me, "I just love black and gray portraits," and that the shading was so intense on this piece, that at one point he passed out in the middle of getting it, which took about nine hours to complete.

He credited the artist Kris Busching at Undead Ink in Oceanside, New York.

Thanks to Jeffrey for sharing this amazing portrait with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2013 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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.

The Tattooed Poets Project: Justin Petropoulos

Our next tattooed poet is Justin Petropoulos.

Justin sent us this literary-themed tattoo:

Justin explains:

"The tattoo is of Gabriel García Márquez. I got it in 2002 after binge reading Love in the Time of Cholera, One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Autumn of the Patriarch, and Chronicle of a Death Foretold. I’m really not certain, but I think the shop was called Genuine Tattoo and the artist’s name, at least what everyone called him, was Peanut. I remember two things about him. First, before turning to a life of ink, he worked in local bread bag factory. Second, he had a tattoo of a rubber chicken strung up by the neck on his right leg. I remember it because he would tell everyone that walked into the place that he had a cock that hung past his knee."

Justin sent us this prose poem:

[digression on the corn trade]

A peanut vendor sleeps beneath our uncanny resemblances, chews the brim of an old hat made of cellophane near the gates. A refugee camp should be setup on sloped terrain that provides natural drainage.

Someone will discover her there, as if she were a theory or its half versed deck of flashcards. This is an economy of light weapons—you know: it remembers nothing about its course. Some sell part of their rations for rice, at the expense of caloric intake. Scurvy is a constant. Strangers pass a blush grown through quietly. Mission bells with grass. Spongiform, the refinery bloats. Phyllode or nematode, as with us a chance cleaving.

“If you build your boat from this, it will float,” she promised them, with a blowzy stonefly and fire-eater’s tremble, extending them a weight of seed in her palm. In exchange, they offered odes to point/non-point source pollution, runoff: bits of hair and salt, manure, slurry of paper dolls flushed from the mine. “It’s not a question of food,” he said. “If we had the chance, we would walk even tonight.”

As the corn grows a girl scrapes jacks by twos followed by pink impacts. Bread bags caucus. We collect the copper jackets now, lozenges nested in the mud‐throats of loons. Melt them down. Beyond the fence a scorched earth policy town sutured by a lattice of clotheslines.

~ ~ ~

Justin Petropoulos is the author of the poetry collection Eminent Domain, selected by Anne Waldman for the 2010 Marsh Hawk Press Poetry Prize. His poems have appeared in American Letters & Commentary, Columbia Poetry Review, Mandorla, and most recently in Spinning Jenny. Justin co-curated Triptych Readings from 2010 to 2011 and was a guest blogger for Bryant Park's summer poetry reading series, Word for Word. He holds an MFA from the Indiana University. Justin an adjunct faculty member at New Jersey City University. He lives in Brooklyn, New York with his partner in crime, digital artist Carla Gannis. Visit him on Twitter at @redactioneer or at Marsh Hawk Press.

Thanks to Justin for his contribution to the Tattooed Poets Project on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2013 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo 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.

A Chance Encounter with an Amazing Artist (with Brando and Lady Day)

I was getting off of the subway at Bryant Park last June when I spotted Marlon Brando:

This amazing portrait graces the arm of Davinia Do Santo, a tattoo artist from Spain who was visiting New York City and doing a guest spot at White Rabbit Tattoo in the East Village.

She credits this portrait of Marlon Brando to Xavi García Boix, another artist from Valencia, Spain. This iconic image is of a young Brando in the film The Wild One.

When I stopped Davinia, she wasn't alone. Another young woman was accompanying her, and Davinia permitted me to photograph this tattoo, which she had done:

That's the legendary Billie Holiday.

You can check out more of Davinia's amazing work on her website here or on her Facebook page here.

Muchas gracias to Davinia Do Santo for sharing her work with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing 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.