Tattoos: Sacred Tattoo

Tampilkan postingan dengan label Sacred Tattoo. Tampilkan semua postingan

Selasa, 12 Mei 2015

Anniversary Ink

Back at the beginning of April, when Tattoosday was celebrating National Poetry Month, my wife Melanie and I were celebrating our twentieth wedding anniversary.

After Melanie's birthday tattoo (here), she was eager for another. We decided on something fairly traditional, as Jewish tattoos go, we wanted to get the phrase אני לדודי ודודי לי,which is from the Song of Songs in the Old Testament. It translates to "I am my Beloved's, My Beloved is Mine."

When we got married in April 1995, we decided on matching wedding rings that looked like this:

The phrase is engraved as part of the design circling the ring.

So we knew that this was going to be our tattoo:

Melanie was thinking about wrapping it around her ankle, and I was thinking how I could make it slightly different.

The reason this was so important to Melanie, and why it made such sense as a twentieth anniversary gift, is that her original wedding ring had been lost in the last decade. She had lost a lot of weight and the ring was loose. For our tenth anniversary, I had given her two thin rings to go on either side of the wedding band, which held it in place. However, one of the stones had come loose in one of the smaller rings and when it was being repaired, Melanie's band fell off, somewhere between Chelsea Piers and South Brooklyn. The needle in the haystack story did not end with a miraculous recovery of her ring.

So, we knew what we wanted, the next question was where to go. Who should tattoo us? This wasn't an elaborate tattoo design, but then again, lettering is deceptively challenging, especially if the tattoo is not a straight line on a flat surface.

I put on my Tattoosday thinking cap and reached out to several people, one of whom was Kevin Wilson, shop manager at Sacred Tattoo in Manhattan. Sacred has top-notch artists and he said he definitely had confidence in whoever would be available on our anniversary.

Melanie met me after work and we headed to Sacred, which was relatively close - another bonus. When we arrived, Kevin greeted us warmly and introduced us to Gunny, who would be our artist.

After some discussion about size and placement, the tattoo was much bigger than I originally imagined and it had moved from her ankle to her right wrist. Melanie went first.

Gunny placing the stencil around Melanie's wrist

Gunny set to work, quickly and efficiently...

Gunny at work on Melanie's wrist

Before you know it, he was done, completing a solid and bold circle of Hebrew lettering around her wrist.

Here's a collage of what it looks like:

Next, it was my turn.

I didn't want anything circling my wrist or ankle, and I wanted something slightly different, yet the same.A little research resulted in the discovery of a design that comprised of the same words, but in a slightly different font and shape. I opted for it over my heart:

This has a more tribal look to it, but I'm pleased immensely. It's also in a circle, which recalls a ring in its shape. And, of course, it's over my heart.

Melanie jokes that she can't lose this ring. Neither can I. The two tattoos were the perfect anniversary gift for the likes of us!

Thanks to Kevin and Gunny at Sacred Tattoo for making this all happen! And thanks to Melanie for twenty years of marriage and patiently waiting for this post to appear on Tattoosday!

Be sure to visit Gunny on his web page here, as well as on Instagram here, and check out the photography Kevin has been doing here. Visit Sacred Tattoo and Gallery here. Talent abounds!

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.

Sabtu, 25 Oktober 2014

Old Drafts, Part 1

I was working on my blogger publishing platform, marveling that I have published over 1700 posts on Tattoosday over the years, when I noticed that I have 23 drafts that have yet to see the light of day, or are just sitting there, functioning some way.

I decided to purge these old semi-posts, but thought I would give them life in a mass post or two (or three or four).

Like this unadorned post from May 2010, called NYC Tattoo Convention: A Snapshot:

Last year when I attended the New York City Tattoo Convention, I was awed by the spectacle of it. My inkspotting brain overloaded as I processed the data before me and, despite many people expecting a flurry of posts, I wrote one dispatch and only photographed three people and reported on those here and here on Tattoosday.

This year, I approached it differently. My lovely wife Melanie joined me, and I hoped to introduce her to several people I have met through my inkblogging experience. I also enjoyed observing her closely as she was the recipient of the overstimulating organized chaos of the event. And despite our combined reverence for the art, our combined ten tattoos seemed collectively paltry when compared to visions of sleeve after sleeve, chest pieces, back pieces, and full body suits.

Acknowledging that it is impossible to fairly "cover" a three-day event when we hung out for only 3-4 hours, I offer up a snapshot, rather than a recap.

As for the typical Tattoosday tell-me-about-it-post, I only collected photos from one attendee, whose amazing work is here.

Upon arrival, we did a few loops, checking out the various booths, artists, and attendees.

Of note were the artists at Sacred Tattoo. Picasso and Lalo were finishing up sketching an immense octopus on the back and shoulder of a convention-goer. He would eventually get some of the piece completed, as the two artists tattooed him simultaneously.

We were also drawn in by the two artists from Japan who were not only tattooing, but they were using traditional equipment. This is always a big hit at the convention, and generally draws a crowd throughout the day as the clients lay on the floor, barely flinching at the repeated penetration of the needles. Gawkers flinch for them enough. But it's still an inspiring site to see a generations-old art practiced in person.

I could fill a month or two with dispatches from Roseland if I wanted to. But I don't. Imagine, I go everywhere with my little Polaroid digital camera, just to be prepared to take a picture of someone's tattoo. Yet, put me in a convention hall where it's hard to find someone without ink, and I exercise a form of abstinence. The phrase shooting fish in a barrel comes to mind.

Before taking the one set of photos I couldn't resist (Greg and his sharks here), Melanie and I stopped by to say hello to Marisa from Needles & Sins, working at the Father Panik booth. We checked out her new foot tattoo and, while chatting, the woman who had been, hours earlier, under Dan DiMattia's needle, stopped by to say hello, her right thigh swathed in cellophane as a traditional post-tattoo dressing.

Di Mattia's tribal-style black work popped out visually even under the plastic wrap and we just stood and admired how beautifully done it was.

So, it was a relatively short stint at the Convention this year, but well worth the price of admission.

~ ~ ~

Obviously, pictures would have been nice, which is why this was relegated to the dustbin of Tattoosday archives.

Senin, 14 Juli 2014

Heather and Her Stunning Tiger Tattoo

Down where I work during the week, you tend to see a lot of professional dog-walkers during the day. Last month, I spotted a woman, wearing a shirt that read "KEEP CALM AND CARRY TREATS." She wasn't the first person spotted wearing that shirt, as it is often worn by people working for Paws on Pine.

Anyway, I noticed that she had a pretty cool half-sleeve and, although I didn't interview her then, I figured I would get another opportunity soon.

I spotted the woman again last week, walking a pooch up on Wall Street. I introduced myself.

Heather, it turns out, is the owner of Paws on Pine, and this is the tattoo that caught my eye originally:

This stunning tattoo was done by Kristi Walls, who is currently "resident guest artist" at Sacred Tattoo, but has also worked at Bang Bang Tattoo and East Side Ink.

The details, shading and line work in this piece are stunning - just take a closer look:

Heather explained to me that she was laid off three years ago from a corporate job and "got this to symbolize resilience and strength, because I ended up taking a year off and then I started my own dog-walking business."

Thanks to Heather for sharing her work with us here on Tattoosday and, if you're ever in need of professional dog-walkers in lower Manhattan, be sure to check out Paws on Pine.

Kamis, 25 Juli 2013

Phil Shares a Portrait of His Kids

One of my daughters' teammates on her lacrosse club was immortalized, along with her big brother, on her father's arm:

At the end of the season, I got a chance to chat with Phil, the father of these two kids, about his work. The son was three in the portrait and the daughter was one. Now, they're both teenagers.

He told me that he got this piece almost twelve years ago from a European artist named Zsolt. The artist in question, Zsolt Sárközi, hails from Budapest, Hungary, and works at a shop he founded called Dark Art Tattoo. The tattoo was done here in New York City, at Sacred Tattoo in Manhattan.

Thanks to Phil for sharing this wonderful portrait of his children with us here on Tattoosday!

Sabtu, 18 Mei 2013

Dispatch from the 16th Annual NYC Tattoo Convention - Day 1

There's just something about the NYC Tattoo Convention that makes me smile.

For the last five years I have attended and, despite the fact that a large majority of the booths are occupied by many of the same companies, there are always new changes and a grungy intimacy that make me happy I attended.

I'm normally a "Saturday only" attendee, but I thought I'd give it an early go, and check it out Friday evening when things were just getting started. I still plan on spending a larger chunk of time there today, but I still wanted to get the lay of the land.

No fancy convention center here, the Roseland Ballroom is a storied venue and its "lived-in" feeling contributes immensely to the intimacy of the event. As always, Saturday's contests are a highlight of the show.

There are trophies to be won!

I was very excited to see the latest incarnation of the Jack Rudy-designed show tee, in both gray and white:

Not to mention that this year, the convention is a stop on the Inked Up World Tour, co-sponsored by Inked Up, Rockstar Energy Drinks and the Sullen Art Collective. There's a booth on the main floor where you vote interactively with a heavily-decorated model vying for "Miss Inked Up 2013" on which artist designed the best can for Rockstar Energy Drinks (I chose Nikko Hurtado's design), after which you get to spin their prize wheel.

I got lucky and won a t-shirt!

Front of the shirt

And the back:

I swung by a whole slew of booths and will be back today to spend more time with the convention-goers.

Of note, I met a nice woman at the booth of Independent Tattoo, who now has me thinking about getting a crab tattoo. And it was great reconnecting with Kevin from Sacred Tattoo and catching up.

There is plenty to see, and I have only begun to covet my neighbor's tattoos! If there's anything that will give you a sense of ink envy, it's attending a show where the majority of the people are so dedicated to decorating the skin of others, or filling up their own personal canvases.

Of course, for me, it is also about finding great people to interview for upcoming installments of Tattoosday.

Here's one photo I took which will be part of an upcoming feature:

This PHENOMENAL piece belongs to Hannah, and was created by the amazingly-talented Shawn Barber. I will devote a separate post to this in the coming week, but talking with Hannah, and having her so generously share work from a talent like Barber, was just one of the reasons I left Roseland last night with a huge grin on my face.

There may be bigger and brighter conventions, but the New York City Convention will always hold a place in my heart.

I will be there today, as well, and will be posting on Facebook and Twitter (@Tattoosday). Doors open at 12 Noon and close at Midnight. The show also runs Sunday, May 19, from Noon to 8:00 PM.

Thanks again to the organizers of the NYC show for always doing such a great job in putting together the event!

Rabu, 02 Januari 2013

See Naomi's Tattoo: Life Doesn't Frighten Her

Well, it's a new year here on Tattoosday, and we still have leftover posts from 2012. But since it's in the 20s today in New York City, and we don't see a lot of work over the winter, I'm always happy to share posts from warmer days.

Going back to July, I was on the DeKalb Avenue subway platform in Brooklyn when I passed Naomi and had to stop and talk to her about her forearm tattoo:

Being a big fan of books, I recognized this as the cover of Maya Angelou's children's story Life Doesn't Frighten Me. Of course, while talking with Naomi, she reminded me whose art graced the cover.

The book is beautifully illustrated with the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat, a popular New York artist whose paintings exploded into popularity in the 1980s.

She told me she got this more than fifteen years ago from a tattooist named "Batman" who worked out of Sacred Tattoo at the time.

She explained, "I really like Basquiat and then I saw the cover on the book and I really liked the book and thought I have to have this done."

Thanks to Naomi for sharing her tattoo with us for the first post of a new year!

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.