Bird Tattoos: October 2011

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Repost: Eddie Graces Egghead's Shoulder

For Halloween, I felt like re-posting a piece that appeared here back in November 2009. To date, this tattoo is in my Top 10 that has appeared on Tattoosday. Enjoy! And have a safe, happy Halloween!

I recently met a gentleman from England, along with his wife, as they were milling about outside of Madison Square Garden.

He referred to himself as "Egghead," I'm guessing due to his bald head. I first noticed the logo for the band Slayer on the back of his calf, along with several other interesting looking tattoos. He estimated he has about a dozen tattoos.

But, like the best Tattoosday stories, he shared this amazing tattoo on his right shoulder, hidden under a sweatshirt, which he pulled off so I could see it properly:

That's a phenomenal piece, courtesy of his artist Ben Boston at The Tattoo Studio in Bristol, England.

The tattoo is a likeness of Eddie, mascot for the band Iron Maiden, one of the premiere metal bands that came out of England in the late 1970's/early 1980's. I won't bore the reader with the catalog of my Iron Maiden fandom, but it certainly made the tattoo even that more wonderful for me.

I even had a nice chat with Egghead and his wife about concerts we had attended.

I thank Egghead for sharing this awesome tattoo with us here on 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.

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Mary's Call of the Wild

I met Mary outside of Penn Station on Seventh Avenue a couple weeks ago. She shared this tattoo on her right calf:

Mary explained:

"I got my wolf tattoo at some place on St. Mark's Place, I don't remember, I was drunk, after I read [The] Call of the Wild. I had broken my foot and they let me leave work early, so I went to a bar with my best friend and started drinking. And then, I was like, 'We should get tattoos' and she was like 'I'm gonna go home' and then ... she was like 'I'm not gettin' tattooed'. So we went to some shady tattoo shop where they let me run around without shoes on and drink beer like a crazy girl. And all I remember is him asking me if I like lavender and I said, 'yeah, I like lavender' and that was that."

Not your ideal tattoo story but, all things considered, this came out well.

Thanks to Mary for sharing her cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

You have read this article Call of the Wild / Literary Tattoos / Wolf with the title October 2011. You can bookmark this page URL http://chriswiggin.blogspot.com/2011/10/mary-call-of-wild.html. Thanks!

A Girl in a Cape and a Book

I met David last month at the Bay Ridge green market at 95th and 3rd. He shared this tattoo on his calf:

David credited this, his first tattoo, to Tony at Citizen Ink on Avenue U in Brooklyn. "I just gave him the concept, and he drew it up," David told me, "A girl in a cape and a book."

Thanks to David for sharing his first tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

You have read this article Citizen Ink with the title October 2011. You can bookmark this page URL http://chriswiggin.blogspot.com/2011/10/a-girl-in-cape-and-book.html. Thanks!

Collin's Gypsy Snake and Time

I met Collin back in August in the middle of Broadway, between 35th and 35th Streets, sitting at one of those tables that New York City had installed in the middle of the street.

He had a lot of ink, and chose to share this section of his upper left arm:

This piece, a snake with a gypsy head, circling an alarm clock, was done by Grez at Kings Avenue Tattoo in Manhattan on the Bowery. We promoted the shop opening back in May here.

Collin explained the elements of this piece that curves around the arm:

"The clock represents when I was born ... the candle's my life, burning, it's the time I have left ... gypsies are usually known to be good luck ... the snake is for the fucked up parts of my life and the gypsy head is for the good parts of my life, you know, the future."

Collin explained that Grez initially was concerned about all of these elements combined into one piece. "At first he [Grez] thought it was going to be too much," Collin told me, "but it worked out and I'm happy with it."

The clock is particularly remarkable:

Grez's work has appeared on Tattoosday before, here and here. He's a great talent, and I'm always happy to stumble upon his work.

Thanks to Colin for sharing this great tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

You have read this article candles / Clocks / Grez / gypsy / Kings Avenue Tattoo / snakes with the title October 2011. You can bookmark this page URL http://chriswiggin.blogspot.com/2011/10/collin-gypsy-snake-and-time.html. Thanks!

Sue Shares a Werewolf by Deno

A couple months back, I ran into a woman during the afternoon rush hour in Penn Station who had this amazing tattoo on her right thigh:

Turns out her name was Sue Jeiven, and she is a tattoo artist at East River Tattoo in Brooklyn. More of Sue's work can be seen in East River's Flickr stream here.

This was her most recent tattoo (at the time) and was done by Deno, a visiting artist from Spain, who's Circus Tattoo in Madrid is a top-notch shop. The quality of this piece is phenomenal.

Work from Deno appeared earlier this year on the site here.

Thanks to Sue for sharing her amazing werewolf with us here on Tattoosday!

You have read this article Circus Tattoo / Deno Jr. / East River Tattoo / werewolves with the title October 2011. You can bookmark this page URL http://chriswiggin.blogspot.com/2011/10/sue-shares-werewolf-by-deno.html. Thanks!

Amy and Her Colorful Hot Air Balloon

Today's tattoos are from Amy, who I met a couple weeks ago in Penn Station. First is this stunning hot air balloon on her upper right arm:

This was done by Brian Marsman at Powerhouse Tattoo Company in Montclair, New Jersey. "I just wanted a hot air balloon and I didn't have a picture for him or anything," Amy told me, "he just drew it up for me."

She also had this tattoo, on her inner right forearm,

This is an interpretation of a watercolor by Angelique Houtkamp entitled "Edith Piaf":

©Angelique Houtkamp

This was done by an artist named Giordano who was visiting from Brazil, set up shop in Amy's dining room, and tattooed a handful of friends and family, including Amy's husband and father.

Thanks to Amy for chatting with me and sharing these tattoos here on Tattoosday!

You have read this article Angelique Houtkamp / birds / Hot Air Balloons / Powerhouse Tattoo Company with the title October 2011. You can bookmark this page URL http://chriswiggin.blogspot.com/2011/10/amy-and-her-colorful-hot-air-balloon.html. Thanks!

Tattoo Artist Magazine Blog...

Steven Turner was featured in one of the most recent post on the Tattoo Artist Magazine Blog.

A big thanks to Dawn Cooke at Depot Town Tattoo for the mention. Steven's in good company on this list that features some truly amazing tatooers. Click the banner to check it out.

You have read this article Dawn Cooke / Depot Town Tattoo / Hell Bomb Tattoo / Steven Turner / Tattoo Artist Magazine with the title October 2011. You can bookmark this page URL http://chriswiggin.blogspot.com/2011/10/tattoo-artist-magazine-blog.html. Thanks!

Stu's Sleeve in Progress

One of the drawbacks of approaching folks in Penn Station as I pass through after work is that, if they're waiting for a train, and their platform is called, they're off to the races. Sometimes people reach out to me after I've met them, but other times I don't hear from them again.

Such was the case with Stu, who shared the top part of his sleeve-in-progress:

Stu was able to tell me that his artist is Richie Calascibett at Starlight Tattoo in Rochelle Park, New Jersey.

I particularly love the blue flower and the way that Richie tattooed the wind into the design.

Thanks to Stu for sharing this great tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

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Ed Hardy - Tattoo the World: Contest Winner!

Congratulations to reader Adam, who won the Ed Hardy DVD!

I know this is a flyer for an event last February, but it's cool and worth sharing.

Entrants were input into Randomized.com and Adam got the nod.

Lacking a review here (it will be forthcoming, I promise), check out this blurb over on the L.A.Times.

Thanks to everyone who entered, and congrats again to Adam!

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John's Ink Gives Him Inner Strength

Check out this interesting tattoo on the inside of John's upper left arm:

This piece was inked at Top Hat Tattoo in Rocky Point on Long Island.

John says that the placement on his inner left arm means it's close to his heart and represents inner strength.

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

You have read this article Top Hat Tattoo with the title October 2011. You can bookmark this page URL http://chriswiggin.blogspot.com/2011/10/john-ink-gives-him-inner-strength.html. Thanks!

Ysabel's Devil Girl

I met Ysabel last month on 34th Street across from Macy*s, and she shared this tattoo from her upper left arm:

Ysabel got this devilish girl purely as a decorative piece (no hidden meanings here!) and this is one of her thirteen tattoos.

This was inked at New York Hardcore Tattoos by Ronda Biondi. Ysabel told me that Rhonda is no longer there, and I was unable to find her on the web, so if anyone knows where she can be reached, please let us know so we can link her properly in this post. Xanthos.

After this post went live, I did receive a confirmation from the artist, Ronda Xanthos, who clarified, "I did do that pin-up (not the back-round)," when she was at New York Hardcore. You can check out some of Ronda's work here on Facebook.

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

You have read this article New York Hardcore Tattoos with the title October 2011. You can bookmark this page URL http://chriswiggin.blogspot.com/2011/10/ysabel-devil-girl.html. Thanks!

Kim's Floral Arm

I caught Kim in Penn Station one day after work last month, just as she was getting ready to board her train. She shared this floral tattoo that graces her upper right arm:

This bouquet of daisies, sunflowers, and lotus, with a hummingbird thrown in, to boot, was tattooed by Junior Ibanez, who tattoos independently on Long Island.

Thanks to Kim for sharing her ink with us here on Tattoosday!

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Two for Tattoosday: Elise Remembers Paris and Shares a Cardinal

These next tattoos would not be here on Tattoosday were it not for signal problems at the Jay Street subway station in Brooklyn.

For it was an e-mail alert about those problems disrupting train service which sent me away from my normal routine and directed me last week to the Herald Square subway station to catch a D train.

It was there on the southbound platform that I met Elise who displayed some cool ink on her arms. We chatted a bit and, because her top partially obscured sections of her tattoos, she told me she'd email me photos. Not everybody who says that means it, or follows up, but Elise did not disappoint and sent me the following photos later that evening.

First, is this interesting tattoo on her upper right arm:

Elise calls this “Paris in a Woman,” which is inspired by the fact that she was born and raised in France. The idea of including the Parisian cityscape came from Charmaine Olivia, an artist based out of San Francisco. Elise included the Eiffel Tower in it. The tattoo was done by John Poverty, who tattoos out of Goose Tattoo in Brooklyn.

Lower on her right arm is this amazing bird tattoo:

Elise explained:

“The cardinal by Mike Adams [of True Sight Tattoo Company in Detroit] was inspired by family. Once all my siblings and I ‘flew the coop,’ my parents took up bird watching, and are now avid cardinal lovers. Mike inked this out of Thicker Than Water in Manhattan, [where he] will have a short residency in the beginning of December.”

Work by Mike appeared over the summer on Tattoosday here.

Thanks again to Elise for sharing these wonderful tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

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Tattoosday Giveaway! Ed Hardy - Tattoo the World

[This Contest is Now Closed]

We here at Tattoosday have in our hot little hands, a brand-spanking new DVD copy of Ed Hardy: Tattoo the World.

It's yours for the taking. All you need to do to win is leave a comment on this post, or on the post on the Tattoosday Facebook page, sometime this week and a winner will be selected from among those entries.

The winner will be announced Saturday along with my review of the movie.

More information about the film, including additional clips, can be found on its website here.

Negative comments will disqualify entries. You are certainly entitled to your opinions, but we want to keep things positive, folks!

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Lourdes on Lourdes

Back at the end of August, I met a woman in Borders Penn Plaza who shared this tattoo:

This tattoo depicts Lourdes (officially, Our Lady Of Lourdes) and the woman who shared it, also named Lourdes.

She was in a hurry, so I couldn't get much more information. She credited the artist as "Sugarbear".

Lourdes promised to contact me with additional information, but I haven't heard back from her.

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

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The Tattoosday Book Review - Tattoo Sketchbook: Since 1966

We like to review books occasionally here on Tattoosday and wanted to say a little bit about Jim Watson's Tattoo Sketchbook, published earlier this year by ArtKultre, an imprint of Wolfgang Publications.

There's nothing fancy here, just 95 pages of solid tattoo flash by Jim Watson, who came up in the tattoo business long before it was a "respectable" multi-billion dollar industry.

Having cut his teeth in the legendary Cliff Raven's shop in Chicago in the late 1960s, Watson moved to his first shop in Denver, eventually landing in Phoenix, Arizona, where he owns Artistic Skin Designs and where, in 1991, he co-founded Superior Tattoo Equipment.

If you picked this up in a bookstore, it might not be on the top of your list as the tattoo book to buy, as it has a limited appeal to the general reader. But it seems like it would be an invaluable reference to the developing artist who is studying the art of tattoo. The flash is all crisply classic in its execution, and would fit right in with any tattoo artist's reference library.

Wolfgang Publications has a whole series of books that fit this category geared more to the mechanical side of tattooing. This volume fits in nicely to that genre and is a excellent snapshot of the sketch portfolio of the "classic" tattoo artist.

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.

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Crystal's Ice-Bat and Gloomy Bear (with a Nod to The Academy Is)

These tattoos, belonging to Crystal, date back to an encounter I had with her on the R train in Brooklyn back in June. She has 14 tattoos, and first shared this one, on her inner right forearm:

What is this? I'll let Crystal explain:

“It’s an Ice-Bat [one of the Uglydolls] with the words ‘Dream of demons / while you sleep / that make you / stutter / when you speak’ – they’re lyrics from a song [“Down and Out”] by The Academy Is, a Chicago band. My best friend and I actually have the same words, different design on her arm. We met in Chicago … it’s kind of a way to show our support for the band but also for our friendship to each other.”

Incidentally, The Academy Is announced just last week that, after eight years, they were breaking up.

This piece was done at The Chicago Tattooing and Piercing Company, but Crystal doesn't recall the name of the artist who did the tattoo.

She also shared this chest piece:

Again, Crystal explains it best:

“I got started on it when I was 19 and I was in Atlanta and had just started college and went through a rebellious phase. … I’m in love with the main character which is Gloomy Bear … Gloomy Bear is kind of the doll that controls the boy…..”

More on Gloomy Bear can be learned on its designer Mori Chack's wikipedia page.

Thanks to Crystal for sharing her ink with us here on Tattoosday!

Here's a little bonus, The Academy Is performing "Down and Out" at an in-store event:

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Four from Frank

It may be the middle of October, but I am still working with a handful of summer photos, like those I took of Frank, who shared four of his ten pieces with us.

The first one is by Cris Element at Puncture Tattoo Studios in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn:

He was reluctant to share the meaning of this tattoo, saying it was personal, but he did elaborate on three others, done by Taze at Groove Tattoo in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. This one, for example, he told me was because "I was born on June 7th [and] I got no luck so maybe I'll get some luck out of this tattoo...".

Frank indicated that the element of time figured into this piece, with the naked woman representing life, and the skull representing death:

And this one, also by Taze, represents that he had "the best times of [his] life skateboarding":

Thanks to Frank for sharing his ink with us here on Tattoosday!

You have read this article groove tattoos / Hourglass / Kings / Luck / Puncture Tattoo / skateboarding / Skulls with the title October 2011. You can bookmark this page URL http://chriswiggin.blogspot.com/2011/10/four-from-frank.html. Thanks!

Maria Shares a Valuable Wing

Last month I met Maria on the West 4th Street subway platform. She had this interesting tattoo on the upper right side of her back, and I was curious:

Maria explains:

"I'm a big gamer, and my favorite video game of all time is Super Mario Brothers 3. The P-Wing is the one item you always wanted to get."

Maria credited Rich Smith at Thicker Than Water Tattoo on the Lower East Side as the artist who gave her this wing.

My own appreciation for it it it's originality in contrast to the more common inking of angel wings on backs.

Thanks to Maria for sharing her wing with us here on Tattoosday!

You have read this article Gaming / Super Mario Bros. / Thicker Than Water with the title October 2011. You can bookmark this page URL http://chriswiggin.blogspot.com/2011/10/maria-shares-valuable-wing.html. Thanks!

Danny's La Pietà, for the Love of Art

I met Danny last month across the street from Verdi Square on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

He had quite a lot of nice ink, and we focused on this piece, tattooed on the inside of his upper left arm:

This is based on Michelangelo's Pietà, the famous sculpture in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.

Why does Danny have this, and other classic art, inked on his flesh? I'll let him explain:

"To be honest with you, I'm really into the Italian sculptors ... all [my] gray-scale pieces are ... purely art-based decisions. The only tattoos I have that have real significant meaning behind them are the words, you know, anything that's got words. All the art, it's just because I love the art."

Danny also has tattoos that are based on the work of Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

To recreate a masterpiece of Italian sculpture like La Pietà, in such fine detail, is truly remarkable.

Joshua Lord, at East Side Ink in Manhattan, is the artist who so skillfully created this tattoo. Joshua Lord's work has appeared previously on Tattoosday here and work from East Side Ink has been posted here several times, viewable under this tag.

Thanks to Danny for sharing his amazing work with us here on Tattoosday!

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Veronica Reveals What's Under Her Sleeve

Running an errand in SoHo two weeks ago found me hopping on an R train at Canal Street, which is not my normal routine. Sometimes a break in a routine can be rewarding.

Sitting on the train was Veronica, who had this intriguing ink running out from under her left shirt sleeve:

What is that? I wondered. A tree? Curious, I asked her about it and was rewarded with not only the answer, but a photo of a pretty spectacular tattoo:

Veronica explained that she had seen an exhibit at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta that featured jellyfish with really cool lighting effects that brought out these sea creatures fluorescence. She went to see Gustavo Rizerio at Invisible NYC and this beautiful tattoo was the end result. Here's a clip of what she was talking about:

I also learned, coincidentally, while talking to Veronica, that her sister Leyna, had appeared here on Tattoosday back in June 2010!

Thanks to Veronica for sharing her beautiful jellyfish with us here on Tattoosday!

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Inkspotting: The Creep Factor

There’s a fine line in what I do: I could easily fall into the “creepy” category. And I’m not talking about my full-time vocation as a Human Resources Manager.

Look, I exercise significant restraint to avoid being perceived as a Creep by the subjects I approach in public. Granted, there are some folks with predisposed notions that, by the mere fact that I am an older male approaching younger women and asking them about designs on their flesh, I have already crossed over to The United States of Creephood. But for the most part, I am able to avoid that trap.

One of my cardinal rules, and one that any loyal reader of this site can affirm, is that I do not ask about lower back tattoos, or about ink along the waistline. When one is offered to me, I am more than happy to include it in a post, but I generally avoid that section of the body, for obvious reasons. The most shining example is here.

Trickier are chest pieces, but I usually will build a rapport with a contributor before asking if they’re comfortable allowing me to photograph the area. This post was inspired by a woman I met on Tuesday, who had a simply gorgeous cluster of flowers along her neckline that I would have loved to share here on the site. I’m still holding out hope that she may send me a photo, as she was not keen on me taking a picture of her chest in the James A. Farley Post office (understandably so). I haven’t heard from her yet, but I’m still holding out hope, as it was a stunning floral tattoo.

The problem is, especially for women, that there are so many creeps out there, who judge tattooed women without even knowing them. A great discussion on this can be found here, from contributor Emily at xoJane.com. People who know me know that I am a nice guy, and go to great pains to avoid the Creep label, which is why it pains me so much to be treated like one, just because I was brave enough to approach someone about their ink.

But, if I am going to keep producing Tattoosday, I will have to continue wearing my heart on my un-tattooed (as of now) sleeve, and know that my friendly approach will continue to have success, but there will always be people who will think I’m a Creep. So be it.

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Kristina: Aon Grá

Over the summer, we were having a yard sale, when Kristina stopped by to peruse the goods. She shared this, one of her four tattoos:

Located on the inside of her right arm, the phrase "aon grá" is Irish for "one love". This decorative tattoo with a powerful message was tattooed by Rob at Brooklyn Ink in Bay Ridge. Work from the shop which, due to its close proximity to "home base" for Tattoosday, has appeared often over the years on the site, and can be seen here.

Thanks to Kristina for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

You have read this article Brooklyn Ink / butterflies / Irish heritage / Stars / Words with the title October 2011. You can bookmark this page URL http://chriswiggin.blogspot.com/2011/10/kristina-aon-gra.html. Thanks!

Julianne's Owl

I spotted Julianne on the 36th Street train platform in Brooklyn last month and struck up a conversation about her ink. She has eleven tattoos and offered up one of her more recent ones, this owl on her shin:

This was inked by Justin Stephan at A Stroke of Genius Tattoos in Boca Raton, Florida. I like the shop's website because not only was I able to find the tattoo in the artist's gallery, but Justin also commented on the piece a little, saying this was "a cool owl tattoo I did on a walk-in, she was a champ, sat like a rock, the tattoo is in the middle of her shin...".

Julianne likes owls and this is one of her favorite tattoos.

Thanks to Julianne for sharing her owl tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

You have read this article A Stroke of Genius Tattoos / Owls with the title October 2011. You can bookmark this page URL http://chriswiggin.blogspot.com/2011/10/julianne-owl.html. Thanks!

Lynn, Týr, and the Fenris Wolf

I met Lynn in my neighborhood over the summer as she was headed to Green Spa & Wellness Center, where she works as a massage therapist. She has a ton of ink, and shared the piece that dominates her right arm:

Lynn explained that this piece depicts the Norse god T ý r and the Fenris wolf.

She elaborated:

"Týr got his hand bitten off by the Fenris wolf to prevent chaos from entering the world ... I kind of identify with that because I do massage therapy. I help people ... I injured myself helping people - I'm right-handed ... it's not quite the same thing, but [it's] the whole idea of self-sacrifice. You know, the greater good."

Lynn credits Willie Paredes, co-owner of Brooklyn Tattoo, with creating this piece.

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

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Kyle's Industrial Sunflowers

Riding uptown on the 3 train, I see a sleeve half way across the car that just looks amazing. I can't make out the specifics, but the color and detail tell me it's a fantastic piece.

The problem is, it's a crowded express train during rush hour, and unless this guy gets off when I get off, I won't get a chance to talk to him.

As luck would have it, he does xit the train at the same stop, and as I am trying to catch up with him as he heads upstairs, and across Broadway, I recognize his left sleeve. His name is Kyle, I interviewed him in 2008 (using a borrowed camera, no less) and his post appeared here.

This is new ink, however, and when I finally catch Kyle on the north side of 72nd, it takes a moment, but he remembers me, and is happy to share his new work, which bears a similar theme to the tattoo I spotted last time our paths crossed:

It is by the same artist, Myles Karr, who had done the tattoo from the original post when he was at Saved Tattoo. Myles is now at Three Kings, also in Brooklyn.

Like the prior encounter, from over three years ago (May 2008), the right sleeve is a dichotomy. The left sleeve is a city vs country tension. This piece is dominated by a burst of sunflowers, which travel down the arm and circle the elbow.

On the flip side is another cityscape, this time more silhouetted, and he explains that his near-pastoral umbringing was punctuated by the sunflowers he and his mother harvested. This, juxtaposed by the industrial city, is the center of the tension between the two aspects of the tattoo.

As an afterthought, I snapped a shot of the murder of crows lining the inside of his arm. "I just love crows," he told me.

He also offered up this shin piece, also by Myles Karr:

He explained it is an old-time traditional circus strongman, as old circus and sideshow imagery being another style of designs that he likes.

It was great seeing Kyle again and appreciating the amazing work he had added since our paths last crossed three years ago. Thanks to Kyle for sharing his tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

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Bird Tattoos