Tara's Stunning Tattoos Represent Clarity and Freedom

I was riding my bike along the water and the Belt Parkway in South Brooklyn last month, when a woman passed me on her roller skates, headed in the other direction.

I quickly reversed directions and caught up with her because I wanted to ask her about her half-sleeve:

It's really quite stunning, and I was interested in who was the artist responsible for this work. Tara credited Christian Masot at Silk City Tattoo in Hawthorne, New Jersey. I've seen a lot of cool stuff come out of the shop and Christian was responsible for the work on the last two people I've met having been inked there. Check out all the Silk City work that has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

As for Tara, she's a Roller Derby Girl, who skates under the handle PMA, with the number 24/7,  because she has a Positive Mental Attitude, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

She explained, "I was going through a lot of stuff in my life a couple years ago and finally I had clarity ... so the lotus symbolizes ... clarity."

As for the butterfly, Tara told me that her butterflies "symbolize change and freedom."

Tara elaborated, saying that she brought three pictures in for reference [there's a monarch butterfly on her inner arm] and Christian "made it his own," in part by adding the design that represents the wind.

When I asked Tara how many tattoos she has, she said, "I lost count."

Thanks to Tara for sharing these stunning tattoos with us here on Tattoosday! Keep on skating with that positive mental attitude!

If you want to see more of Tara's ink, you can glimpse it on various videos on her YouTube channel here. She talks a lot about Vegan and Gluten-free recipes. I'm including one below that features her skating on the Shore Road promenade where I met her:

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Katie's Astrological Ink: Cancer, with Aries Rising

One of the unexpected joys in inkspotting is approaching someone about a tattoo and having them reveal one that is so much better than the piece you approached them about. It's like receiving a bonus for being curious.

Such was the case with Katie, who I spotted in Penn Station when I noticed a tattoo on her ankle.

When I asked her about it, she laughed and said it wasn't even close to being her favorite tattoo and she took off her jacket to reveal, on her upper left arm, one of her eight tattoos:

This is an astrological tattoo and features the signs for Cancer (the crab) and Aries (the ram). Katie explained that she is a Cancer, with Aries rising.

What this means, astrologically, could take pages and pages of analysis, but Katie explained that the two personalities are both strong and that they traditionally don't get along, which is why she has this relationship depicted as the two symbolic creatures battling in a stormy landscape. It is one interpretation of an astrological description that lends itself to her personality. Here's another.

Of course, as a Cancer myself, I cannot help but love this tattoo, especially my old friend the crab:

Katie credited the artist Christian Masot at Silk City Tattoo in Hawthorne, New Jersey, for this tattoo. She estimated it took about seven hours total in three sittings to create the finished product. Work from Silk City has appeared on Tattoosday several times before (see this tag), but this is the first piece we've seen by Christian.

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

Sarah's Chrysanthemum

I spotted this lovely flower on Sarah while she was waiting for her train in Penn Station:

This chrysanthemum is her first tattoo and sits on her upper left arm. Sarah is a big fan of Eastern art and understands that chrysanthemums are symbols of joy (except in Germany, she noted). She feels that Russell Kelley at Silk City Tattoo in Hawthorne, New Jersey did a nice job of merging Eastern and Old School styles on this beautiful flower. Work from Silk City has appeared multiple times before and can all be seen under Silk City's Tattoosday label here.

Thanks to Sarah for sharing her tattoo with us, and Happy Labor Day from us here at Tattoosday!

Markjames' Knuckles

Last week I posted this great owl tattoo belonging to Markjames, a Pennsylvania-based tattoo artist.

Prior to sharing it, however, I also snapped his knuckles:


When I asked what this meant, he said "just a feeling". What is particularly cool about these knuckles are the traditional anchor and horseshoe standing in for the letters "T" and "U", respectively.

These were inked by Russell Kelley at Silk City Tattoo in Hawthorne, New Jersey. Work from the shop has appeared multiple times before and can all be seen under Silk City's Tattoosday label here.

Thanks again to Markjames for sharing his work with us here on Tattoosday!

Missy Needs a Miracle

I met Missy last month in Penn Station and she shared this, her first tattoo:


This is also the first Icelandic tattoo on Tattoosday!

The phrase in Icelandic, "Mér vartar kraftaverk" , Missy loosely translated as "I need a miracle". It is a memorial tattoo for a friend of hers who was killed after being hit by a car.

This tattoo not only serves as a memorial (she needs a miracle to bring her friend back), but also provides strength and prayers for any future challenges she may face in life.

The phrase was inked by Chi Chi Gunz at Silk City Tattoo in Hawthorne, New Jersey. Work from Silk City has appeared previously on our site here.

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

Hemorrhage: Ryan's Derek Hess Piece is Bloody Awesome

I technically didn't meet Ryan, but he did respond to a flier I passed out. I gave it to his girlfriend, we're guessing around 34th Street in Manhattan, she passed it to him, and he e-mailed me the following photo:


Initially, all he told me was "It's a Derek Hess piece. It's my blood around it in the ... photo. It was done by Nick [Males] @ Silk City Tattoos".

Of course, I know inquiring minds would want to know more, so I asked him for more specifics.

"It's a piece of art that Derek Hess did [it's entitled "Hemorrhage"].
I have the print on my wall in my room, among others by him...this is just my favorite one. My girlfriend was getting her garter done on her leg and I had asked [Nick] if he could do it. He said yeah, so when she went for her second sitting, I got mine done. I think it took about 3 hours, theres a lot of detail in it. The black didn't hurt much but the blood was the worst part, non-stop pain with little to no breaks. A lot of fun."

Work by Nick at Silk City Tattoo has appeared on the blog previously here.

Thanks to Ryan for sharing his body art here with us on Tattoosday!

Two for Tattoosday: A Break-Up Tattoo and Some European Tribals

Sure I'm posting Wednesday but both of these volunteers were MSG plaza-dwellers on Tuesday and, rather than save then for separate days, I thought I'd put them together.

First up is Erik:

Sorry I cut this off, but I couldn't see the screen in the sun's glare. Erik has a 3/4 sleeve (left arm), his mother and grandmother's names inked on, a small back piece, a leg piece, and a diamond on his chest, but we went with this design, on his left forearm, because it is more recent.

Tattooed by Eric Newman at Silk City Tattoo in Hawthorne, New Jersey (the shop was credited previously only two days ago here), this piece, a dagger through a flaming skull, was purchased for Erik by an ex-girlfriend, after she broke up with him. It is meant to represent a new beginning.

At the end of the day I met Cesar, also in front of the Garden. This is the tattoo that caught my eye:


I'm not a huge fan of tribal pieces, but this one on his right calf is one of the nicer pieces I have seen in a while. I especially like how it is not a solid black design, but resembles a textured wood. Cesar, who is from Italy, is in New York for only two days, and we had some difficulty communicating. This tattoo was inked in Brescia, in Northern Italy, and cost $40. (He offered, I have decided asking is not polite.)

He then showed me a tiki piece on his inner right bicep:


There are two faces, one representing good, one representing bad, juxtaposed on the tattoo, which was inked on the island of Ibiza, which is part of Spain.

Cesar told me the name of the shop was Sara, but I couldn't find a listing. However, considering the type of tattoo he received, I am going to go out on a limb and guess he got this piece at Tahiti Tiki Tattoo.

Thanks to Erik and Cesar for making Tattoosday a true Tat-twos-day!

Grace's Tattoo: Anita Berber, in the Service of Poetry

On Wednesday, April 23, New York City simmered in pre-summer warmth and, while my camera was at the park with the wife and kids, I was stuck at work.

Co-worker Cecelia (tattoo-less, as far as I know) was kind enough to lend me her Canon and, during lunch, I met a young woman named Grace who had the extremely interesting piece (above) on the back of her neck.

Grace explained: the woman is Anita Berber, who was, in her words, "a cabaret whore lady in the '20's".

The quote, "life in the service of poetry" is an abbreviated version of the fuller quote "life in the service of poetry is a life not wasted". Grace attributed the quote to Berber, who came across it in an interview with Jack Terricloth, lead singer of the cabaret/punk band The World/Inferno Friendship Society. My research is unable to come up with the exact quote in the context of the interview, but that's beside the point. The sentiment is dead on.

Grace, a student at Fashion Institute of Technology, explained further that the quote is not literally interpreted by her, but that she regards it more generally: "Living for whatever you think is beautiful," whether it be poetry, or some other form of artistic expression.

This tattoo (one of Grace's two pieces) was inked by Nick Males at Silk City Tattoo in Hawthorne, New Jersey.

Thanks to Grace for sharing Ms. Berber with Tattosday!