![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYiUFubM_cHVpnn3KmDaKyRsla2exHJojYuzXJDFHvOEKuIH5xR1bzEtCQRwscHGWEb4Z10oE8eMvGpiwjPlN80IlaQETmyQkBfnvt2oGg-vjLEUJV2lhNN90IroG6sKYNZe8xiC-sPI8y/s320/hesszoom1.jpg)
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:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79YEXy2ku-mfFgsNpDuiQmmAX5sN7w1ysQSXsi9kOX5zpYAPZbPHDZuy_Hk5JUZvJF56xBhWRDc2mOBLDt3SuGFBYcQxkjpNI32yrsNeknsfZxjPDTlT60PcFg5UxhRwkSW7NJHQlRJng/s400/hesspiece2.jpg)
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.
Work by Nick at Silk City Tattoo has appeared on the blog previously here.
"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."
Thanks to Ryan for sharing his body art here with us on Tattoosday!