Nick's Tattoo Explores the Duality of Self

The past week has been a fresh reminder of how wonderful inkspotting is in New York City. When we have warm weather, that is.

Today's contribution comes from Nick, who I spotted earlier this week inside the front entrance of a large chain coffee establishment.

Nick has "eleven or twelve" tattoos, so we went with this one, on the inside of his forearm:


This conceptual piece reflects, in Nick's words, "[Carl] Jung's theory of the duality of self".

This is depicted as the mythological figure Narcissus (at top) staring at his mirror image. However, in a spin on the myth, Narcissus is transfixed not by his beauty, but by the conceptualized vision of the inner self, which appears demonic.

This can be interpreted and discussed in many ways, which is one aspect of what makes this tattoo so interesting.

Nick had this piece done at Craig's Tattoo Studio in St. Louis, Missouri.

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

Two Small Tattoos from Samantha

I met Samantha in Penn Station when I was passing through the New Jersey Transit waiting area earlier this week.

This simple rose is just above her left ankle:


Samantha got matching tattoos with her mother when she was sixteen. I joked with her that I shouldn't post that, since I've told my daughters that they have to wait until they're eighteen before getting inked.

She pointed out that this happened in Canada, so perhaps we could use that as an excuse.

Samantha, however, was more proud of her other tattoo, which I admit, is nicer. She peeled off the sock on her right foot to reveal this:


As a Canadian, she wanted to get this maple leaf to honor her homeland to the north. The tattoo was done at Blue Devil Tattoo and Piercing Studio in Tampa, Florida.

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

Angela's Ambivalence About a Rose

Angela, a video editor, wanted a rose tattoo that would match her eyes and serve as a "permanent necklace". This was the result:


Looks pretty good, right? Not so fast. It is not often that I get someone sharing a tattoo with which they're not completely happy. This is one of those cases.

Angela had an issue with the artist, Jon Comstock at Skin City Tattoos, in New Windsor, New York, and felt that his vision, ultimately, differed from hers. Too much neon-like color, less realism in matching her eyes, Angela said. The end result, a fairly visible tattoo that has an ambivalent host. "I wouldn't go back to him," Angela said.

I have decided to include his credit, however, as I don't think it's so bad. Of course, I don't have to live with the end result, Angela does. In a slight reversal, however, when I showed her one of the pictures I took,


she admitted it looked better than she remembered.

Despite the mixed feelings about the piece, I would like to thank Angela for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Sean's Tattoo of Odin is a Tribute to His Norwegian Heritage

I met Sean earlier this week in Penn Station and he was kind enough to share this wonderfully-done tattoo of the Norse god Odin:


In the epic poems at the center of Norse mythology, known as the Poetic Edda, one key section from a collection known as the Hávamál features Odin hanging from the world tree, revealing the origins of the runes, which are seen in detail below at the bottom of the tattoo.


Sean's tattoo is a tribute to his Norwegian heritage.

This piece was tattooed in three sittings by Bobby Chichester at Empire State Studio, in Oceanside, New York. Work from that shop has appeared previously on the site here.

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

Two for Tattoosday: Vanessa's Ink (Two Hearts Beat as One)

I met Vanessa last week and she generously shared two of her wonderful tattoos.

This piece on her inner right forearm was her first tattoo:



This design is based on the album cover of Poison the Well's You Come Before You.


Vanessa explained that this was the album she listened to when she was visiting her mother in the hospital. Her mom recovered, and she associates the record with this time of her life. The tattoo celebrates those moments.

The second piece she shared was inspired by her father:


Unlike with her mom, Vanessa does not have a relationship with her dad. The optimistic banner "may we meet again" is a glance forward, toward the possibility of someday reconnecting with him.

This large tattoo, on her right biceps, took eight hours, all in one sitting. The detail of the anatomically-correct heart is amazing. Vanessa pointed out how the artist added flowers to the design, as well as the rays of light in the upper right corner to create the shape of a figurative heart, as well.

Both pieces were created by Anthony Mealie at Tattoo Lou's in Selden, New York.

Work from that shop has appeared previously here.

Thanks again to Vanessa for sharing her wonderful tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Stevie's Tattoo Calms and Inspires

Last Wednesday marked the official end to the veritable tattoo drought this winter in New York has afforded us here on Tattoosday.

In addition to the three people I met at lunch, my train ride home and, subsequently, my day, was punctuated by a fleeting encounter with a woman named Stevie on the R train.

I had just plopped down in one of the seats after having moved car-to-car between stops, in an effort to get toward the back of the train. I mention this to illustrate how fortunate I was to be where I was, when Stevie boarded the train.

She got on at one stop and, by the time she had exited two stations later, I had had just enough time to take a picture of the wonderful tattoo on the back of her right calf, and pass her the blog info so she could contact me with more details.


Stevie has seven tattoos and this one came from the incomparable New York Adorned at the talented hands of Virginia Elwood. Stevie worked over several sessions with Virginia, ironing out the details of the piece, which was completed in one sitting.

There are three elements to the tattoo: the lotus, the hamsa, and the peacock feathers.

Via e-mail, Stevie explained:

I moved out here from the West Coast to teach in inner-city schools. When I first started teaching and things would get nerve-wracking I'd tap on this hamsa hand necklace I always wore. For whatever reason it calmed me down and reminded me that I was here to infuse some change and to do some awesome work. When I became an NYC Public School teacher I decided I'd like it on me permanently. The hamsa hand is a symbol of faith and clarity and that's what I think I found in myself, like my calling. The lotus flower goes along with this idea of rising to the surface and blossoming while the peacock feathers were an aesthetic touch.

Work from New York Adorned has appeared previously on the site here.

Thanks so much to Stevie for sharing her amazing work with us here on Tattoosday!

Japanese Koi Fish Tattoo

Japanese Koi Fish Tattoo

RANDOM TATTOO QUOTE: Your necklace may break, the fau tree may burst, but my tattooing is indestructible. It is an everlasting gem that you will take into your grave. ~Verse from a traditional tattoo artist's song, as quoted on pbs.org, "Skin Stories: The Art and Culture of Polynesian Tattoo," 2003

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