Shroomtastic!

Yesterday I was walking around Penn Station during lunch, as is my normal workday routine. I saw quite a few tattoos, but nothing seemed to impress. I was hoping to chance upon something a little more original than flowers, dragons and skulls.



I spotted a young woman talking to a few other people and a few of them had tattoos. I sauntered on over, figuring between them, I'd see something interesting. I wasn't disappointed.



Among the group was Mark, who shared this tattoo on the back of his calf:

Those are mushrooms. More specifically, psilocybin mushrooms, which have hallucinogenic properties.



The artist was the woman I initially spotted, a freelance "underground" tattooist from Oakland, California who gave her name as Steiner Ella.



Thanks to Mark and Steiner for sharing this cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!



This entry is ©2012 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.

The Great Big Banksy Post

I'd like to assume everyone knows who Banksy is, but then again, there was a point not too long ago when I didn't.

One of the nice things about this site is that it also acts as a personal timeline for me. Case in point: when I met Sarah and she shared this Banksy tattoo, I then became aware of the entity that made a name for himself (quite literally) by spray-painting graffiti around London.



How serious is this Banksy? When his documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop was nominated for an Oscar a couple years back, and he was in Los Angeles for the awards, he struck his graffiti claws into the City of Angels.


Art collectors were prepared, and within hours of his work being discovered, they had at it with jack hammers and chisels, removing the public display for private collectors, presumably at great profits.


I have since become familiar with Banksy through additional tattoo sightings (like this one) and from reading a few of the lovely books on the subject.


Last fall, I found two new books, companion volumes, that are exceptional introductions to Banksy, and also great companions to Banksy aficionados.

The two volumes, Banksy Locations & Tours Volume 1: A Collection of Graffiti Locations and Photographs in London, Englandand

Banksy Locations & Tours Volume 2: A Collection of Graffiti Locations and Photographs from around the UKare great companion pieces that help one discover the work of Banksy. The author, Martin Bull, is a photographer who led walking tours of Banksy's public art in various English locales. He has taken great pains to catalog every Banksy piece, many of which have been demolished, painted over, or extricated from their original homes.


We even get GPS coordinates, so a true connoisseur can visit Banksy's ghosts.



Bull gets a little repetitive bemoaning the "theft" of the originasl and cursing those that profit from their sale. But I was able to look past that, and chalk it up to his uncompromising love of his subject.



These are not glossy tomes, but handy little guidebooks that would be worthy travel companions on any Banksy fan's pilgrimage to London.



And why am I rambling and reviewing these books here on Tattoosday?



I did mention two previous Banksy inspired posts and, it should come as no surprise, I have two more to share from 2011, as we come very close to the end of our backlog.



The first is from Natasha who I met in the now-vacant Borders bookstore on Penn Plaza. She has this piece on her arm:

One of Banksy's signature pieces is the rat, and he has multiple sequences of street art that involve rats, which are perfect vehicles for shining lights on society. This particular piece from Natasha is a "helicopter rat".

She credits Hexx, formerly at Fort Apache Tattoo Studio in Manhattan. 



Natasha told me, "I was actually surprised when I got this that more people didn't recognize it, because so many people know Banksy now." The rat using a helicopter blade to paint in a presumably inaccessible location is a classic Banksy motif.



The second Banksy piece we're appreciating today is from Taylor, whose ink has appeared previously in Tattoosday here.

Since Taylor first appeared on Tattoosday, she's had a lot of work done, but most impressive is this Banksy piece on her lower back:






This tattoo is based on this amazing Banksy piece:

When I asked Taylor why she chose this particular piece of art, she replied "The way it's raining underneath the umbrella, I feel like it's always raining on me."



She credits Angel at Puncture Tattoo Studio in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, with inking this on her back.

Thanks to Natasha and Taylor for sharing their work with us here on Tattoosday. And, of course, thanks to Banksy for providing the inspiration.

This entry is ©2012 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.

Like If You Love Tattoo Girls ♥

sexomaties

Jesse's Tribute to Pee-wee

On a Saturday back in March, I was passing through Penn Station when I spotted Jesse, who had quite a few tattoos. He shared this great Pee-wee Herman tattoo on his foot:

Why did Jesse get Pee-wee inked on his foot? He explained, "When I was growing up, the only good thing that was happening in my childhood was watching his TV show [Pee-wee's Playhouse] ... so I felt like I owed it to him".


He credited this incredible piece to Blake Brand, a California-based artist who occasionally comes out to the East Coast and tattoos out of at Philadelphia Eddie's Chinatown Tattoo.



Thanks to Jesse for sharing this amazing piece on Tattoosday!




This entry is ©2012 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.

Κουκλαρα, κορμαρα, και τιγκα στα τατουαζ!!

Έκανε τατουάζ με 152 φίλους από το facebook!!!

Μία γυναίκα βιντεοσκόπησε τον εαυτό της καθώς έκανε ένα τατουάζ «μανίκι» με όλους τους πλησιέστερους φίλους της από το γνωστό κοινωνικό δίκτυο facebook και το ανέβασε στο YouTube.


Εν τω μεταξύ θεωρεί αρκετούς ανθρώπους κοντινούς της μιας και ο αριθμός τους φθάνει τους 152. Αυτός είναι δηλαδή ο αριθμός των φωτογραφιών που «χτύπησε» με μελάνι πάνω στο χέρι της. Όπως η ίδια δηλώνει η όλη διαδικασία κράτησε αρκετό καιρό, όμως τώρα που ολοκληρώθηκε μπορεί άνετα να το επιδεικνύει. Η γυναίκα φαίνεται να έχει επηρεαστεί από μία εταιρεία που εδρεύει στην Ολλανδία και προσφέρει στους πελάτες της την δυνατότητα να αποτυπώσουν τους φίλους όποιου του επιθυμεί σε μία πληθώρα πραγμάτων από ρολόγια μέχρι και σε ολόκληρα αυτοκίνητα.

Οι φίλοι όμως μπορεί να μην είναι παντοτινοί και τι θα γίνει αν κάποιος τη διαγράψει από φίλο ή πολύ απλά κατεβάσει το προφίλ του;

eglimatikotita.gr

Good Sparrow, Bad Sparrow

Last month along Eighth Avenue, I spotted Phillip, who had a ton of traditional ink. In fact, he had just had work done on his neck, rocking these two tattoos:

These two sparrows combine to represent a take on the good versus bad consciences that people have.



Phillip says he has "hundreds" of tattoos, and he credits Baz at New York Hardcore Tattoo with these pieces.



Thanks to Phillip for sharing these tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!



This entry is ©2012 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.

Wrapping Up The Tattooed Poets Project, Volume 4

Well, it’s May, which can only mean one thing here on Tattoosday - I’m exhausted.

Every year, I put together the Tattooed Poets Project in the month of April and it’s a labor of love. Toward the end of the month, however, it’s more labor and less love, and I am relieved when another National Poetry Month has passed.

So, I’m going to take a deep breath, and pause briefly, before we resume our normal programming here on Tattoosday.

However, before doing so, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who helped out with this year’s installment.

First and foremost, I’d like to thank all of the poets for their contributions. For a list of this (and previous) year’s inked scribes, you can visit the index at www.tattooedpoets.com.

Next, I’d like to thank David Lehman and Stacey Harwood from the Best American Poetry blog. They’ve been supporters of the project since its inception, they help publicize it every year and, in 2012, they helped even more by re-tweeting several of my posts.

Part of my process is to reach out to poets in the literary world, soliciting their submissions. Often, poets may not be tattooed, but they certainly know some who are. For that reason, I want to thank Tony Barnstone, Amy Newman, and Tim Donnelly, three un-inked poets who tipped me off to other poets who ended up in this year’s group of 35 contributors.

And of course, I want to thank the readers of Tattoosday, who continue to support the site through their appreciation of the site. In four years, we’ve featured 123 different poets, eight of whom have submitted work in multiple years. If no one visited, we’d be lonely indeed, and Tattoosday scored a record for April with 50,000 hits and a monthly high 89,643 page views (but who’s counting?). I am humbled by your interest and am motivated to make next year bigger and better for lovers of poetry and tattoos, everywhere.

Thank you again,

Bill Cohen

Όταν η τρέλα γίνεται.. τατουάζ (pics)

Τρελά και απίθανα τατουάζ που δεν βλέπεις και πολύ... συχνά

πηγη: kamikazi.gr

Δείτε το πιο… ανατριχιαστικό και «κουλό» τατουάζ ever

Kαι ειλικρινά δεν μπορούμε να καταλάβουμε τον λόγο που η συγκεκριμένη κοπέλα άντεξε τον πόνο της βελόνας προκειμένου να έχει αυτό το αποτέλεσμα… Δείτε και θα καταλάβετε..!

partyspirit

The Tattooed Poets Project: Puma Perl

Our final installment of the fourth annual Tattooed Poets Project is from a repeat contributor, Puma Perl.

Puma graced us last year with this contribution.



 Puma wanted to share her newest tattoo with us, and I couldn't possibly turn her down after I saw it:

Puma explains:

"This tattoo was just finished ... on Saturday 2/18/12. It is a companion piece to the mermaid with the Wonder Wheel on my back, which I sent you last year. I guess the Coney Island Theme will continue as Coney Island is torn down, or 'redeveloped.' Both pieces were done by Emma Griffiths, who now works out of Tattoo Culture."

As I live in south Brooklyn, near Coney Island in Bay Ridge, I can't help but be partial to Coney Island-themed tattoos.



Puma sent us a Coney Island-themed poem, to boot:



CONEY ISLAND FEBRUARY
 
He leaves,
the sounds
of a concrete
boardwalk
trailing behind him
 
and I dream
of bass players
and Coney Island,
broken benches
and Coney Island
 
and I dream
of warm peaches
and Coney Island
burlesque babes
and Coney Island
 
I dream
I dream of
Coney Island
 
and I wake,
hands filled
with pussy,
 
unsatisfying,
but I go on
because
progress
must continue.

~ ~ ~

Puma Perl is a NYC-based writer, performance artist, and curator. Her poetry and fiction have been published in over 100 print and online journals and anthologies. 

She is the author of the award-winning chapbook, Belinda and Her Friends, and a full length collection, knuckle tattoos. 

She lives and writes on the Lower East Side and has facilitated writing workshops in community based agencies and at Riker’s Island, a NYC prison. She is a founding member of DDAY Productions, which presents poetry and performance events. Link to her blog for info about book purchases and events: http://pumaperl.blogspot.com/.

Thanks to Puma Perl for her contribution and for rounding out this year's Tattooed Poets Project!

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission.

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.

The Tattooed Poets Project: Shana Wolstein

Our penultimate tattooed poet is Shana Wolstein, who sent us this photo:

Shana explains:

The word 'always,' was the first tattoo I got. It's on my left-wrist, facing me. The song 'Always,' by Irving Berlin, was what my mother used to sing to us when we were sad as children. My sister got a similar tattoo and when my dad asked what my mother would have said, we both had to sheepishly grin because the answer was always 'Wait until I'm dead.'

I got it while I was studying abroad in China and visiting Hong Kong, a few months after she passed away. I wrote [the following] poem after visiting Tai Shan or Mount Tai, one of the 'Five Sacred Mountains' in China. According to Wikipedia 'it is associated with sunrise, birth, and renewal.' "

My Journey of Over 6,000 Steps

The best way to cure a cold
is to climb up the tallest mountain
you can find. Spot as many lucky
birds, rest on every turn, and when
a man offers to carry you—refuse.

When you think you can't go any further,
you will. Like the bird pacing
the ground and shuffling dirt
with his beak, you need patience.

When you close a lock, throw the key
down the mountainside, it can only make
the bond stronger. Forget about food,
or what you thought it was, question

the safety of bottled water, watch old
women climb faster than you, watch
the clouds erase your time, the sun
write it on the walls, the dry stones bleach.

 ~ ~ ~

Shana Wolstein has her MFA from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, where she was the 2011 recipient of the Herb Scott Award for Excellence in Poetry. She has been published by Third Coast Magazine, Anomalous Press, Hinchas de Poesia, OVS Magazine, and more. Still in Kalamazoo, she works as Coordinator for the Prague Summer Program and Managing Editor of the academic journal Reading Horizons.



Thanks to Shana for sharing her poem and tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!



This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission. 




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.