Joe is Armed with Words of Strength

Last month on 86th Street in Brooklyn, I met Joe, who shared this cool tattoo on his right bicep:<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNkK1m5yc_d-LyY4U2-ERcPTHvSspVUcjfqiQ7ewuDakNutXDejNRQXlTmW-zdkYaiZdqmSsxMBVoHjkLxuukPWGKwO74iQHmmq4S3Zs7oOH_4mTgNA4KcXEaCpYvNSIHwW9wtxlLGY5U/s1600/nietzsche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNkK1m5yc_d-LyY4U2-ERcPTHvSspVUcjfqiQ7ewuDakNutXDejNRQXlTmW-zdkYaiZdqmSsxMBVoHjkLxuukPWGKwO74iQHmmq4S3Zs7oOH_4mTgNA4KcXEaCpYvNSIHwW9wtxlLGY5U/s400/nietzsche.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <span class="st">Joe credited Matt Van Cura, formerly of Lark Tattoo. Matt now works out of Da Vinci Tattoo in Watagh, New York. </span><br /> <span class="st"></span><br /> Joe came in with an idea for this piece, armed only with the phrase "<span class="st">Increscunt animi virescit volnere virtus," and worked with Matt for a couple of hours as they pieced the art together. Be sure to click on the photo to get a larger view of the exceptional shading, line work and detail. </span><br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtewqqgEvxd8HgIHmTzHs_mgBrEei29f-jPE8Lz1DtmfrrfuXJYAUx4S9lmZOPnTmXvxMTAGD1c1g_wiLgchCyWAGWhct8dkBlMDelCMzDmOH_sUIJqH2XOH1_bqOCZCiaTjQNnkflW1c/s1600/nietzsche+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtewqqgEvxd8HgIHmTzHs_mgBrEei29f-jPE8Lz1DtmfrrfuXJYAUx4S9lmZOPnTmXvxMTAGD1c1g_wiLgchCyWAGWhct8dkBlMDelCMzDmOH_sUIJqH2XOH1_bqOCZCiaTjQNnkflW1c/s400/nietzsche+detail.jpg" width="303" /></a></div><br /> <span class="st">When I asked what the Latin translated to, Joe told me it meant "the spirit grows, strength is restored through wounding." A little research on my end revealed that the exact translation,"the spirits increase, vigor grows through a wound," is a quote attributed to the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche from </span><u><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: small;">Die Götzen-Dämmerung (Twilight of the Idols)</span></u><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">.</span></span><u><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: small;"><br /> </span></u>

Joe is Armed with Words of Strength

Last month on 86th Street in Brooklyn, I met Joe, who shared this cool tattoo on his right bicep: Joe credited Matt Van Cura, formerly of...

Read more »

Sew You Want a Cool Tattoo? Check This One out from Vicky...

I met Vicky back in August outside of Penn Station and marveled about the colorful vibrancy of this beautiful tattoo:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-bG0MIUcS53AHJlfq-8tvphMhOJL4Bkcil5VwiGMdnuIoyvtXHZrhaw8FzShzDkHgb5jUhlAqKsjQoKpjPNIVd8qJVhtOhEpgMTc9n0lGqnBrpNQ6TB2sHq4GwOUsxZupNsVAo3G/s1600/Sewing+Machine+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-bG0MIUcS53AHJlfq-8tvphMhOJL4Bkcil5VwiGMdnuIoyvtXHZrhaw8FzShzDkHgb5jUhlAqKsjQoKpjPNIVd8qJVhtOhEpgMTc9n0lGqnBrpNQ6TB2sHq4GwOUsxZupNsVAo3G/s640/Sewing+Machine+wm.jpg" width="380" /></a></div><br />Vicky explained that she is a seamstress for a new company called <a href="http://www.cupcakeprovocateur.com/">Cupcake Provocateur</a>. Check out their site, it's pretty cool. Vicky's boss, Cynthia, is the brainchild behind the business, designing all of the aprons and other housewares, as well as making the cupcakes. There are several tattoo-inspired apron designs on their site, including this <a href="http://www.cupcakeprovocateur.com/item_280/Bella-Chef-Apron--Tea-For-Tattoo.htm">one</a>, which would make a great holiday gift, no?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKcIEtOO5mfYJc0uy_e3HCgOIk3jhRPECMuoxEXH9ntGF8UUAtqqiMVA8ZA1z5zf_cAwK6aBOpsEcPM6Psgwu4ssbXfJqQ5QzYVKB7uOCHwGXxpZlxAkke61RP3d1hbKnlBtY8JZA/s1600/aprons013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKcIEtOO5mfYJc0uy_e3HCgOIk3jhRPECMuoxEXH9ntGF8UUAtqqiMVA8ZA1z5zf_cAwK6aBOpsEcPM6Psgwu4ssbXfJqQ5QzYVKB7uOCHwGXxpZlxAkke61RP3d1hbKnlBtY8JZA/s640/aprons013.jpg" width="342" /></a></div><br />But back to the tattoo, Vicky hopes to grow this tattoo into a half-sleeve, and it started out as a design that she had <a href="http://www.salonserpent.com/Home.html">Angelique Houtkamp</a> design for her. "It wasn't drawn exactly the way I wanted it," Vicky explained, so she took it to <a href="http://skinflower.net/index.php?option=com_contact&Itemid=49">Sunday Dawne-Marie</a> at <a href="http://skinflower.net/index.php">Skinflower Cosmic Arts</a> in Phoenecia, New York and, she continued, "Sunday went with my basic idea, an antique sewing machine in a cameo, and re-drew and re-designed the entire thing."<br /><br />I am most familiar with Sunday's work at <a href="http://larktattoo.com/">Lark Tattoo</a> on the poet <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/04/tattooed-poets-project-adam-deutsch.html">Adam Deutsch</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Vicky for sharing her amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday! We look forward to seeing the sleeve grow in the future!

Sew You Want a Cool Tattoo? Check This One out from Vicky...

I met Vicky back in August outside of Penn Station and marveled about the colorful vibrancy of this beautiful tattoo: Vicky explained that s...

Read more »