Tattoo Design: Sunflowers

Riding uptown on the 3 train, I see a sleeve half way across the car that just looks amazing. I can't make out the specifics, but the color and detail tell me it's a fantastic piece.<br /><br />The problem is, it's a crowded express train during rush hour, and unless this guy gets off when I get off, I won't get a chance to talk to him.<br /><br />As luck would have it, he does xit the train at the same stop, and as I am trying to catch up with him as he heads upstairs, and across Broadway, I recognize his left sleeve. His name is Kyle, I interviewed him in 2008 (using a borrowed camera, no less) and his post appeared <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/05/kyles-take-on-heaven-and-hell.html">here</a>.<br /><br />This is new ink, however, and when I finally catch Kyle on the north side of 72nd, it takes a moment, but he remembers me, and is happy to share his new work, which bears a similar theme to the tattoo I spotted last time our paths crossed:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnr10h-1YRq_3Z-huqYXbLvZMHDX65c9o6InRHz3bXMYC5iGaNiKur7qPxSQUBvX4ygmbd_MAY1riIS4OOWNK4NqI2nV5tZbV1p4jsg5FFyOcR8Y3l6JJcHrhDcO1sEms9JtBHQAA1QUI/s1600/industrial+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnr10h-1YRq_3Z-huqYXbLvZMHDX65c9o6InRHz3bXMYC5iGaNiKur7qPxSQUBvX4ygmbd_MAY1riIS4OOWNK4NqI2nV5tZbV1p4jsg5FFyOcR8Y3l6JJcHrhDcO1sEms9JtBHQAA1QUI/s1600/industrial+.jpg" /></a></div><br />It is by the same artist, <a href="http://myleskarr.tumblr.com/">Myles Karr</a>, who had done the tattoo from the  original post when he was at <a href="http://www.savedtattoo.com/">Saved Tattoo</a>. Myles is now at <a href="http://www.threekingstattoo.com/site/">Three Kings</a>,  also in Brooklyn.<br /><br />Like the prior encounter, from over three years ago (May 2008), the  right sleeve is a dichotomy. The left sleeve is a city vs country  tension. This piece is dominated by a burst of sunflowers, which travel  down the arm and circle the elbow.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1f9FMmtXLGr-Ft6V5vk6mTm_WiQ39ygYkfEg2sgxlQZSTYKlMlXJfU7XB2ll8ZwgFhxpRATC6Tw_Wf84_JvXdczVOFAkOT0NYj4X86Hqh2LU4ZVrIooawdsJJ31JimtOH-v6rufpqv4/s1600/industrial+elbow+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1f9FMmtXLGr-Ft6V5vk6mTm_WiQ39ygYkfEg2sgxlQZSTYKlMlXJfU7XB2ll8ZwgFhxpRATC6Tw_Wf84_JvXdczVOFAkOT0NYj4X86Hqh2LU4ZVrIooawdsJJ31JimtOH-v6rufpqv4/s640/industrial+elbow+detail.jpg" width="292" /></a></div><br />On the flip side is another cityscape, this time more silhouetted, and  he explains that his near-pastoral umbringing was punctuated by the  sunflowers he and his mother harvested. This, juxtaposed by the  industrial city, is the center of the tension between the two aspects of  the tattoo.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2HXHc2ZegGkmndwkbP-mq3h7NlEYWV0MTUQCttI9CgaCaebXj1BEmAFuU6v_YOaSpzTFo8aofzAuWJH21rZKdgsXXwtFcScvTGpMPnOq0hcqfTiv4kEsr5oGvEqXdmbi_9G3xfXdOnU/s1600/Indsutrial+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2HXHc2ZegGkmndwkbP-mq3h7NlEYWV0MTUQCttI9CgaCaebXj1BEmAFuU6v_YOaSpzTFo8aofzAuWJH21rZKdgsXXwtFcScvTGpMPnOq0hcqfTiv4kEsr5oGvEqXdmbi_9G3xfXdOnU/s640/Indsutrial+detail.jpg" width="389" /></a></div><br />As an afterthought, I snapped a shot of the murder of crows lining the inside of his arm. "I just love crows," he told me.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOMU_7tn4OLzoxLvNA1HRiqvYwpW5xPT6NX-AHUvBtQODkRWoV_ymdtlIpZ-AcoqP4jXUq3VtFCkjfrBKR9NFhouTDjmQWSY0FmF7yf9-2lBCVSwEKhw-RS7EVrvoFCGg5imPOrJL61sE/s1600/Crows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOMU_7tn4OLzoxLvNA1HRiqvYwpW5xPT6NX-AHUvBtQODkRWoV_ymdtlIpZ-AcoqP4jXUq3VtFCkjfrBKR9NFhouTDjmQWSY0FmF7yf9-2lBCVSwEKhw-RS7EVrvoFCGg5imPOrJL61sE/s640/Crows.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />He also offered up this shin piece, also by Myles Karr:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYDWx9cB9KGOanDn557w54R_GlUDV4QfsH9zkeCqH_H5DMt01rVlwSux9xvu21SwGLBmoWsyt2tAldBmWf_UBWWc3wpLy-epwL5bAMTZO5P72hdfKb7Qez-LAQHtrCgYTmgsjvFXm8EKI/s1600/circus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYDWx9cB9KGOanDn557w54R_GlUDV4QfsH9zkeCqH_H5DMt01rVlwSux9xvu21SwGLBmoWsyt2tAldBmWf_UBWWc3wpLy-epwL5bAMTZO5P72hdfKb7Qez-LAQHtrCgYTmgsjvFXm8EKI/s1600/circus.jpg" /></a></div><br />He explained it is an old-time traditional circus strongman, as old circus  and sideshow imagery being another style of designs that he likes.<br /><br />It was great seeing Kyle again and appreciating the amazing work he had added since our paths last crossed three years ago. Thanks to Kyle for sharing his tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br />  <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">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 <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> 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.</span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>

Kyle's Industrial Sunflowers

Riding uptown on the 3 train, I see a sleeve half way across the car that just looks amazing. I can't make out the specifics, but the co...

A trip to the Fairway market in Red Hook last month was not only remarkable for the experience with the cheese monger, but because I met Jessica, the owner of this beautiful tattoo:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQpYqLfPB9pw_UV_2XTW07CvAFhVjYNodxKdN2l6ZvOVYY3D-CsB2VgCyvj8rWRTEJt_DiOKYfJ50PtqOe55zgJ8q1HeQgN-dAJWPaq1JJXCe8aR3VTfGxIvmF0F1lbai3bvKdTvn/s1600/Floral+Fairway+wm+rotate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQpYqLfPB9pw_UV_2XTW07CvAFhVjYNodxKdN2l6ZvOVYY3D-CsB2VgCyvj8rWRTEJt_DiOKYfJ50PtqOe55zgJ8q1HeQgN-dAJWPaq1JJXCe8aR3VTfGxIvmF0F1lbai3bvKdTvn/s640/Floral+Fairway+wm+rotate.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWTjX7WO-LJ3jrltKCyjBug_NumLthCvpl_2ZIRtuD26zXL8h4OcnBTjaz6qkYCSpoI4cjFt5XybIjn2NqGdnuJWGlc9SoS41onvm74UX4jvhNUznCdDxOIwku6f4al6ggqgZHoxy/s1600/Floral+Fairway+2+wm+.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWTjX7WO-LJ3jrltKCyjBug_NumLthCvpl_2ZIRtuD26zXL8h4OcnBTjaz6qkYCSpoI4cjFt5XybIjn2NqGdnuJWGlc9SoS41onvm74UX4jvhNUznCdDxOIwku6f4al6ggqgZHoxy/s640/Floral+Fairway+2+wm+.png" width="306" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love the variety of flowers, colors, and textures: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsGRf3EQ3m9ZKqTLxl2N3o6MSaiBzW-12Dx-sK-IIavUMcmVCGfNsjYz3FxpBteQ27gDuIM2Fqbc1xPLCBtbF6gEgEngVRbxTz2RVrTJllCBNxD8ynOwN_ml3JDIs9bIjmwgSICZZ/s1600/Floral+Fairway+2+detail.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsGRf3EQ3m9ZKqTLxl2N3o6MSaiBzW-12Dx-sK-IIavUMcmVCGfNsjYz3FxpBteQ27gDuIM2Fqbc1xPLCBtbF6gEgEngVRbxTz2RVrTJllCBNxD8ynOwN_ml3JDIs9bIjmwgSICZZ/s640/Floral+Fairway+2+detail.png" width="424" /></a></div><br />Jessica credited this work to Greg at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Poughkeepsie-NY/Planet-New-York-Tattoo/149896683154">Planet New York Tattoo</a> in Poughkeepsie.<br /><br />Thanks to Jessica for sharing this beautiful tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Jessica's Floral Half-Sleeve

A trip to the Fairway market in Red Hook last month was not only remarkable for the experience with the cheese monger, but because I met Jes...

Tattoo Design

Kyle's Industrial Sunflowers

Jessica's Floral Half-Sleeve

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