Sean's Garnish, Inspired by a Friend

<div class="MsoNormal">When I met Sean last month, he had several tattoos to choose from. We ended up selecting this piece, on his left wrist:</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjq6-EdpElp5w6vyTr4LVK5yqV2IBoUEjvDQ7VV3rawXrM13rR2PxgcvK0xa4l9K4C1-2bICK63uccLoPqO-CVzUgKl6QgRnkyvDDb5z9QWdF7lC7e3fwR_qEbe5Gz2JwU7D0KpwIo3Vg/s1600/pineapple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjq6-EdpElp5w6vyTr4LVK5yqV2IBoUEjvDQ7VV3rawXrM13rR2PxgcvK0xa4l9K4C1-2bICK63uccLoPqO-CVzUgKl6QgRnkyvDDb5z9QWdF7lC7e3fwR_qEbe5Gz2JwU7D0KpwIo3Vg/s640/pineapple.jpg" width="284" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Granted, there's two tattoos in this photo, but I was fascinated by the pineapple and cherry tattoo. That's not something you see every day. Sean, who is a hairdresser from the Boston area, explained:</div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">"My best friend Sandrine Schaefer is a performance artist ... she did work where she would use pineapples and cherries on her body, because they're also used as common meat garnishes. And her artwork is a lot about feminism and veganism."</div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal">Ms. Schaefer, whose website is here, is a prolific artist worth checking out.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal">The tattoo was inked by Lucky Matthews at Fat Ram's Pumpkin Tattoo in the Jamaica Plain section of the greater Boston area.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal">As for the "Mom" tattoo, above it on the forearm, there is really no explanation needed, but I did want to credit the artist, Edwin Marquez at Regeneration Tattoo in Allston, Massachusetts.</div>

Sean's Garnish, Inspired by a Friend

When I met Sean last month, he had several tattoos to choose from. We ended up selecting this piece, on his left wrist: Granted, there's...

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Three's Not a Crowd

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I met a trio of friends hanging out in Penn Station in early October, waiting for their train back to Rhode Island.<br /><br />I spotted Darius first, which was understandable, as he has seventeen tattoos. Kenny and Katie, his friends, each boasted a modest three tattoos apiece, and offered up theirs as well.<br /><br />Let's start with Darius, who has this traditional Mom and Sparrow tattoo on his forearm:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTmnUCotuss7WG0b6uDtR5md5lIU3rCexqDY6amg4jpAZVA_dMVTwKLBtRarJSJ0Y3JkmSGEPLK2MkVX0RyLKeI-hTFK_FDhxak_chmsEAhZnFzLwa5GIHmu-a8mC8Cj2_hBlA2CRdx6g/s1600/Mom+Sparrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTmnUCotuss7WG0b6uDtR5md5lIU3rCexqDY6amg4jpAZVA_dMVTwKLBtRarJSJ0Y3JkmSGEPLK2MkVX0RyLKeI-hTFK_FDhxak_chmsEAhZnFzLwa5GIHmu-a8mC8Cj2_hBlA2CRdx6g/s640/Mom+Sparrow.jpg" width="434" /></a></div><br />He said that he and two other friends got the same tattoo.<br /><br />This was done by <a href="http://whiskeynotwater.com/home.html">Jae Audette</a> at <a href="http://mcinnistattoo.com/home.html">Mcinnis Tattoo Company</a>  in Providence, Rhode Island. Work from the shop appeared previously on the site <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Mcinnis%20Tattoo%20Company">here</a>.<br /><br />The other tattoo, on his bicep, is this set of brass knuckles that says "Knuckle Up":<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8y0DzAmuIf8GeU2DNHfiKMFU6w9NZ4cspzZ0ZYMnq6vSF5iBZigZ-xm5KD9ClzxNJ1ImxHVyDC2TTcCTJEVJbyju4gShXXf18mpVsK7S4E4kKo0enxuTfwyaFPSmLVdPfmBzXTViPjo/s1600/knuckle+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8y0DzAmuIf8GeU2DNHfiKMFU6w9NZ4cspzZ0ZYMnq6vSF5iBZigZ-xm5KD9ClzxNJ1ImxHVyDC2TTcCTJEVJbyju4gShXXf18mpVsK7S4E4kKo0enxuTfwyaFPSmLVdPfmBzXTViPjo/s400/knuckle+up.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />This was done by <a href="http://www.alteredimagestattoo.net/forrest.aspx">Forrest Curl</a> at <a href="http://www.alteredimagestattoo.net/">Altered Images Tattoo Studio</a> in Cumberland, Rhode Island.<br /><br />Also from Altered Images is this still-in-progress rib piece on Kenny:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnk5GSUP1gaCg6S5HWmnMJSCSmrDtLLwb4MAXiuKth0gl27G68P52xd9tEqFZZz4ynTuzbF4GMOFRMekYk-aM3swq-YNvZOb3IuR6L1p3LuJ29zk8JCu4vRuaLeBR6SEb7ec_Qlksrtk/s1600/Crimson+King.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnk5GSUP1gaCg6S5HWmnMJSCSmrDtLLwb4MAXiuKth0gl27G68P52xd9tEqFZZz4ynTuzbF4GMOFRMekYk-aM3swq-YNvZOb3IuR6L1p3LuJ29zk8JCu4vRuaLeBR6SEb7ec_Qlksrtk/s640/Crimson+King.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />This is a depiction of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson_King">The Crimson King</a> from <a href="http://www.stephenking.com/index.html">Stephen King's</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Tower_%28series%29">Dark Tower Series</a>. As you would imagine, Kenny is a huge fan.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.alteredimagestattoo.net/rob.aspx">Rob Young</a> is the artist who is working on this piece.<br /><br />Katie then generously offered to show me her tattoo, which runs down her spine:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMK8K8O8f_UOxiSGow_Wu-hUAfdQWY_eb-VD-IQjB-Mnbf9zQnTTWc7qy9j515bz0cfRAX35CDBTeHgUd9uyVtzcRxZfSu4bLVGa3lct8ecrdLYlRHYoJOwS0vyS9ejfh1C1RxynyQdzQ/s1600/Family+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMK8K8O8f_UOxiSGow_Wu-hUAfdQWY_eb-VD-IQjB-Mnbf9zQnTTWc7qy9j515bz0cfRAX35CDBTeHgUd9uyVtzcRxZfSu4bLVGa3lct8ecrdLYlRHYoJOwS0vyS9ejfh1C1RxynyQdzQ/s640/Family+1.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><br />When I asked if she wouldn't mind sending me another photo, since the tattoo was partially obscured by her bra strap, she didn't hesitate to unhook it so I could photograph the whole tattoo, unobscured:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9yDNRHbpEiOsKMiOZpszlvL_KAJl43w3YctQdFA_8p1AbgETl0JOqTW2GK-86BcZMSAXQNDwRNselDlozVQFbEbcIJK3N1y4P-ZXGfRLkOQMOf1wx_SegePx9vX1eas56cHOsGwi-64/s1600/Family+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9yDNRHbpEiOsKMiOZpszlvL_KAJl43w3YctQdFA_8p1AbgETl0JOqTW2GK-86BcZMSAXQNDwRNselDlozVQFbEbcIJK3N1y4P-ZXGfRLkOQMOf1wx_SegePx9vX1eas56cHOsGwi-64/s640/Family+2.jpg" width="368" /></a></div><br />Katie explained that her heritage is Armenian, and that the letters down her spine spell the word for "family".<br /><br />She added that two of her cousins have the same tattoo, but inked on their arms.<br /><br />She also noted that the infinity symbol at the base of her neck speaks to the Armenian text and symbolizes, for her, "family forever".<br /><br />She did not recall the name of the shop where she had this done, but recalled it was on Long Island, New York, and that the artist was "Joey D".<br /><br />Thanks to Darius, Kenny and Katie for sharing their tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Three's Not a Crowd

I met a trio of friends hanging out in Penn Station in early October, waiting for their train back to Rhode Island. I spotted Darius first, ...

Read more »