Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i - Sylvia's Back Piece

The one day in Hawai'i when I didn't take any tattoo pictures, I did pass out a few fliers. One I handed to a woman sitting in a chair at the <a href="http://www.kapahuluavenue.com/?p=112">Safeway Center on Kapahulu Avenue</a>.<br /><br />She had what appeared to be an incredible back piece, the top of which was visible to passers-by.<br /><br />Sylvia later e-mailed me and shared a link to a site that featured a photo of the tattoo, along with an explanation of the piece. I have extracted it here for the enjoyment of the Tattoosday audience.<br /><br />First, the tattoo:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVUGjcnKG0cEAeTRf67BJ68JL5IxybJ5feVAWXDM_Z0LhRQx3PFxQv72FDz5aYiX5SKrq7P2Qka3FGu5AkxacTGKluEj7G-v07voVQPkpr-bGndF3wZqRlgYpdwDZt4_48WBMT2YIf/s1600/sylvia+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVUGjcnKG0cEAeTRf67BJ68JL5IxybJ5feVAWXDM_Z0LhRQx3PFxQv72FDz5aYiX5SKrq7P2Qka3FGu5AkxacTGKluEj7G-v07voVQPkpr-bGndF3wZqRlgYpdwDZt4_48WBMT2YIf/s400/sylvia+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Sylvia explains:<br /><br /><blockquote>"My tattoo represents my ancestry...from the family of the 'Royal Hawai'ian Ole' (chanters of the Alii court), from the snowy mountains of Japan, the homeland of <a href="http://tastyislandhawaii.com/blog/2010/01/13/time-for-zippys-portuguese-bean-soup/">Portuguese Bean soup</a>, and the inter-mix marriages of American Indians and Puerto Ricans. I believe the seven I have on my back describe who I am the best. Most locals have meaning for <u>their</u> tattoos but we also have people like <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2009/12/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-tattoo-with.html">Lindsay</a> who just go with <u>their</u> flow. Many families have several signs that make up <u>their</u> families even as far as the Scottish Clan "<a href="http://www.clan-duncan.co.uk/">Duncan</a>" like me..."</blockquote><br />What's wonderful about this tattoo to me is that Sylvia has incorporated so many cultures and motifs into the design which, as she acknowledges, is based on the wonderful mix of heritage and ancestry that comprises her background. This is very typical of people who live in Hawai'i, which is host to such an explosion of multicultural intermingling.<br /><br />I love how the honu/sea turtle brings all of the elements together. The eagle, dragonfly, bear paw, wolf, buffalo, and shark all join to provide a rich tapestry of images that each speak to a different aspect of her heritage.<br /><br />Sylvia's tattoo was inked by <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thestainremains">Joseph Garcia</a>, <a href="http://local.yahoo.com/info-21877195-trigga-happy-tattoo-waipahu">Trigga Happy Tattoo</a> in Waipahu. Eagle, Dragonfly, Bear Paw, Turtle, Wolf, Buffalo, and Shark.<br /><br />Thanks to Sylvia for responding to me initially and for sharing her tattoo via her post <a href="http://wwwyolga.yolasite.com/index/-tattoos-">here</a>. We here at Tattoosday appreciate your contribution!

Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i - Sylvia's Back Piece

The one day in Hawai'i when I didn't take any tattoo pictures, I did pass out a few fliers. One I handed to a woman sitting in a cha...

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Dispatch from the NYC Tattoo Convention - Greg's Amazing Back Piece

My wife Melanie and I were standing at the balcony, looking down at the floor of the <a href="http://roselandballroom.com/">Roseland Ballroom</a> this past weekend at the<a href="http://www.nyctattooconvention.com/"> New York City Tattoo Convention</a>. This offered us a great vantage point of the stage and the mass of inked humanity in attendance.<br /><br />Just to our left down below was one shop booth where a guy was standing with blue tattoos on his arms and you could tell he had color on his back, as well. Occasionally, he would turn toward our position and pull up his shirt to reveal his back to people in the booth. Camera clashes blinked and faces lit up with surprise, shock, and sheer admiration.<br /><br />The first time I saw this, it piqued my curiosity, but so did a lot of things at the show. Then , we saw why he was eliciting such reactions. He turned away from us to reveal one of the more amazing back pieces I have seen. I decided that I'd love to have this as my obligatory post from the convention.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYf1lokpAeV5JGAIGuQ6XVbsg1w1Nwjo-M27kDMwaV06J2f6NhoH3AUSCnJDLlHxV1z-_d7MoLKtoM41f3ZzwDsrHgCcovgKc16e_fA5rNtaB-VBA9LQVmXBZDgQBva6J7v4es7GA/s1600/greg+in+booth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYf1lokpAeV5JGAIGuQ6XVbsg1w1Nwjo-M27kDMwaV06J2f6NhoH3AUSCnJDLlHxV1z-_d7MoLKtoM41f3ZzwDsrHgCcovgKc16e_fA5rNtaB-VBA9LQVmXBZDgQBva6J7v4es7GA/s400/greg+in+booth.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />Behold, his work, up close:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGY0TJWhXx_6BWLeXwPwgvTGN5gRQMws2weK654laSiaCxeE3MaSJv17b-D8iOonHgMBXEDyBvzLDgGcGCcSqCksTQS2cTTp0W56rVzV5Hi_Q756qtrllg8QyhsdcEQIsujIvwBs3J/s1600/Shark+Boy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGY0TJWhXx_6BWLeXwPwgvTGN5gRQMws2weK654laSiaCxeE3MaSJv17b-D8iOonHgMBXEDyBvzLDgGcGCcSqCksTQS2cTTp0W56rVzV5Hi_Q756qtrllg8QyhsdcEQIsujIvwBs3J/s400/Shark+Boy.jpg" width="321" /></a></div><br /><br />Greg, the host of this astonishing tattoo, spent one and a half years having this worked on by Ian Shafer at <a href="http://www.screaminink.com/index.php">Screamin' Ink Tattoo & Body Piercing</a> in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5rCtdE1pUMbVTnGwKHwd93vZ-vELkWbi5RCtEWlng0NolqvCQDiVCqV81C_mny38vZv4I0Z1TJT8E0-qbTQAq-JQsqf5-n_0nb1X7pI6pvinAf5zh2-crE-Q8WNlE-MSd2AJb8Gcc/s1600/scan0007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5rCtdE1pUMbVTnGwKHwd93vZ-vELkWbi5RCtEWlng0NolqvCQDiVCqV81C_mny38vZv4I0Z1TJT8E0-qbTQAq-JQsqf5-n_0nb1X7pI6pvinAf5zh2-crE-Q8WNlE-MSd2AJb8Gcc/s320/scan0007.jpg" /></a></div><br />Greg also has this pretty cool <i>Jaws</i> tattoo on his upper left arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDg5Ebn1yYj31zHDrzrt106GuyS6sp_Y4wfTshhIXwA1pwkwN5vGZvRzchaP8zQpB6eaZKsv4Y3sVIQPQBnwkn21sgHPSgcMjFMIsQhYrTxDwn62iqR3Aw9U1i7A0zID68Oo-LmBPi/s1600/jaws.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDg5Ebn1yYj31zHDrzrt106GuyS6sp_Y4wfTshhIXwA1pwkwN5vGZvRzchaP8zQpB6eaZKsv4Y3sVIQPQBnwkn21sgHPSgcMjFMIsQhYrTxDwn62iqR3Aw9U1i7A0zID68Oo-LmBPi/s640/jaws.jpg" width="324" /></a></div><br />and this amazing Great White shark on the inside of his biceps:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRvkxovQsjC-8rHdkjw9GziElGa8hE6dbQcOl5FI9BWu1thJFzQkXRGgxzQs_VUCzqH7-JRQHIyxp0CfNK56Q3L26XzMQa2anUhNNVosaG7EbDJMtCK7J1Xl0xIoxJrHyHjQBYk7w/s1600/bicep+shark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRvkxovQsjC-8rHdkjw9GziElGa8hE6dbQcOl5FI9BWu1thJFzQkXRGgxzQs_VUCzqH7-JRQHIyxp0CfNK56Q3L26XzMQa2anUhNNVosaG7EbDJMtCK7J1Xl0xIoxJrHyHjQBYk7w/s400/bicep+shark.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Greg explained to me that, aside from the obvious love of sharks that he has, the original film was the first movie he remembers seeing with his father. It doesn't hurt that he's a Pisces, either, one of the water-based astrological signs.<br /><br />And, in case you were wondering, Greg told several of us who were admiring the work that the most painful part of this tattoo was the work on the buttocks. Ouch. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvNR1Ptm2lGXHSCOI0tjfrGLQmEV25ZtHlzswZmdaXUmZsJnFaoWQLjqYnlNptWyToIv8YtTmBM88XyOxNWCmE8RIUBnkQ6oHdw-qi760yDQfrWZgBtgKlNjw-uo3Qc6HK7GooJCK/s1600/Shark+back+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvNR1Ptm2lGXHSCOI0tjfrGLQmEV25ZtHlzswZmdaXUmZsJnFaoWQLjqYnlNptWyToIv8YtTmBM88XyOxNWCmE8RIUBnkQ6oHdw-qi760yDQfrWZgBtgKlNjw-uo3Qc6HK7GooJCK/s400/Shark+back+detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I took photos of several other tattoos that Greg had but decided they would just detract from this phenomenal tattoo.<br /><br />A hearty thanks to Greg who was very cool in showing off his work on a day where I'm sure he had to remove his shirt more than a few times.

Dispatch from the NYC Tattoo Convention - Greg's Amazing Back Piece

My wife Melanie and I were standing at the balcony, looking down at the floor of the Roseland Ballroom this past weekend at the New York C...

Read more »