Megan's Empress Impresses

I spotted Megan at the end of September walking down West 23rd Street in Chelsea.<br /><br />She has an amazing sleeve-in-progress but, because it is still unfinished, she offered up this tattoo, on her upper right arm, instead:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcO4coICJUm8J-AqVibD8Xb1CMKGdwiag9eX_vGKd66b4fG6gkq2Yk-jlp56kZ8MQTG4YlBPCh006eRwsAyFuVDC8-FCDpN9NYFRAuk0-qzekt0-_8PtC3zq9rCpui5CkkX17Sexwg6Bo/s1600/Tarot+Card+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcO4coICJUm8J-AqVibD8Xb1CMKGdwiag9eX_vGKd66b4fG6gkq2Yk-jlp56kZ8MQTG4YlBPCh006eRwsAyFuVDC8-FCDpN9NYFRAuk0-qzekt0-_8PtC3zq9rCpui5CkkX17Sexwg6Bo/s640/Tarot+Card+wm.jpg" width="352" /></a></div><br />This <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarot_of_Marseilles">tarot card</a> is significant because her mother is from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carribean">Caribbean</a> and she grew up with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santer%C3%ADa">Santerían</a> religion in her household.<br /><br />She has a profound respect for tarot cards and based on the time and date of her birth, has what she refers to as a "weird numerology".<br /><br />This card is known as L'Impératrice,or <a href="http://www.tarotpedia.com/wiki/Empress">The Empress</a>, and has a very positive meaning. As interpreted by one site (<a href="http://tarotcardsreading.blogspot.com/2007/10/limpratrice-impress-arcana-iii-3.html">here</a>):<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Empress seems to be sure of herself, calm, intelligent, worthy.</span> <span style="font-family: verdana;">This major arcana represents the capacity, the Empress clothing is luxurious and invaluable.</span> <span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />This arcana is extremely positive...</span> <span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>...<span style="font-family: verdana;">In the right position the Empress represents the intelligence, dignity, the authority, the mother, the wife, the right decisions.</span></blockquote><br />The detail in this tattoo is amazing:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPJOhPQhHGnN8nbG_UpP4xOsT83QmyBJBLjv3OMFxdvwV_pGUv8GHCIcS2Azn-OHpVlJW9jFReTqty5s80FaRwQJzLU79-wmUrEox7Wf3aSPhdzh_q7lCEeeCXJpa32XdkTgN6MDnhl0w/s1600/Tarot+Card+detail+2+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPJOhPQhHGnN8nbG_UpP4xOsT83QmyBJBLjv3OMFxdvwV_pGUv8GHCIcS2Azn-OHpVlJW9jFReTqty5s80FaRwQJzLU79-wmUrEox7Wf3aSPhdzh_q7lCEeeCXJpa32XdkTgN6MDnhl0w/s400/Tarot+Card+detail+2+wm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The art was inked by <a href="http://www.threekingstattoo.com/site/artistpage.php?artistid=7&picid=420&page=1">Annie Lloyd</a> at <a href="http://www.threekingstattoo.com/site/index.php">Three Kings Tattoo</a> in Brooklyn. Work from Three Kings has appeared previously on Tatoosday <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Three%20Kings%20Tattoo">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Megan for sharing this lovely tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Megan's Empress Impresses

I spotted Megan at the end of September walking down West 23rd Street in Chelsea. She has an amazing sleeve-in-progress but, because it is s...

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Eric's Tattoo: Zero the Fool and an Obsession with Time

I met Eric on Seventh Avenue between 23rd and 24th Streets earlier this month.<br /><br />This tarot card on his left forearm jumped out at me:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYiRLU8v9WqzaHmujCCtmfs_cVaF8DIkQ4l8nnEI1fAfKk7YPZrEDg15HC6fo_-rodAhdqBBkQKDshTBEfMazYs27_gslZEDAwstkZZ4RC77hyphenhyphen9wHAWwCDO9KNPi9BYtI95PQthvU/s1600/fool+center+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYiRLU8v9WqzaHmujCCtmfs_cVaF8DIkQ4l8nnEI1fAfKk7YPZrEDg15HC6fo_-rodAhdqBBkQKDshTBEfMazYs27_gslZEDAwstkZZ4RC77hyphenhyphen9wHAWwCDO9KNPi9BYtI95PQthvU/s640/fool+center+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Eric is a mixed media artist whose website can be seen <a href="http://www.ericdevlin.com/">here</a>. He is an illustrator and is currently in school studying toy design. The tattoo he has is primarily based on a linoleum block he had created that recalls the Tarot card "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fool_%28tarot_card%29">The Fool</a>". Because it is an unnumbered card in the deck, it is often referred to as "Zero" or 0.<br /><br />The Fool often represents the beginning of a journey, oftentimes a "foolish adventure". He had this tattooed to commemorate his decision to move from Boston to New York City. While the decision may not have been foolish, it did mark a new journey in Eric's life.<br /><br />The card was tattooed by Hannah at <a href="http://regenerationtattoo.com/home.html">Regeneration Tattoo</a> in Boston.<br /><br />One may have noticed that there is work around the tarot card, as well, so it's only fair to show the piece as a whole:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RGT7zOvLbRBv7KaZk4e6rtmww23vmxVKti3eltXrIxMvnooCbY1b7qUUGHA9Ln_pl1exuewzEVQ_FbfN79QJu7K4lWSIS-8zSeV7ke9_bu0gtf9uM7IGuAmw5B3ZTfHFqdb05GJW/s1600/Fool+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RGT7zOvLbRBv7KaZk4e6rtmww23vmxVKti3eltXrIxMvnooCbY1b7qUUGHA9Ln_pl1exuewzEVQ_FbfN79QJu7K4lWSIS-8zSeV7ke9_bu0gtf9uM7IGuAmw5B3ZTfHFqdb05GJW/s400/Fool+collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />And the tattoo extends up the arm a bit from the pocket watch on the right:<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/AVvXsEjJviCtzjWouCUukjhCtVpeBJlPNU_Xs52Rr2tisvugtJYoUD3iCANR0_vo4pN-HTJoynqzMLTDVlniFrZNxwluRdMe_bMQmsDgSFD1jdHGEAHS1Wva3HcUrjUquOg1-FbXWDAhShi_/s1600/Fool+extra+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJviCtzjWouCUukjhCtVpeBJlPNU_Xs52Rr2tisvugtJYoUD3iCANR0_vo4pN-HTJoynqzMLTDVlniFrZNxwluRdMe_bMQmsDgSFD1jdHGEAHS1Wva3HcUrjUquOg1-FbXWDAhShi_/s640/Fool+extra+collage.jpg" width="179" /></a></div><br />The additional elements in the tattoo speak to Eric's obsession with the passage of the time. Snowflakes are only temporary as they fall from the sky and melt, or become mixed with other flakes and lose their singularity.<br /><br />The flowers are imagined creations representing growth. Eric's floral images are inspired by the artwork of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Darger">Henry Darger</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn92lAQLPGheOKDd2xtT1yZe_tj7zSRgvHrwCIEimRaGIXlTD9obloCN1N6IjmPh2Rm4DM2w1ydtrZyR_wqRLPK7IEYKJ7iDwI9KIxYTI3RzpozmNbZS4oSq4DGTmIVSIb9jyH8Iww/s1600/dargerprops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn92lAQLPGheOKDd2xtT1yZe_tj7zSRgvHrwCIEimRaGIXlTD9obloCN1N6IjmPh2Rm4DM2w1ydtrZyR_wqRLPK7IEYKJ7iDwI9KIxYTI3RzpozmNbZS4oSq4DGTmIVSIb9jyH8Iww/s400/dargerprops.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />He also notes that the time piece is cracked and broken:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWAcb9iqPuCUJD7UGhFlABMuTvGvY9oxlXQuxjClGBDclFgtrOhwfvAE19tY0dyyYZ8eYliXbMWr7oNOnOWHXaae7UJoPga3c1AK1VDOVFdtnSeukXqCi2ZP8fat09M0khsla4UaO/s1600/clock+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWAcb9iqPuCUJD7UGhFlABMuTvGvY9oxlXQuxjClGBDclFgtrOhwfvAE19tY0dyyYZ8eYliXbMWr7oNOnOWHXaae7UJoPga3c1AK1VDOVFdtnSeukXqCi2ZP8fat09M0khsla4UaO/s320/clock+detail.jpg" /></a></div><br />This, he says, represents the fight against the obsession and paranoia over the passage of time.<br /><br />The work around the tarot card was all tattooed by <a href="http://www.louchelink.com/pages/page14kellykrantz.html">Kelly Krantz</a> at the now-defunct Hold Fast Tattoo in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. From what I can tell, Krantz is not currently affiliated with any one tattoo shop.<br /><br />Thanks to Eric for sharing his thought-provoking tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Eric's Tattoo: Zero the Fool and an Obsession with Time

I met Eric on Seventh Avenue between 23rd and 24th Streets earlier this month. This tarot card on his left forearm jumped out at me: Eric is...

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