Multi.Colored—tattooed people, tattoo dreams

I just found out that acclaimed Celtic tattoo artist Pat Fish sells “skins” for assorted gizmos including phones, laptop computers and MP3 players. I am a big fan of her work, so the idea of putting one of her designs on my computer is really appealing.

You can check it out for yourself here.

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Now that TLC is giving equal time to the “Miami Ink” and “LA Ink” crowds (essentially, a male shop vs. a female shop) I’m beginning to wonder if people have preferences for one gender artist over the other.

For a long time, the number of female tattoo artists was vanishingly small compared to that of males. That was
understandable, because tattoo parlors themselves tended to have mostly male clientele and the “ambience” reflected that. But as more and more women (other than biker babes and circus performers) began to get inked, it stood to reason that women would also brave the rigors of tattoo-artist apprenticeships and take up the needle themselves.

I can’t really tell if styles differ by gender or whether one group tends to pick one style more or less than the other. Two of my tattoos were done by men, and the third and its revival and extension were done by women. All the artists were equally good, as far as I can tell. The two women artists were noticeably younger than I am, which seems to be more or less the case everywhere–another indication of how recently women were able to break into the profession in larger numbers.

If you’re getting a tattoo in a private spot, perhaps a same-gender artist would make you feel more at ease, but that’s not necessarily so. After all, piercers have been doing intimate work for ages, gender notwithstanding. If you’re having custom artwork designed, perhaps a same-gender artist would find it easier to express your point of view, but again, that’s not necessarily the case.

In the end, I think tattoo parlors are one place where people really are created equal–except that some are better artists than others, and that’s got nothing to do with gender and everything to do with talent.

photo credit: nextagain

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OK, so I am a John Prine fan.

A long-time online acquaintance is thinking about getting a tattoo. He’s a diabetic, as I am, and wanted to know what he should take into consideration before he makes his final decision.

I, of course, pointed him here to my series of posts on first tattoos, but I’m sure there are other things I hadn’t thought of.

What would you tell someone who’s mid-40s, thinking of getting a first tattoo?

photo credit: darkenstormyknight1

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I just returned from attending my mom’s memorial service.

Mom didn’t like my tattoos. She hit the stratosphere when I got my first one (at the advanced age of 46) and refused to even look at my ink even when invited to do so. I should say, though, that she didn’t single me out–she didn’t like tattoos, period. Which was understandable, given that she grew up in Canadian Church of England boarding schools and tattoos would have been associated with various lowlife types in her school’s philosophy. An upbringing like that is hard to shake.

However, there is a story to tell about me, my mom, and tattoos, one that never fails to make me smile. I’ve been interested in family history for quite a while. Not too long after I got my first tattoo, I found a site that would let me send in for a copy of my great-grandfather’s enlistment papers in the Canadian Army circa Boer War. From that, I learned that my grandmother had always misspelled his middle name, that his handwriting and my grandmother’s were darn near identical, and… he had three tattoos.

Just like me.

So, I called up my mother and told her all about this, and then I said “It’s genetic, Mom. And it’s all your fault.”

I don’t think my mom agreed with me on that.

photo credit: mgjefferies

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I’m going to be traveling for a couple of days.

One of the things I really enjoy doing when I’m away from my familiar surroundings is to check out regional variations on popular tattoos.  It seems that just about every area has its own style, and the fun is in discovering what it is.

Here in the Los Angeles megalopolis, pretty much anything goes.  But in other areas you may see more military souvenirs,
or more flowers and hearts, or tribal arm bands…  or something else unique to the area (we are not talking about those in-your-face gang tattoos on people’s shaved heads, because you don’t really want to be caught checking those out).

Have you noticed a regional style, where you live?  I haven’t been back to many of the places I grew up in, but I sometimes get the giggles thinking about a standard tattoo for some of them.  Like LOUD MUFFLER FTW in Wichita, or HOLIER THAN Y’ALL in Lynchburg.

I hope you’ll leave a comment telling me what kind of tattoo would be most appropriate for the area you live–either a real observation, or a funny thought.

“The world is so full of a number of things, I think we should all be as happy as kings.”  Robert Louis Stevenson had it right!

photo credit: nariposa

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The other day, my husband and I ventured out to a big trade show at the Convention Center in downtown Los Angeles. Since driving in that area is a royal pain and parking is way too expensive, we decided to take public transit.

We went out to the far reaches of Pasadena and parked (for free) at the end of the Gold Line light rail system, and rode the Gold Line in to Union Station and went on to the Convention Center from there. But that’s not the part that connects to this blog.

As we were riding along on the Gold Line, it stopped at one of the stations and didn’t immediately close the doors and start up again. Instead, a sheriff’s deputy came aboard, looked up and down our train car, and went out again. Shortly thereafter the train operator got out of his booth and followed the deputy down the platform. A minute or so later, the two returned to our car by the middle door and accosted a young man sitting behind us, asking him if he had caused trouble at a previous station.

The lady sitting across from him immediately spoke up and insisted that no, that was not the man. It appeared she’d been the one who made a complaint about someone acting strangely at a previous stop. And yet, when she repeated her description of the person she’d reported, it was immediately apparent that the “suspect” looked nothing whatsoever like the young man the deputy and engineer had questioned. The man she described was averaige sized, had spiky hair and was wearing a bright colored t-shirt. The young man on the train was fairly tall, had a shaved head and was wearing a white t-shirt.

Both, however, had gang-style tattoos.

So instead of paying attention to any of the rest of the description, the two men had focused only on the fact that this young man had conspicuous tattoos. So they figured he might be the one who’d caused the trouble.

What is it about being tattooed that trumps everything else? Why do people make assumptions based on the color of one’s ink rather than the content of one’s character? Granted, gang style tattoos send an unmistakable message that the person behind the ink may or may not match. But should they be the first thing a law enforcement officer fixes on? Or should they come into play only if the person’s description matches that of the suspect first?

People have made assumptions about me, based on my tattoos, which is why they’re usually covered. At least my age and gender give me a bit of protection. What can we do to make life better for others not so well protected?

photo credit: Photog*Phillip

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