Tattoo Tool: 2010-09-26

Frank's Anvil

When someone is "not sure" how many tattoos they have, the one they do offer up can seem a bit random.

Take Frank, for example, who volunteered this anvil for us here at Tattoosday:

Why an anvil? "I'm a big Looney Tunes fan," he told me. The anvil, falling from great heights, is often a cartoon catalyst for one of those big expanding bumps on the head of say, Wile E. Coyote, for example. Thus the name on the anvil, ACME, which was said coyote's chief supplier of items designed to aid in the capture of the Roadrunner.

This particular piece was inked by Jae Connor at Electric Lotus Tattoo in Boonton, New Jersey. Work from Electric Lotus has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

Thanks to Frank for sharing this nostalgic tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Jude Law Tattoos

Jude Law is a fabulous English actor, producer and director who has starred in the movie A.I. Artificial Intelligence, The Talented Mr. Ripley and Cold Mountain.

Jude Law has been spotted with a handful of tattoos, including Gothic initials "JL", along with what appears to be a circle of ants or other bugs, located on his right forearm.

Snorkeling while showing off some artwork on his right arm.

Lightning bolt design on right arm, which may or may not by a real tattoo.

Scared heart of Jesus Christ tattoo.

Lyrics to a Beatles song with "Sexy Sadie", which is the name of his ex-wife.

The Queen of Clams

One year ago today, I posted about meeting a couple of Kansas City burlesque performers outside of Penn Station (recalled here).

Since then, I had the pleasure of meeting another local performer, Legs Malone, and documenting one of her tattoos here.

Coincidentally, I am sharing here today, a tattoo on the ankle of one Miss Clams Casino.

It would be one thing if I was catching these performers in their natural habitats of burlesque shows, but my encounter with Clams was so fleeting, I was fortunate enough to snap a photo and take her card.

A brief ride on the F train (two stops only) afforded me enough time to spot a tattoo above her ankle, introduce myself and take a picture before necessity required I transfer to the R train.

So, here's the tattoo that so intrigued me:

As I mentioned previously, I barely had time to snap a photo, let alone get the story behind this cool tattoo. Thankfully, Miss Clams Casino was generous enough to send me the story at a later date:

"Every year I go to the Burlesque Hall of Fame weekend in Las Vegas and play in the official Burlesque Hall of Fame Poker Tournament. I enjoy poker, but I know that I'm probably not going to win, so I like setting little goals for the game with fabulous rewards...in 2009 I decided that if I won a hand with a pair of Queens I would get a tattoo to mark the occasion. Long story short, a few hands in I was dealt a pair of Queens and won the only hand I won that tournament. A few months later, my friend Scarlet Sinclair was getting started as a tattoo artist and was looking for willing guinea pigs. I told her the story and that I'd like some ink involving Queens and hearts and she came up with this incredible design. I went to see her at Matt's Tribal Dragon Tattoo in Bethpage, NY and was her 7th tattoo ever. She's incredible and I love the queen living on my ankle."

Thanks to Miss Clams Casino for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Please feel free to check her out on these sites:

http://www.MissClamsCasino.com
http://www.GameShowSpeakeasy.com
http://www.casinoofortunecookie.com
http://www.burlesqueonthegogo.com

Cyndi Lauper is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for the hit song entitled Girls Just Want to Have Fun and Time After Time.

Cyndi Lauper has a single visible tattoo on her body, which appears to be a tiger design located on her left ankle.

Robert LaSardo Tattoos

Robert LaSardo is an American actor who has appeared in several movies and television shows, including Nip/Tuck and General Hospital.

Robert LaSardo is almost completely covered in tattoos, most of which are of the satanic variety, including several designs on his chest, such as skulls, demons, devil, pentagram, and other dark creatures.

The actor has two finished sleeve tattoos, both containg a signifigent amount of tribal artwork, along with a dragon, lion, cyclops, cross, and other fantasy inspired ink.

On his neck is Jesus Christ on one side and a devil woman on the other side, along with a portrait on himself in the middle. The actor also has tattoos on both his hands and across the knuckles.

Matt's Golden Silence

I met Matt one afternoon as he stood among the masses at the southwest corner of Madison Square Garden, waiting for a bus out of town.

This is his tattoo which he shared with us, covering his upper right arm:

The message is simple: silence is golden. I love how the side skulls spill off of the front skull, and how the teeth of the primary jaw are fused together.

Matt attributes this piece to "deep life experiences" and how it serves as a reminder to keep his head on straight.

He told me he's "been low and wants to stay higher" and that "keeping what I've done to myself has given me the ability to achieve what I have in life".

This tattoo was inked by Loki M. LaChapelle when he was at Kaleidoscope Tattoo & Art Gallery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Loki now works out of Mazel Custom Tattoo & Piercing in Everett, Massachusetts.

Thanks to Matt for sharing his tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Jessica Lange Tattoo

Jessica Lange is a sensationally talented American stage and film actress, featured in such movies as Tootsie, Blue Sky and King Kong.

Jessica Lange has a Celtic knot tattoo on the outer portion of her left wrist, which was influenced by her daughter while in Paris. She has been quoted as saying...

"She conned me into doing it. She said, 'Mom, let's go and get a tattoo together that will connect us forever,' but I think it was just a way for her to get a tattoo, but I bought into it. She was underage."

Jessica Lange has also said she has a crescent moon tattoo located on her hip, which she also received in Paris France, at the age of nineteen.

K.D. Lang Tattoo

K.D. Lang is a talented Canadian singer-songwriter, perhaps best known for the album entitled Ingénue and Hymns of the 49th Parallel.

K.D. Lang is known to have a single tattoo, which is located on her right shoulder, the design is of a traditional sailors anchor.

Tattoo from a Francophile

Earlier this summer, I posted a couple of tattoos from Joe, seen here.

Needless to say, Joe became a fan, and updated me with a new tattoo, below:

Joe explains:

"The picture is fresh from the artist finishing it. It is "C077X" and is a nod to James Franco and General Hospital. He is my fav actor and I have been watching General Hospital for at least 21 years. It is the the tag that "Franco" sprayed on everything when he recently guest starred on GH as an artist/serial killer. His character's name is Franco, reflecting that art imitates life. A motto the actor and character believe, and so do I. That is why I got the tattoo. To prove art imitates life!"

Photo Credit: ABC via http://sn.soapnet.go.com

The tattoo was inked by Rob at Brooklyn Ink. Rob originally appeared here as a contributor here. And is one of several artists that has represented Brooklyn Ink over the years on Tattoosday. This label links all of the work from the shop previously seen on Tattoosday.

Thanks to Joe for sharing his new tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Miranda Lambert Tattoo

Miranda Lambert is a fantastic American country music artist, known for her work on such albums as Kerosene and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

Miranda Lambert has a single tattoo which is located on her left inner forearm, and the design is a pair of crossed six shooter guns with large angel wings behind each revolver.

Picture of the tattoo design with guns and wings.

Rachel's Bird Helped Her Let Go

The same night I met Brian, I met Rachel, who has eight tattoos.

She shared this one with me:

This piece on her left biceps is based on the work of artist Kurt Halsey. This little bird appears in multiple works by the artist, but Rachel imagined it for her own personal situation. She got it after a break-up a couple of years ago, and the tattoo gave her the strength to "let the bird go". In this case, the bird represents the ended relationship and the tattoo is a transitional piece that helped her recover from the difficulty of moving past it.

From Memphis, Tennessee, Rachel had this inked at Underground Art Tattoos and Body Piercing by Chris Fitzgerald. Chris had been a piercer at the shop and then moved into tattooing. He has since left tattooing and moved to photography. His new business is Cult Noir Photography, and his work can be seen here.

Thanks to Rachel for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Brian's Ink Speaks About Art

I met Brian in Barnes & Noble, Union Square, back in August and he shared two tattoos with us. Put your thinking caps on, folks, because Brian, who is a video artist (website here), has very cerebral ink.

First up is this tattoo, on Brian's left biceps:

This tattoo is based on an illustration entitled "Every Night We Are Haunted by a Dream" by the artist Alfred Kubin (1877-1959).

Jede Nacht besucht uns ein Traum (Every Night We are Haunted by a Dream), ca. 1902-03
Pen and ink, brush, wash, and spray on paper
39.1 x 31.8 cm (15 3/8 x 12 1/2 in.)
Albertina, Vienna

Brian explained that this work corresponded very closely to the publication of Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams, and that Kubin's illustration represents "art between the cusp of pre-surrealism/expressionism and surrealism". It speaks to Brian's understanding of the perception of dreams and art.

Brian also had these words inscribed on his inner right forearm:

The words "Créer Dangereusement" are the French title of a 1957 essay by Albert Camus entitled "Create Dangerously". This "essay on realism and artistic creation" likewise spoke to Brian who acknowledged that "all art is a political act". It makes perfect sense, if you think about it, in that no great work of art was ever created by the artist playing it safe. It is those who created dangerously that are remembered as trailblazers and icons in their respective fields.

Brian had both of these tattoos done in Austin, Texas.

Thanks to Brian for sharing his artistic ink with us here on Tattoosday!

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