Archive of The Story Behind the Tattoo
Thursday, March 3rd, 2011
So far this afternoon I’ve drafted a Borneo back piece, a half sleeve by Camille Rose Garcia, a Lichtenstein and a back panel of a Humpback Whale. Few things are as sweet as jammin’ to good music while creating sweet tattoos. Good times.
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Monday, January 3rd, 2011
Change of Venue!
1.11.11 is now happening at the MN History Center
(check out the date… now that’s cool).
Yes. MN History Center. (No. Turf Club)
Yes. MN History Center… that’s where all the fun will be.
Seriously.
See you there.
Parking $5 – admission is free
Beer and wine will be available for purchase in the cafe
The museum exhibits are free Tuesday nights
Come early to look around!
Sunday, January 2nd, 2011
History of Hip: A Brief History of Tattooing
1.11.11 beginning at 7:30 pm
The Turf Club, 1601 University Ave. West, St. Paul, MN
Never just the domain of sailors and outlaws, tattoos have a rich and storied history. From Pacific Islanders to American hipsters, body art has long been a popular form of self expression with many layers of meaning. Dr. John Troyer gives an overview of the history of body art with tattoo artist Awen Briem.
$6/$5 MHS members. Age 21+ only.
Tickets and more info at www.minnesotahistorycenter.org/hip
Wednesday, December 15th, 2010
Art With a Point joins the Minnesota History Center for “History of Hip“
“Never just the domain of sailors and outlaws, tattoos have a rich and storied history. From Pacific Islanders to American Hipsters, body art has long been a popular form of self expression with many layers of meaning. Dr. John Troyer gives an overview of the long history of body art with help from tattoo artist Awen Briem.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011 – 7:30 – 9:00 pm
The Turf Club 1601 University Avenue West
Saint Paul, MN 55104
Please note: You gotta be 21. It is the Turf Club.
MHS members: $5
non members: $6
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
Monday, March 22nd, 2010
Tattoo Trivia to get your Monday off to a good start… What inspired the Macy’s red star logo? Hmmm….http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/homegarden/86759367.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
Celtic week continues… The Celts are deeply symbolic folk. Here’s a nice one – the Tree of Life… Branches reach high into the heavens while roots dig deep into the Earth. Never ending knots, all interwoven signifying the connection between this world, the other world and all living things.
The Tree of Life.
Hey – have fun celebrating today! Have a safe and fun St. Pat’s Day!
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
Celtic art conjures visions of knotwork – or what some tattooists call “Celtic Nightmares”. Not me. Can’t get enough, in fact! There are three traditional styles of Celtic design: knot work, maze patterns and spirals. Celtic knotwork is distinguished by its never ending pattern, and also includes Zoomorphic designs (see the birds in the piece to the right). Spirals are typically rendered in three’s, which while attributed to the Holy Trinity is pre-Christian symbolism for This World, the Otherworld and the connection In Between. And then there’s the maze pattern… the path we take as we find our way each day… a metaphor for life’s journey.
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010
Yes, it’s the week of Shamrock Shakes, green beer, kilt lifting and (for the rest of us) a nice pint of Guinness and music that is off the hook! Pre-dating St. Pat is the indigenous tradition of Celtic tattooing, so what better time than now to peruse some Celtic art and history?
The ancient pre-Celtic people are referred to as Picts, whose name was a derogatory reference meaning “Painted” used by the Romans for their tattooed enemies. The Gaelic Celts used the term “Curithnii”, meaning “the People of the Designs”… and hey now – I’d say that’s more like it. The Picts were not simply painted but indeed tattooed, using sharp iron tools and a natural plant-based blue ink called Woad.
While not much is definitively known about the Picts (who began to merge with the Gaelic people by the 10th Century), there are Roman accounts of fierce warriors with “wild hair” (apparently lime paste was used to stand hair straight on end) who were “painted blue”. So, for some of us not much has changed I guess.
Here are a few images of how the Picts may have appeared, and a piece of Pictish stone art that I recently had the opportunity to render!
