Artist Life: A decorated body
At 50 years old i decided to get my first tattoo. Though i had always wanted a tattoo, it had taken so long because 1). not every kindergarten teacher and wall street banker had a tattoo in my day, 2). i couldn’t decide what i loved enough to use my body as a canvas for someone else’ work.
I have spent time in Japan and was heavily influenced by the Japanese style of storytelling and the thematic framework on the body by region. Having also just finished my genetic coding through My Ancestry, i was interested in adding elements of my Scottish heritage. So i spent months gathering inspiration (see the gallery from Pinterest at the bottom of this article), sketching ideas and refining my design.
In the end, i blindly picked an artist off the web based on thier examples of work. I had no idea the quality of the ink, tools and training of the artist had so much impact on the work itself, my own health and the longevity of the art. Looking back i would take more time to find the right artist and would be okay spending more for higher quality.
I have been through 3 different artists. My left arm, which is the artwork of the highest quality and that i like the most, was all done in partnership with Colin Delgado (https://www.instagram.com/barakanaga111/). I love it and appreciate the quality and creativity that has gone into this work of art.
