Evolution of a Backpiece

The tattoo

2011-11-16T12:31:00.001-05:00

Anonymous has pointed out that I have not, in fact, posted a picture of my completed backpiece. Which is, of course, true-- unless you count these photos. So here it is, freshly finished, courtesy of Stephanie's website... head on over there for more awesomeness. Maybe you'll see my next piece there as well! ;)
Thanks for the nudge, Anonymous.

Stephanie is now at Saved Tattoo!

2011-03-24T13:35:00.004-04:00

News flash! (Ok, it was a news flash a few months ago, but I am slow on the internets these days... )

If you're hoping to have Stephanie tattoo you, you won't find her at NY Adorned any longer. She's now at Saved Tattoo in Brooklyn, along with former NY Adorned-ers Chris O'Donnell + Thomas Hooper. Sounds like a magical place to be these days...

Also check out her updated website for more info and gorgeous pics of her tattooing + paintings.

It's ovah!

2010-11-03T16:27:00.004-04:00

Why yes, it has been over 7 months since I've updated here! How 'bout that. Life has been a tad complicated over the past year, but things are starting to even out + feel really good again.

And hey - my back is finished! My last appointment was #17 on August 5th. The final three sessions were dedicated solely to re-outlining a great majority of the design, since my skin ate up a lot of those fine lines the first time around. And now, 3 months later, it's holding up beautifully! What a relief.

What I've learned: stress wreaks havoc in funny ways. Yes, I am blaming my skin's healing issues on stress. Stress + wheat + sugar. Once I finally opened up to some big truths about myself + released an escape valve for my stress, my skin started cooperating with me again. F'ing amazing.

This backpiece took over 30 hours + a decent (but happily-spent) bit of my savings. It showed me that I have an abundance of patience, strength, and love. And the process helped me see myself more clearly + discover more of what I want from my life.

I don't have any pictures of the finished tattoo. That will happen when it happens. In the meantime, I leave you with my last view of the gorgeous Brooklyn skyline outside the shop.

Many, many thanks to Steph. Not only is she a kick-ass tattoo artist, but an amazing human, to boot. As anyone who knows her will attest. And thanks also to everyone at Adorned! Fabulous people, every one of 'em.

Next (and last?) appt

2010-03-25T11:12:00.000-04:00

Coming up on May 6th! Hopefully it'll give me time to gain a little weight... give me some padding under those needles.

Nothing to do with my back

2010-02-18T12:26:00.010-05:00

BUT my friend Diana found a little picture of me + the amazing Tamez in last month's Inked Magazine (we're in the upper right).

The photos (scanned copy courtesy of Needles and Sins) are from the September release party for Marisa Kakoulas' excellent Black Tattoo Art book. Fun!

Bryce Ward: Portraits with Tattoos

2010-01-13T13:58:00.015-05:00

A few months ago I was lucky enough to sit for Bryce Ward, photographer extraordinaire + good friend of my tattoo artist's. I kinda hate having my picture taken, but working with him was a dream.

These two photos are from the shoot, and there's a preview of the project on his site. I am loving all the great people I've met since starting this backpiece!

Chris O'Donnell interview on VBS TV

2009-12-18T11:33:00.002-05:00

A super-cool video interview with the man who works across the aisle from my tattoo artist. A great guy AND amazingly talented.

Almost done

2009-12-08T15:35:00.002-05:00

Oh, blog! I've neglected you so badly. But hey - life happens.

My back was mostly finished during my last session (#14 on Oct 23rd), save some touch-ups that will happen in the next month or so. Pictures will happen when they happen...

Portrait of a painted lady

2009-10-16T10:55:00.000-04:00

Check out this excellent interview with my amazing friend Marisa, who's working on "one really big one." She is an inspiration, in so many ways. Hooray for brazen painted ladies!

Frisky Q&A: An Interview With
Tattooed Lady, Lawyer, Author And
Blogger Marisa Kakoulas

Lucky 13

2009-10-12T10:13:00.005-04:00

10/10/09

All healed up from the past two sessions! Just a few tiny spots in the top row that lost black.

The fresh work from Saturday is the blue in the bottom of the tail - from the last leaves downward. The previous session (#12) was the blue just above that part. We're taking it more slowly to keep my skin happy. Even so, there's only one more appointment scheduled!

Usually I take it easy the day after getting inked, but yesterday I, uh, cleaned out my attic. Feels good.

Slow healing

2009-09-22T14:24:00.007-04:00

Oh, why did I have to say "healing's been going well?" Because then, all of a sudden, it wasn't. About a week after the last round, the black spots on my beautiful snake started scabbing up for no apparent reason.

Which, really, is par for the course with my titchy skin. It's doing better now, as I heal from a short session this past Saturday. Am so grateful to have such a patient artist! Pictures will come when it's less scabalicious.

Ooh - and most exciting to me: I'm wearing a bra today for the first time in 2.5 weeks!! If that ain't progress, I don't know what is.

Session 11

2009-09-05T13:16:00.007-04:00

9/4/09

Ahh, blue! Nothing much to report... healing's been going well + now the snake's getting its back turned beautiful shades of blue with black accents.

Probably 3 more sessions, not 1. Which is good news for me, 'cause I'll be sad when it's done! Strange, I know.

It's been such an incredible experience for me to witness the transformation of my back from bare skin to work of art. Never knowing how my own skin will look from appointment to appointment, but trusting in the end result.

Bodies of Subversion

2009-08-25T20:18:00.010-04:00

I was gifted with Margot Mifflin's excellent book Bodies of Subversion: A Secret History of Women and Tattoo on my birthday last week, and I tore through it yesterday + today. A really compelling read. From the description:

The first history of women's tattoo art, Bodies of Subversion: A Secret History of Women and Tattoo is a fascinating excursion into a subculture that dates back to the 19th century. It includes many never-before-seen photos of tattooed women from the last hundred years. Miflin notes that women's interest in tattoo surged in the suffragist '20s and the feminist '70s.

"In this provocative work full of intriguing female characters from tattoo history, Margot Mifflin makes a persuasive case for the tattooed woman as an emblem of female self-expression. A woman getting a tattoo is the opposite of a woman undergoing cosmetic surgery: one carves into her skin her own idiosyncratic identity, the other erases all signs of the self in submission to a commercial 'identity.'" - Susan Faludi

Mifflin also recently wrote The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman, which I want to read next... after I get through my current stack of books!

Session 10

2009-08-09T21:53:00.003-04:00

8/8/09

Well, the magic was fun while it lasted! Last session's red didn't hold as well as it should have, so back we went to the regular machines to redo that section + the rest of the snake's belly... all the way down to the tip of the tail.

I'll miss being able to simultaneously think and talk while being tattooed, but obviously it'll be worth it. Am really loving the way it's coming together, with the brilliant red + gnarly tree branch. Can't believe I have only (only!) 2 appointments left.

So after a few hours of controlled breathing, I got to spend some time with the amazing Madeline von Foerster at her nearby studio. She's an incredible painter (and one of the nicest people I've had the pleasure of meeting), whose Waldkammer ("Forest Cabinet") series may be inspiring some new ink. Check her out... you won't be sorry!

Session 9

2009-07-21T16:15:00.012-04:00

7/17/09

Friday's session was ridiculously easy for me to sit through. Steph shaded the red belly of the snake with a magical Swashdrive rotary tattoo machine, which provided a quiet + almost pain-free evening. Though she isn't completely sold on it yet, I'm ready to take it home to meet my parents. I'll definitely miss it if she goes back to her regular stash of machines, but a few hours of pain is obviously worth it if I wind up with a better tattoo.

Speaking of which, I'm loving the red in the snake! I don't consider red to be one of my colors + therefore never wear it, but I think it's gorgeous under my skin.

Also, we discovered that the vodka Steph mixes some of her pigments with could be the culprit in the spots that healed poorly this winter. Although vodka is officially a gluten-free alcohol due to its distillation process, some people are sensitive to vodkas made with wheat instead of corn or potatoes. Yes, I would be one of them! How do I know this? The last time I had one teeny-tiny, watered-down vodka drink, I puked the entire night. No more bad vodka for me!

Stephanie Tamez: a blog

2009-07-11T13:34:00.009-04:00

My oh-so-talented tattoo artist now has a blog, where you can see a recent picture of my back, along with her amazing tattoo work and paintings, both finished and in-progress. Beautiful, beautiful.

Now I can see what she's up to when I'm going through tattoo withdrawal... hooray!

More!

2009-07-09T16:23:00.007-04:00

So this is the time, with only (haha - only!) 2-3 sessions left, that I start thinking about the next tattoo(s). I thought I'd feel like taking a looong break once this backpiece was finished, but my brain is thinking otherwise. Uh, oh...

Must find out if my wonderfully patient artist will agree to tattoo my pain-in-the-ass skin ever again.

Session 8

2009-07-02T10:23:00.003-04:00

6/30/09

I have a tree branch! I can't believe she finished it so quickly... took maybe an hour + a half?

On my way to the shop that evening, the F train stopped running, so I ran through rain-flooded streets to the J train and made it... 30 mins late. Oops.

Also, Ami James of Miami Ink + his crew were in the shop filming for their new tattoo travel show, Worldwide Tribe. So it was an interesting night.

Can't wait to get started on the snake!

What does it mean?

2009-06-22T11:33:00.010-04:00

I've been asked several times about the meaning behind my backpiece. When my brother first saw the outline he exclaimed, "But what does it mean?? It has to mean something!"

It's interesting to see how different people react, because I didn't have a specific reason for the design beyond the desire to have my artist put something of hers on my back. I suppose you could say it has something to do with my religious upbringing or how I'm growing in my own life right now, but basically the design just felt right.

Stephanie came up with all the reference materials and designed the piece herself. I just came in and said, "Yes, perfect!"

So when someone asks me for the reason behind my tattoo, I usually just say that I like it ('cause I do!) or pick a reason that feels right to me at the moment. Here are some of them... take your pick:

a return to nature (no good vs. evil)
pursuing desire
seeking knowledge
revisioning the patriarchal Judeo-Christian creation story: this time, without a woman to blame for mankind's "downfall"
renewal/rebirth/change/evolution (snake shedding old skin to make way for new)

Apples

2009-06-15T11:56:00.002-04:00

You say I am mysterious
Let me explain myself:
In a land of oranges
I am faithful to apples

- Elsa Gidlow

Session 7

2009-06-11T16:45:00.006-04:00

6/10/09

Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! I am turning into such a baby. Last night HURT! My skin must be getting thinner, 'cause the pain really got to me. Oh, well. What can you do? Bite a stick + get on with it.

So now all the pretty, shiny red apples are done! I love seeing how it's all coming together. In two weeks she'll work on the tree trunk, which'll be mostly black + gray shading to allow the snake's colors to really pop.

Photo courtesy of Steph (on my iPhone).

Session 6

2009-06-09T23:04:00.004-04:00

5/21/09

All the leaves - from top to bottom - are finished. Next up (tomorrow, in fact), apples!

Here's a quote I found today that reminded me of this tattoo. It's from Shakespeare's "Hamlet":

There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.

Session 5

2009-05-27T11:41:00.005-04:00

4/29/09

Steph found a photo of that last session for me! You can see that she finished the rest of the leaves at top + a cluster on my left side.

Gettin' lazy

2009-05-25T14:20:00.001-04:00

It's been 3 weeks since I promised pictures of my most recent session, but instead of persuading my live-in photographer to take some photos, I went + got tattooed again. Oops. (Hooray!)

Now that the days of fearing my skin will eat itself are over, I'm so much more excited about getting in + getting inked than in documenting the process. But I know I'll regret it if I don't, so I'll be more diligent about this round's pics + those that follow. You'll just have to trust me when I say it's lookin amazing!

Spring has sprung (on my back)

2009-04-30T11:31:00.011-04:00

Last night Steph filled in more 'o the pretty green leaves at the top and left side of the tree. She also filled in bits of the outline that didn't take well the first time round. Am so glad to be getting back on track, and have 3 more appointments lined up! Hoorah.

I felt great (albeit full of haze-inducing allergy meds) for most of the session, but totally zoned out at the end when I was hitting my needle-on-skin limit. I can get really quiet when dealing with pain (same thing happened when I was in labor) 'cause my brain likes to take a little vacation from my body. So when presented with great conversation topics, my language skills become about as advanced as my 4-year-old daughter's. Ah, well... the leaves are looking fabulous and I'm beginning to see how amazing it'll look when finished. So excited! Though that could be the spring fever. ;)

Will post pictures in about a week.

Needles + Sins

2009-04-03T09:33:00.006-04:00

My friend Marisa of Needles + Sins did a fab post about my little blog yesterday. She mentions Keith Alexander's amazing chronicling of his own backpiece - also inked at NY Adorned, before his untimely death. Which is an interesting coincidence, because his blog inspired me to document the evolution of my own backpiece... though not in as much detail as he did!

Session 4

2009-04-01T12:01:00.010-04:00

3/4/09

My first color! Am in love with it. Has healed perfectly - just like my very first tattoo. I credit the Puritan Lifestyle (no booze or sugar), Chinese herbs, acupuncture, Comfrey Compound, and happiness. Spring is here, which makes me almost constantly intoxicated with the promise of balmy weather.

I canceled my appointment last week due to some paycuts in the household, but it looks like things will be mostly fine. So on the cancellation list I go! At the very least, I'll be back at the end of April. Can't wait.

More of the end of the tail (both of them!), as promised.

Green leaves

2009-03-09T15:44:00.001-04:00

I have color! Just a few green leaves at the top right side, to make sure they'll heal well. So far, so good. Pictures to come...

Nope, no updates yet

2009-01-28T16:36:00.007-05:00

I'm being good... waiting for my March 4th appointment to give my body time to recover more fully. My skin is doing much better, but I don't want to push it. I've been seeing an acupuncturist and taking some horrifically-tasting Chinese herbs, which seem to be helping. (How can they not if they taste that bad??)

In other news, my back may find its way into Tattoo Arte Magazine. My lovely artist is being featured in an upcoming issue, and I may be one of her "in progress" pieces. Fun!

Session 3

2009-01-05T23:17:00.012-05:00

12/17/08

What you can't see is the end of the tail that wraps around my hip... next time!

Healing has been slow, since my very minimal psoriasis - gone for almost a year since I've been on a gluten/dairy-free diet - seems to have been triggered by the injury done to my skin by the lovely tattoo needles.

Healing the latest round was the hardest; probably due to holiday stress, lots of wine (to combat the holiday stress-- er, celebrate), the colder weather, a viral respiratory infection (fun!) and more friction against the area... 'cause I do like to wear pants + sit down every once in a while. Lesson(s) learned.

The plan going forward seems to be shorter + more spread-out sessions, no alcohol while I'm healing, fewer + more comfortable clothes, etc. It should also be easier to avoid a reaction when it gets warmer out. Which won't be too hard... my next appointment isn't until the first week in March, unless I get in on the cancellation list.

Session 2

2008-12-05T11:44:00.004-05:00

12/2/08

(Photo by Stephanie Tamez)

Session 1

2008-12-03T14:07:00.000-05:00

11/12/08