deeperthanwar

Matt makes an interesting point here.
You're right, I'm not Catholic.  So why would I get a whole bunch of Catholic imagery tattooed on my arm?  Well, I think there's quite a few answers to that.

Firstly, I'm a Christian.  Personally, I don't like to get involved in denominational splits - I believe that all Christians are part of the Church - that is the Body of Christ.  That means that despite differences of opinion when it comes to doctrine, we are all part of the same Church.
I know for a fact that I don't agree with everything that everyone at TACF believes.  But that doesn't mean that I won't meet with them on a regular basis. 
When Matt (and Rob) ask why I would want to get my whole arm done in something I don't believe in, they are missing the point that it's not that I don't believe in it.  In fact, I do.  There's just a few things that Catholics focus on that I don't.  But more on  that in a minute.
I don't want to get into a long theological debate, because I have a better place for that.  But I do want to look a little at why I would get tattoos of Catholic images.

The imagery that I am talking about is, in every sense of the word, iconic.  You see a picture of Jesus with the Sacred Heart, you know it's Jesus.  The images are very obviously religious.  And that's a major reason for me to get these tattoos.  I've talked on here before about how many Christians disagree with tattoos.  Although I'm not about to make people change their mind on that (unless they try to get me to change mine!) I do feel like it's perfectly acceptable within my belief structure to get tattoos.  Although I note that much of the opposition I find within the Church to tattoos is a result of different interpretations of scripture, and of different revelation,  I also believe that a great deal of it is the result of Religious Spirits.  Again, my other blog is a better place for a detailed discussion on Religious Spirits, but here's a quick rundown of what I believe about them:

Jesus came to set us free from slavery to the Old Law.  That doesn't mean that we don't follow it any more, but that it isn't that that saves us.

A Religious Spirit is a spirit that comes to try to tie us to tradition and law in order to stop us from focusing on Jesus.

Jesus is the centre of my beliefs, as He is the only way to the Father.

I don't want to let anything else become the focus of my faith; be that tattoos, what songs we play at Church meetings, whether I should wear a hat into a Church building, or anything else that isn't absolutely essential to following Jesus.

So here's the thing.  Beth (my wife) thinks that I was put on Earth to challenge Religious Spirits.  I think that there's probably more to it than that, but I do believe that part of my calling to be a tattoo artist is to fulfill that.  By tattooing religious images on myself, I think that it challenges conventional thought about what it means to practice Christianity.

Like I said at the start of this post, Catholics are Christians.  Certainly some of their doctrine is at odds with mine - I don't pray to Saints, for example.  But the picture of Jesus on my arm represents the same Jesus that I sing to and pray to and trust and follow.  Just because the image came from the window of a Catholic Church building doesn't make it any less relevant to me.

Right.  Theological post over.  Thoughts, anyone?

I found this on the Reuters website.  An interview with a tattoo artist from Portland, Oregon.  it's a pretty interesting article.  Most of what the guy says is fairly obvious, I think, but it's always good to hear insights from people that have been in the business a long time.
A couple of things stand out to me from it:

How do some of these artists get such great media coverage?  What Reuters shows of his work is pretty good, but I know artists FAR better than this.  What makes him so suitable for fame?  So primed for international glory?  Answer: writing a book.  It seems that Jeff Johnson of the superbly named Sea Tramp Tattoo Company has written a book about some of his experiences in the tattoo industry.  It seems to have been inspired by the fact that you hear a lot of interesting things from people of all walks of life when you are tattooing. 
I've touched on this a bit before, in terms of enjoying tattooing friends because the conversation is usually so easy.  But there is a huge advantage to tattooing people you don't know - you don't know them.  They might be interested in some weird martial art that you've never heard of, or be a concert flautist.  Perhaps the girl that you expected to be a skateboarder is actually the head of a Masonic Lodge who teaches Irish dancing in her spare time.  Tattooing puts you in the company of a huge variety of people from all walks of life.  And not only that, you're sat down with them for large chunks of time. 
I think that often the process of talking to someone that you don't know about what's going on in your life can be very therapeutic too.  Perhaps that's sometimes the reason that people get tattoos - it gives them someone to talk to.
If you've got the wherewithal to write a book, then you're probably going to have a lot to say after 19 years in the tattooing business.  The book, by the way, is supposed to be excellent.  If anyone fancies buying me a copy...

The other thing that I noted in the article was Jeff's final comment about tattooing more intimate places on a woman's body.  His take on it is that it's like being "a bouncer at a strip club - you just don't see anything anymore".
I'm not entirely sure about that, although I have heard the suggestion from an artist I know that it's like being a doctor - that there's a professionalism about it that removes the sexual from the situation.

I don't really know, and I'm resolved not to tattoo certain areas of the body.  I took good advice from my good friend, Jean-Pierre Rioux, who said that you shouldn't do anything that you feel uncomfortable doing, certainly don't do anything that your wife wouldn't feel comfortable with you doing, and always make sure that you have someone else around if the area is a little questionable. 

But more on that another time - I'm off to write down some stories of people I've tattooed...

See this picture of Jesus?  That's what my new tattoo looks like.  Some of you might have seen it.  It's on the inside of my upper left arm.
It doesn't quite look like this yet, because it's only outlined right now.  I'm getting it coloured tomorrow night and I'm rather excited.

Above that tattoo, right at the top of my arm, I have a big sacred heart, a mix of old and new school styles, with a banner that says deeper than war.  I'm wanting to build up a sleeve eventually, filled with Catholic style imagery.  I think I want to finish it off at the wrist with a realistic looking rosary wrapped around my arm, but I'm not sure yet.

My question is: what do you think should find its way onto that arm?  I don't think I want Mary on there, but I'm open to reasons that I should get that.  There's loads of stuff, but I want to keep it on a fairly classic theme, lots of colour, pretty old school in style.  A bit kitsch, but not too tacky.
I think once it's done, the background spaces will be filled with rays of light and bits of stained glass.  The elbow will probably be very little work, more gaps in the background.

I need lots of good ideas for this arm.  You can write your suggestions below.  Have fun!

Well, I'm glad this one's resolved.
I know I seem a little late on this one, but I figured I'd like to write something about it anyway, and it's better late than never, right?

Most of you probably heard about this.  To sum up: a Belgian girl claimed she had gone to a tattoo parlour, asked for three stars on her face, and then fallen asleep.  When she woke up, she had FIFTY SIX stars.  Despite the fact that she thought that she looked "like a freak", for some reason she still paid for the tattoo.  And why would the artist do something like this?
Doesn't quite add up, does it? 

Well, that's because she was lying. 

Apparently, she loved the tattoo, until her dad saw it and flew off the handle.  She made up the sleeping story to appease his wrath.  Not very fair on the artist, though, eh?
She has now admitted that she asked for the tattoo, confirming most peoples' suspicions.  I feel a little sorry for her, but it does raise some interesting (and some obvious) points.

1. That was a stupid idea.  If you're going to get a tattoo, think about it carefully first.  It's not going to come off easily, you know?

2. I'm not sure that the artist should have agreed to the tattoo.  Let's look at the facts: She is eighteen.  Very young and at an age where she might make decisions that she regrets.
She doesn't seem to have any other tattoos at all.  Had I been the artist, I don't think I'd have agreed to do her first tattoo covering one half of her face.

When she was first interviewed by the press after her father had gone to the police, she said "I cannot go out on to the street, I am so embarrassed."
I suspect that she might be a little more embarrassed now.

Lessons to be learned by all, methinks.