Tattoo U

Although not the first people to tattoo their bodies, we use the Polynesian root Tautau for our use of the word tattoo here in the U.S. The oldest tattoos found were on a mummy in the Alps, dated to be over 5,000 years old!

There have been various reasons for many populations to use the human body as a canvas. The world has grown smaller because of our ability to reach all corners of the globe and recorded history while we are sitting on the couch. Because of this, we have the combination of both new and old traditions today.

I thought of giving a Tattoo as a unique gift to a young woman in my family. It proved to be as much of a gift to myself. The design she provided the artist with will force us to sit for hours talking to each other. 😊

SoCal Tattoo was the shop we chose. The shop Manager, Luis Martinez, who has expressed himself through film and other artistic endeavors, found himself with an opportunity to manage this tattoo shop — a challenge that he accepted. Luis went all in on this type of arthouse whose medium is the human body. He is also supporting local artists through his filmmaking and work with The Media Arts Center San Diego.

This incubator of artists, each with a different sensibility, appeals to a large range of clients.  Our human canvas, Maya, after looking at previous work done by the collective of talent, chose Barbara Gonzalez. She felt Barb had a sense for the design she wanted positioned just below her collarbone. The design was found on Pinterest and is an intricate thin-line image reminiscent of a butterfly.

I have no ink, and it has been many years since I have been in situations with friends picking flash art and getting inked. One thing that seems to transcend the time I was first introduced to tattoo expression and now is that the artist wants to have a dialogue about the image and its placement. Collaboration is the name of the game, then and now.

For Barbara, pursuing her art has created unexpected avenues for her to express herself, like her present gig as a tattoo artist. The challenges presented to her have strengthened through practice both her body and mind. The stress of keeping her arms and body in position to do the elaborate line work on her subject is almost yoga-like. I have not been this long at a shop before. The first break came after a couple of hours, and I thought it was done! This was not flash art like I had seen my buddies pick in the past. To learn more, click here.