Ariel's Elm: Rising Upward, but Steadfast

I met Ariel last month in the soon-to-be-shuttered Borders bookstore on Penn Plaza and of her three tattoos, she shared this tree on her upper right biceps:

Ariel explained that this tattoo

"was originally an actual photograph of a maple tree, but it was too difficult - you can see the shading is relatively delicate for it ... it looked better with a cloudier image ... so it looks more of a cherry blossom but it was originally a maple...

As for the reason she included the roots of the tree in the design, she specified,

"I really wanted it to be something that represents being rooted and grounded and steadfast, but still growing upwards and moving towards the heavens, something that is strong and can withstand the wind, but is adaptable and changes with the seasons ... so it's just kind of, who I would like to be."

She credited Randall Muntz at Divine Machine Tattoo in Buffalo, New York with this work. Coincidentally, Randall started full-time (according to their website) at Body Electric Tattoo in Hollywood, California, just this week.

Thanks to Ariel for sharing her lovely tree tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

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Brian's Mat-tree-monial Tattoo

Late last month, I met Brian on the 34th Street A platform and he shared this amazing tattoo:

The piece was relatively fresh, having been inked only a couple weeks before.

He explained that this tree represents the Tree of Life. He alluded to the roots that spread out, firmly symbolizing family.

Brian also explained that it was an investigation piece: he added a key, hanging from a branch. This symbolizes his desire to unlock the meaning of life.

What's doubly special about this tattoo is that it is also a marriage tattoo. Brian's wife has a similar tree on her right arm (Brian's is on the left), only with cherry blossoms instead of a key, and a baby in the design as well.

The couple are linked not only by their vows, but by their similar ma-tree-monial tattoos. Sorry, I couldn't help it.

The tattoo is by Kaz at Brooklyn Adorned. Work from Kaz has appeared previously on Tattoosday here. And this tag, links all previous Adorned work on the blog.

Thanks to Brian for sharing this amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Annmarie's Amazing Tree

I met Jason and Annmarie in Penn Station as they were headed home to Arizona.

You can check out Jason's ink here.

I wanted to give each their proper due.

I was fortunate that Annmarie didn't mind pulling up her skirt a little so I could see this incredible thigh tattoo:


Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get all the details on the piece that I would have liked and, to date, my e-mail queries have gone unanswered.

But I can tell you the artist responsible for this piece was Tony Massoli of Massoli Tattoo in Chandler, Arizona.

Thanks again to Annmarie for sharing her wonderful tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

The Tattooed Poets Project: Seth Berg

Today's tattooed poet, Seth Berg, is very tattooed. Not only does he say he is "extensively tattooed," he qualifies such a statement: "over 60 sessions under the needle".

He sent several photos, but the most impressive and, from what I can tell, his most special one is this "mammoth beast" of a tattoo (his words, not mine) on his ribcage:


In case you were wondering, this amazing leaf "goes from [his] pelvic bone to [his] armpit and blankets [his] entire ribcage".

The tattoo is an oak leaf, inked in celebration of his son, Oak, who turns 1 on May 8th.


The tattoo was completed in one six-hour session (with only one break for water and a stretch). The artist was Kat Richards from Live Fast Die Young Tattoos in Northeast Minneapolis.

Seth Michael Berg earned his MFA in poetry from Bowling Green State University in 2003 and has since been bouncing around the country teaching, tending bar, sculpting, writing, and occasionally snowshoeing. His poems and fiction can be found in Connecticut Review, Lake Effect, Word Riot, JMWW, 13th Warrior Review, Chiron Review, BlazeVOX, Pike Magazine, Disappearing City Literary Review, and Dark Sky Magazine, among others. Berg lives in Minneapolis with his photographer wife, Ashley, their supernatural son, Oak, and their twelve-year-old English Bulldog, Bob. When not working, Berg can most likely be found indulging his addiction to hot sauce or slowing down somewhere in a forest.

Check out his poem "Aphasia" over on BillyBlog.