The drought is over, the boys are back in town. But who is this mysterious boy?
Here’s a hint: He’s the man responsible for the Hungarian coat of arms from earlier in the week.
Keep reading to see who it is.
It’s Gabor (IAM: wyrd). You can check out his scarification in his portfolio gallery.
Chest tattoo by Tamás Bartók, and blackwork by Anita Lukács.
Well, unfortunately due to some technical difficulties, I wasn’t able to get the Friday Follow-up posted on Friday. But just because I had some computer troubles, doesn’t mean I’m going to let a week go by without posting a follow-up.
You may remember this week’s piece from a few months ago in an article entitled “Two by two, hands of blue“. Quentin from Kalima Emporium in the UK did this branding piece over the heavy blackwork that IAM: Paingiver has on his hand.
Want to see how it looks a few months later? Keep on reading.
Now obviously the hand isn’t blue, as that was just the result of the lighting in the “before” picture. What is also obvious is how well the brand stands out against the blackwork, making for an excellent “after” picture.
If you’ve got some scar or branding work done, or are an artist that has some before and after photos of work you’ve done lying around. Send them into BME, as the Friday Follow-up is always in need of pictures.
The gang from Kipod Tattoo Studio in Tel Aviv have done it again. Last time we saw something from them it was a large bio-mech peice. This time we’ve got a pretty big tribal-ish snake that looks a little angry.
Now I know what you’re thinking, “big deal, he’s got a snake on his ribs and chest, I’ve seen bigger snakes than that in my backyard.” Well you honestly don’t think this is the entire snake do you? Keep on reading to see just how big this cobra is.
I’m not sure exactly which artist did this particular piece, as they’ve got a bunch of excellent artists there. They’ve all been busy the past couple of weeks as well, as they’ve uploaded a significant number of images recently. You can check out the rest of their latest tattoos over in the Kipod Tattoo Portfolio.
A wise woman once said, “we do what we must because we can.” While the woman may have been a homicidal computer bent on torturing and killing people, while promising cake for all, she does have a point. When it comes to what we do with our bodies, the sentiment rings true. We do what we must to ourselves because this is who we are, and we have the freedom to do what we can. There’s this inner drive to change our outwards appearance into what we feel it must look like, and thanks to practitioners all over the world, we can do what we need to do.
One of those practitioners, Sean Flinn from Stone Clover Artisan in Iola, WI, was able to give one young man exactly what he wanted.
The uploader (gonzofreelancer), is clearly passionate about photography. And thanks to Sean, he was able to do what he wanted in the way he wanted.
I was thinking about saving this post for this week’s Friday Follow-up, but it’s such a great series of pics that I just couldn’t wait to share them.
Copy sent in this photo of his hand implant procedure back in May. The artist is Mike Knight from Velvet Grip Family, in Hollywood, CA.
The rest of the photos of the procedure can be seen in the 3D-art implant gallery. The question of course arises, well what does it look like healed?
Thankfully Copy sent in a fully healed picture last week to share with everyone. Keep on reading to check it out.
You can see just how well the implant healed up, plus Copy’s blackwork really accentuates how the light hits his hand, making the heart stand out even more that it would without the tattoo. I’m also a big fan of the simplicity of the photo, the contrast of the black against the wall, and the shadows created by the implant, really make the modifications the highlight of the photo. There’s also the clash between the imagery, while the tattoos are dark and cover the surface, the heart is strong and is showing itself through the darkness, forcing its way into the light.
No matter how deep something may be buried, if it is strong enough, it will rise up and push through anything in its way. Feelings are a perfect example of that. People supress their thoughts and feelings towards things and people all the time, yet eventually, often when it is least expected, those feelings can come rushing back. These moments can easily overwhelm someone, to the point that in the moment nothing else matters. It could be feelings of love towards someone, or anger towards another, I think where it is seen most is at a funeral. The news of a loved one passing away is always painful, yet in the time between hearing the news and the funeral itself, life must continue on for those few days. It’s difficult, but for most people it’s a necessity. So when the day arrives, all those feelings of grief and sadness that someone has pushed aside to get through the days comes flooding back. They’re finally able to release all of that emotion that had been building up, and they’re able to do it at a time they’re surrounded by people who are feeling the exact same way. It is through these experiences that a person is able to come to terms with their own feelings and move forwards. So while holding things in may be needed by people, eventually what is trapped inside will want to come out, it’s just a matter of time.
A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath (or polymathic person) may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable. Most ancient scientists were polymaths by today’s standards.
The terms Renaissance man and, less commonly, Homo Universalis (Latin for “universal man” or “man of the world”) are related and used to describe a person who is well educated or who excels in a wide variety of subjects or fields. The idea developed in Renaissance Italy from the notion expressed by one of its most accomplished representatives, Leon Battista Alberti (1404–1472): that “a man can do all things if he will.” It embodied the basic tenets of Renaissance humanism, which considered humans empowered, limitless in their capacities for development, and led to the notion that people should embrace all knowledge and develop their capacities as fully as possible. Thus the gifted people of the Renaissance sought to develop skills in all areas of knowledge, in physical development, in social accomplishments, and in the arts.
When I started writing today’s posts I had noticed that a few of the images I has selected were all from the same artist. We’ve already seen Gabor Zagyvai’s scarification work, as well as one of the suspensions he performed recently. Now for the final part of the trifecta, I present one of his tattoos.
This piece, entitled “Abstract Mistycism” (not my spelling), was part of the large image upload that Gabor sent in recently. This leg piece is just breathtaking in it’s intricacies. I love how you can get lost in the images, especially considering the monochromatic nature of blackwork.
I was to talk about the term “Renaissance Man”. The wiki definition above gives us the classical definition, and for the most part that definition still works today. I think that Gabor is a good representation of the Renaissance men and women that are so prevalent in the modification community today. While classical artists tend to favor one medium over other others, what we are seeing now is a large percentage of the modification artists branching out from one particular form of modification. Scar artists are also tattoo artists, piercers also suspend people, and even more, like Gabor, cover every aspect of the modification spectrum.
This then brings up the argument, is it now necessary in today’s world to become a master of multiple genres? Is wearing just one hat enough these days to become successful, or should artists work towards perfecting their art in different mediums? I guess the more important question is, have we as a community raised our expectations to the point that artists feel they must diversify to meet the needs of their clientele?
What do you guys and gals think? Does the future of modification lie in artists becoming polymaths, or are there enough people out there that specialization is still the preferred way to go?
I tell you what I was never a big fan of blackwork tattooing until I started seeing some of the amazing stuff posted here. This piece by Rain Partlow (Under the Needle in Seattle, WA) is a prime example of excellent black work (with a touch of color). It flows well with the clients body and it perfectly avoids the Adam’s Apple, a spot that I though hurt like hell!
Up until yesterday I would have said nothing. Then I saw this.
I had the pleasure of meeting (and staying with) Dan a few years back. He was incredibly nice except when he refused to speak to me until I started speaking to him in French. Here we are in his shop, demonstrating the difference between tall and short.
Dan & Jen at Calypso many long years ago
I’ve always been a huge fan of his work and who could blame me? Check out some of Dan’s new work.
Dan will be at the New York Tattoo Convention in May but I’m told he’s all booked up. If you’re having tattoo envy and want to get inked by Dan, your best bet is to plan a trip to Belgium so you can see him at his shop, Calypso Tattoo, in Liege. As for me, I’m afraid I’ll just have to keep dreaming for now.
Yesterday, I pulled my old school BME shirt out and wore it for the first time in several years. This shirt has the original Scott Fox designed BME Logo on the back (that happens to glow in the dark) and the original bme.FreeQ.com url on the front. This shirt is over 10 years old and it is still one of my all time favorite BME shirts. That old design has really passed the test of time, which is why I was so pleased to see this recent submission to the BME Logo Tattoo gallery.
I really like how this tattoo of the original BME logo is integrated into the surrounding blackwork, it looks like it is truly in it’s natural environment.
The wearer of this tattoo has joined Team BME, have you?
This beautiful black work was done by the father of modern tribal tattooing, Leo Zulueta out of Spiral Tattoo in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The lucky wearer is wlfdrgn.
More after the jump.
