Occasionally we get submissions of modifications from people that aren’t new to them, but new to us. Ron Garza, in his travels around the world, doesn’t always have time to submit photos to his gallery, but when he does, you know it’s going to be special. This piece is a collaboration between Ron and Christian Bedics when the two of them were visiting Baduku, a shop in Rijeka, Croatia last October. Hopefully the next time Ron sends in photos we’ll get to see a follow-up of this piece.
Wow this week seems to have flown by. We’ve had ear pointing, foot tattoos-a-plenty, an interesting round of “Guess What?”, and of course the birthday of our own Sean Philips. Now that Friday is here, it’s time for this week’s follow-up. This week we’re looking at a scar we saw just over a month ago from Misty. Her Santa Muerte scar blended in Catholic imagery of Mary to create a good looking scar.
To see how it looks today, you know what to do.
There’s still a lot of healing to go and the scar will probably change as time goes on, but at this point it’s clear that the details in the cuts took, which should lead to a relatively even scar down the line. It wasn’t long ago that we saw Misty’s first attempts at scarification, but if her work continues to improve as it has, we can look forward to a lot of great looking scars from her in the future.
Next up for today we’ve got a scar from the man with the plan himself, Richard Effin Ivey. It’s a straight up cutting, but with the client being a body builder, that’s a pretty big scar. Those of you who know Rich can get a good idea of the size just by comparing it to the size of his head.
Every rose has its thorn,
Just like every knife has its blade,
Just like every cut has its drop of blood
Every scar has its wound.
Scar by Gabor Zagyvai (IAM: Wyrd), from Budapest, Hungary.
Richard Effin Ivey knows how to make a mark on a person. Including the one he’s dating. This North Carolina scarification was done on Rich’s girlfriend, and includes what I’m guessing is her favorite flower, the stargazer lily. Last time I checked the state flower of NC was the dogwood. Rich works out of Warlock’s Tattoo, which is located in Raleigh, NC.
What can I say that hasn’t already been said? Ron Garza is a genius with a blade, and any one who doubts that need only look at this Hindi style Mosque that Ron cut recently while on the road.
You know, I completely forgot today was Friday. This week has been a blur and for some reason today felt like Thursday. Of course with it being Friday, that means it’s time for this week’s scarification follow-up. We’ve seen a couple of scars by Richard Effin Ivey this week, and today’s follow-up is another example of his talents. This scar in particular was important to Richard as it is on his friend, author Malcolm Randall. Malcolm’s book, The Malchemist, is about accepting yourself, and living through the troubles life can throw at you. With self-acceptance being a big part of body modification, it’s no wonder that Malcolm’s book is important to Richard. But enough about the book, let’s take a look at the scar.
To see how this big rib piece healed up, you know what to do.
Here’s how it looked 2 months after the cutting..
And here is Richard and Malcolm 4 months after the cutting, on the day Malcolm’s book was released.
You can see more of Richard’s scars in his BME portfolio gallery.
Those of you familiar with Jainism will recognize this symbol right away. For those that don’t, the palm with the wheel signifies Ahimsa, one of the main principles of Jainism. It essentially is a symbol meaning to do no harm to any other living creature. Seeing it in this form is interesting, as the creation of this involved not only cutting but branding as well, both of which are pretty harmful. So who better than a minister then to create this piece. Richard Effin Ivey is a minister with the Church of Body Modification, and part of his personal beliefs is using modification for spiritual growth and harmony. Richard serves as a conduit, bringing his faith and skill into his work so that the owner of this scar will take away something that will be with him forever in body, mind, and spirit.
Richard works at Warlock’s Tattoo in Raleigh, NC.
After talking to Richard Effin Ivey about this scar he did I learned a few things. First, that this is the symbol for Sasuke’s cursed seal from Naruto, and second that the script around the seal spells out the name of his dog. Keep in mind that this photo was taken before the clean up, so there’s a bit of excess blood scattered around.
It’s time again to check in with the master of the scalpel, Brian Decker, to see what he’s been up to in his Brooklyn studio, Pure Body Arts. From the looks of it, he’s been adding a second wing to a client. Now I don’t know if Brian did the healed one, but it looks like they’re going for an asymmetrical aesthetic. I don’t think I’ve seen a back scar piece of this scale go for asymmetry before, but Brian’s the type of guy who is always looking to do something new, so this is right up his alley.
Check out more of Brian’s scars in his BME portfolio gallery.