the space above the couch » Illustration Friday: Tattoo

Illustration Friday: Tattoo

Filed under: Artwork, Figurative, Illustration Friday, Family — jpohl at 12:21 pm on Friday, March 10, 2006

Dancing with Matisse", Oil on Canvas, J. Pohl, 1995

Dancing with Matisse, Oil on Canvas; © Jennifer Pohl

I have family members working in almost every field of endeavour –medicine, business and theatre, to name but a few– but one of my sweet and smart first cousins, Craig Cutler, is something of an artist. He runs his own thriving business in downtown St. John’s at the Trouble Bound Tattoos studio. I’ve been recently trying to convince him to let me do some studies in his shop, because I have a feeling there’s a painting to be found there. Because of my location, and my rapidly advancing due date, it’s a work that won’t happen overnight, so I thought it made sense to post an earlier piece painted for one of my first shows, Mother Mary, Wicked Women and Other Stories, called “Dancing with Matisse”. It seems to be a good fit for the today’s Illustration Friday.

Dancing with Matisse (detail), Oil on Canvas; © Jennifer Pohl

16 Comments »

788

Comment by AscenderRisesAbove

March 10, 2006 @ 12:55 pm

A wonderful painting; one that you could look at all day long.

789

Comment by mike pflaum

March 10, 2006 @ 3:03 pm

Very cool. you have a great control of light and dark in your forms…
Love the strokes & texture!
ps - really enjoy ‘great big sea’! - i believe from your area…:)

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Comment by Michael O'Connell

March 10, 2006 @ 7:55 pm

Beautiful Painting!

821

Comment by The Unknown

March 11, 2006 @ 3:19 pm

Wow! Fantastic!
love

824

Comment by Toni

March 11, 2006 @ 7:28 pm

Fantastic painting. Wonderful movement and detail

837

Comment by Katili

March 12, 2006 @ 7:24 am

A beautiful painting with such a lot of great feeling. I love the light and shadows.

850

Comment by Saul Iscariot

March 13, 2006 @ 7:22 am

Not that you would know it by looking at my artwork, I’m far to much into my colour, but that is more how I see things in my head when I start them.I want to paint things like this, it is poingant, full of mystery. It is a great picture.

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Comment by unknowncn

March 14, 2006 @ 9:48 am

This is very nice it has that dark feeling
It can maby have a little bit mor color but all in all it is great

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Comment by Vicky

March 17, 2006 @ 11:55 am

Beautiful work. I enjoy checking out your site regularly. I’m quite entrance by your use of light and shadow.

Does your cousin make thermofax screens, perchance? Some tattoo artists do….

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Comment by jpohl

March 18, 2006 @ 5:57 am

Vicky, they say confession is good for the soul, and I think this would be my chance. I have to admit some confusion about what it is my cousin actually does. One of the last times I spoke to him in person he had talked about wanting to switch from body piercing and learning more about tattoos. When he sent me the link to his new place of business I assumed he had already made the switch. In my eagerness to post before my toddler woke up I failed to notice the website had been updated, or I would have known that his business at the Tattoobound studios was called Advanced Piercing Technologies.

Craig has always been something of an artist at heart and much of his work is very sculptural, but as far as I know he has not done any professional tattoo work. After some consideration I removed the link because I also came across a photograph that some younger viewers probably shouldn’t see. Many of the images done at the studio are complex and beautiful, but as to the process I can not say. I still would like to pay a visit to gather studies for a painting, and have a chance to learn more.

Coincidence is a very stange thing. Later the same day there was an awful local news story about a young girl from Newfoundland dying from an infection related to body piercing. (My husband who remembered kids in highschool talking about using nails and hole punches said he wasn’t shocked.) The story was followed by an interview with one of the artists from Tattoobound who talked about the importance of offering a sanitary enviroment. Craig has traveled all over the world learning his craft, which includes branding and scarification, and the tattoobound website claims he is the first person to offer such services in St. John’s in a safe and healthy environment.

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Comment by neilornstein

March 20, 2006 @ 1:41 am

One of the best takes on the subject. I like the idea of mixing high and low art. If one were to be tattood one could do worse than Matisse although I am also partial to the idea of Hokusai’s “Great wave”pouring down across my shoulder blades.

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Comment by jpohl

March 23, 2006 @ 11:16 pm

Now that is quite an image. I almost heard the roar of the water…

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Comment by Natural Breast Enlargement

December 1, 2006 @ 6:08 am

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Comment by Stiv

December 20, 2006 @ 1:13 pm

Very neat image… I like those dark tones…

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Comment by Braylon

December 25, 2006 @ 7:21 pm

How much is a tatoo?That goes all over the back?I want one with Merlin and a fire spewing dragon on top of a mountain,with a night sky as a background
Omg…I missed a T in Tattoo…life as I knew it will come to a screeching halt…please help me…