Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Not quite the transfiguration

I'm sure Fr. Lawrence would say "more like DISfiguration",
I have found an orthodox tattoo artist in california, he was featured in the most recent again magazine, his name is Turbo Qualls, and I am thinking that if we can arrange a bunch of us who want to have a tattoo done at some point, (no hurry here, maybe by next year we have it all arranged) he will come up and tattoo us here. he's from california, and if he had a weekend or so of work, maybe he would pay his own way because it would be worth it. one of us could put him up, and then if we were to get orthodox tattoos, it would be by someone who understands orthodoxy. he is also an iconographer in training, so he really does get the idea of holy images. He is a convert in the last five years or so.
caveat 1. I have never met the man in person, but we have mutual friends from california.
caveat 2. I have not spoken to him about rates etc.

but I thought I should put it out there. If I ever get another tattoo, I want it to be done by someone who is orthodox.

4 comments:

Donna Farley said...

Did you know about this?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/04/europe_russian_criminal_tattoos/html/5.stm

Mr. P said...

the link didn't come through fully... can you repost it?

Donna Farley said...

Cut & paste works for me, but here's a tinyurl.

http://tinyurl.com/nhj2n9

Just thinking we need to have a look at tattoos in the multi-cultural context of Orthodoxy. I read one commentator who said that the Copts tattoo the cross on themselves as indelible proof of their baptism. Of course, they may well risk persecution by being thus identifiable. Different concept entirely than the idea of 'body art' meant to be displayed as art.

Mr. P said...

so so true.
my wrist tattoo was done in the spirit of the coptic tattoo, though clearly I am not in danger of persecution here in canada, well, not of the same type anyway.
and I agree that icons should not be body art.
I guess since I have a cross tattoo, and I think I may get another tattoo eventually, I think that it would be impossible to have a tattoo that was equally honouring to God. I don't believe that I could compartmentalize this issue, ie, have a tattoo that was 'just' a tattoo. the body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit, so any adornment must be appropriate.
perhaps better to not have any more tattoos...