Chris Interprets Heaven and Hell

Last month I met Chris, from Malden, Massachusetts, and he shared this incredible sleeve, still in progress. He estimates that it represents 25 hours of tattooing.

The overall motif of the sleeve is heaven and hell, and Chris was kind enough to address several elements in the design, many of which are deeply personal.

Chris began this tattoo's journey to acknowledge his first year of sobriety from alcohol and drugs.

It is an omnipresent reminder that "hell is always an arm's length away". The angel resides in heaven and the gates of heaven, on the inner arm, represent the goal, or entry into heaven.

Rising up toward heaven are two figures reaching toward this goal. The pair aiming for heaven represent two of Chris' friends, both who overdosed and died, having perished in the hell of addiction.

Chris drew me attention to Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hell.

To him, the three heads of the hell-hound represent alcohol, opiates, and cocaine, the three substances to which he had been addicted.

This sleeve is the work of the tattoo artist Rafael Serrano, formerly of The Painted Bird, in Medford, MA.

Thanks to Chris for sharing this deeply personal tattoo in progress with us. We're hoping to get updates in the future when more work is done.

We appreciate Chris' forthrightness and strength, and wish for his continued recovery.

Cody's Message of Recovery

These arms belong to Cody, who I stopped outside of Madison Square Garden on June 23.

What caught my eye was a beautiful religious piece on his forearm, but it was still healing, so we went with these tattoos instead.

Cody explained to me that he is in recovery, and that the strength he gets from this message, "Dealing with the Cards Life Dealt Me," is invaluable. "No matter what life throws at you," he told me, "We're powerless over life. We can't control it."

In other words, take things one day at a time, and face the challenges you meet as they rise up against you. Like in cards, you get dealt and a hand, and you make the best of it. And sometimes you win, and other times you lose.

This is the second recovery-themed tattoo we've seen recently (see Audrey's ink here) and I imagine we'll see more, as tattoos make great anchors for people, in recovery or not, as they face the struggles in life.

Cody's tattoos were inked by Justin at Skin Illustrations in Cookstown, New Jersey.

Audrey's Wrist Tattoos Keep Her Grounded

Last week I had a wonderful Wednesday of inkspotting, photographing four tattoos at lunch, and those of a fifth volunteer after work.

The run started with Audrey, whose tattooed wrist caught my eye in the plaza in front of Borders.

As it turns out, Audrey has both wrists done:


Her left wrist bears the slogan "Be Present" and the right wrist hosts a series of Roman numerals.

The "III.XX.MMVIII" refers to her sobriety date, 3/20/2008. I asked her then, if the phrase "Be Present" was from program literature. She acknowledged that it was and said she had no issue with my sharing these tattoos here on the blog.

When I asked if she found that her ink gave her strength in recovery, she nodded and said that the phrase makes her "mindul of what I'm doing in any given moment".

And the date? "It keeps me from making mistakes," she added.

These are two of her four tattoos. Recollecting my wife Melanie's surprise at the pain she experienced from the "13" on her inner wrist (recalled here), I asked Audrey if these strings of letters had been particularly painful. She smiled and said, "No, actually, it kinda tickled".

She could not recall the name of the artist that did these tattoos, but she did confirm they were inked at Lucky Dog Tattoos in the Fresh Meadows section of Queens.

It never ceases to amaze me how people use tattoos not only to decorate their bodies, but to give themselves the tools for survival. Whether it be a memorial piece that exudes comfort in periods of loss, or anchors used to ground the individual as they face the challenges of daily life, the tattoo can often be the center that makes life more bearable, that makes living each day a more pleasurable experience.

Thanks to Audrey for sharing these particularly personal tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!