Today a local Nordic enthusiast came to begin a sleeve of patterns derived from the Urnes Stave Church in Norway. This wild stallion entwined with writing vegetation appears on a carved wooden panel inside the church, which was originally erected in 1130 and has been constantly repaired and updated. This art may date to the oldest part, or as late as the 17th century.
Viking Horse Band Tattoo by Pat Fish
The pattern for this tattoo is available for purchase and immediate download at
Today a Ju-Jitsu martial arts competitor came to California to fight in the world championships, and then came to the studio to begin what we hope will become an extensive bodysuit of Celtic warrior tattoos. We began with this Maltese cross, and working with his highly developed anatomy this is the largest version of it I have done. His first tattoo, and a good start.
Celtic Maltese Cross Tattoo by Pat Fish
The maltese cross is also a traditional symbol for fireman - a badge of courage and faith, worn proudly by the men and women who dare to walk into the inferno to save the lives of strangers. The pattern is available for purchase and immediate download as The Fireman's Cross:
This image also available as imprinted clothing and accessories:
Team and school loyalty is one thing, but this mascot tattoo is the fulfillment of a bet. The man I tattooed today wasn't entirely sure his son could leave the balmy climate of Santa Barbara and make it through the harsh weather of Minnesota. So Dad bet Son that if he did in fact complete a winter at his college in Minnesota, well, he'd get the school's mascot as a permanent tattoo. His first tattoo, and he did it. The real team loyalty is this father-son team.
According to Wikipedia:
"Goldy Gopher is the mascot for the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus and the associated sports teams, known as the Golden Gophers, as well as the defending UCA Mascot National Champion. During the year, Goldy makes over 1000 appearances and is at virtually all home games for University teams, usually wearing the appropriate sporting attire."
"Minnesota became known as the `Gopher State' in 1857, the result of a political cartoon ridiculing the $5 million Railroad Loan which helped open up the West. The cartoon portrayed shifty railroad barons as striped gophers pulling a railroad car carrying the Territorial Legislature toward the "Slough of Despond". The first U of M yearbook bearing the name "Gopher Annual" appeared in 1887.
Minnesota's athletic teams became widely known as the "Gophers" by the 1920s but it was not until 1934 that the immortal Halsey Hall, great Minnesota sportswriter and broadcaster, dubbed Bernie Bierman's all-gold uniformed team "The Golden Gophers" (Bierman chose the gold color because the football blended in with the uniforms!).
The embodiment of the Gopher mascot came to life in 1952 when U of M assistant bandmaster Jerome Glass bought a fuzzy wool gopher suit with a papier mache head and asked one of the band members to climb into it. "Goldy" Gopher (the first name seems to have appeared sometime in the '60s) became a fixture with the Marching Band and Pep Band, as each year a bandmember was chosen to don the suit for that season. Wherever these two bands performed, Goldy was there to glad-hand with the crowd, hug the little kids, torment the cheerleaders and generally add a friendly Minnesota flavor to the event."
Today I added two dragons to a leg on which I previously did the Celtic Shielding Cross, running up the shin. To expand and cover more of the leg surface, accentuating the musculature, we added twin dragons whose tails meet in the back in a triquetra. This photo shows the two sides of the calf, and the kinetic movement of the wings as the leg bends.
Double Dragon Tattoo by Pat Fish
