Solution Knot Half-Sleeve Celtic Tattoo design

Twenty years ago I met this man and told him he needed to cover up his tattoo. It took him that long to come around to doing it, but this week we finally finished a multiple-session entirely new tattoo that he can wear proudly.

Solution Knot tattoo by Pat Fish

A bold knot pattern half-sleeve, designed to cover up a tribal band that covered a large area with very dark shapes. Using the foreground front knot as the major weave, then another linked knot to span the area under the arm, the pattern fits the body and transforms the space.

Solution knot before and after

Video of this pattern being installed maybe viewed at:     

Solution knot being installed by Pat Fish

Dara Tree of Life Celtic Oak Tattoo Design

A single woven line creates this tiny tree, in this version only 2" high on a lady's wrist. It is a most delicate rendering of the tree of life. The name Dara comes from the word "doire," which is the Irish word for the oak tree, one of the most important of the sacred trees of Ireland.

Dara Tree tattoo by Pat Fish

Sutton Hoo Saxon Buckle Tattoo

Today a man with ambition to create a sleeve of Saxon art added this intricate buckle from the Sutton Hoo Horde. The ship burial is giving us many sources for inspiration, and replicating the complexity of the metalsmith's art is a challenge to my tattooing skill.

Sutton Hoo Saxon Buckle Tattoo by Pat FIsh

"The ship-burial, probably dating from the early 7th century and excavated in 1939, is one of the most magnificent archaeological finds in England for its size and completeness, far-reaching connections, the quality and beauty of its contents, and the profound interest of the burial ritual itself." -Wikipedia

Saxon Buckle Artifact with Tattoo by Pat Fish

Heritage Claddagh Cross Tattoo Design

Today marked the culmination of a long project, bringing together three tattoos into one cohesive whole. On the chest we placed a claddagh cross, the Irish symbol for faith, loyalty, and courage. To honor this man's mixed Irish and American Indian heritage, the Cherokee symbol for friendship, the crossed arrows, was placed in the center of the cross. On his sleeve we completed a Cherokee seven pointed star with yin-yang wolves in the middle by adding Celtic knotwork that circles the wolf star and then flows around and under the arm. An ambitious sleeve for a persistent and proud man.

Cherokee Claddagh and Wolf Star tattoo by Pat Fish