10/52

I'm already through about 20% of my project!

This Monday I drove up to Fredericksburg to see my friend and tattoo artist, Mike Tschirn at his shop, Golden Monkey (check them out at http://www.myspace.com/goldenmonkeytattoo ) He's done most of my tattoos over the last couple of years and he is freaking awesome. This week, we were coloring in the big stained glass windows I have outlined on the backs of both of my calves. A word to the wise, calf tattoos are awesome but they HURT LIKE HELL. I'm all about the pain of tattoos, but at times, it can feel kinda cruel.

This is an image of the window. It's from the church where I grew up. It's a beautiful example of Art Nouveau stained glass work. I heard that the church thinks it might even be a Tiffany window. I've been obsessed with it since I was a little boy. During every church service, I sat transfixed, counting the panes of glass, following the curl of the vines, and discovering new things in it everytime.

This is the work we've done so far. We had to cut the session short after 2 hours because the next appointment showed up. I was totally okay with that, I needed a break from the needles!

Still, I can't wait until the next appointment. I'm so ready to see the finished product!

Which brings us to this week's artwork. I drew the picture I snapped while Mike was tattooing and then added stylized versions of the motifs in the window. The stitches of the embroidery are supposed to resemble the raised metal framework of the window.

"Sunbeam Society"

8" x 10"

Graphite and Prismacolor Marker on Muslin

with Cotton Embroidery