Tattoos
Meaningful designs meant to last a lifetime.
Sun and Moon
A dear friend requested that a minimalistic sun and moon with minor shading were drawn for a tattoo intended to be placed along her shoulder/upper arm. Within the sun, the Hindu god Ganesha was drawn. Ganesha is believed to symbolize the removal of obstacles from one's path— he “lights” the way of those who worship him, hence his placement within the sun in this design. Within the moon, the word “Karm/karma” is written in Sanskrit, upon her request.
Sunny
A bicep tattoo made as a reminder of the client’s dog, Sunny. The client provided multiple pictures of Sunny’s face and requested that a rendering of his nose be created. She also asked that a sun be incorporated into the design to symbolize his name.
Chasing After Wind
The client requested a ribcage tattoo symbolizing the message of the memoir When Breath Becomes Air, written by Paul Kalanithi. Throughout the book, Kalanithi shares his experiences as a medical resident who finds out he has stage IV metastatic lung cancer.
The client asked that the following quote from the book be considered when creating the design: “The future, instead of the ladder toward the goals of life, flattens out into a perpetual present. Money, status, all the vanities the preacher of Ecclesiastes described, hold so little interest: a chasing after wind, indeed.”
After the presentation of several ideas and sketches, we decided to incorporate a human component— the hand— and butterflies to symbolize the fleetingness of money, status, and material things. To emulate the action of “chasing after wind,” I drew the hand reaching upward as tendrils of air slipped through its fingers.