The Illuminated Ink photography project features skin as a canvas for art and the beautiful pieces that can be portrayed on the body. My work showcases skin as a surface with texture, shape, and movement. The final images highlight the intricate details of the tattoos and the texture of the skin. I ask each person I photograph about the origin and significance of their tattoos. Like most fine art, there is meaning and history behind each piece. When completed, the project will include a coffee table book and gallery show.
Tamale
"[Inspiration for the tattoo came from] acknowledgment of self-imposed limitations and release from them. I am from a very conservative background and was, looking back, at a pivotal point in my life...I had realized I was gay my first year in college and totally panicked. I fought it for a few years, engaged in deep self-loathing as I desperately struggled to remain in control.
Finally it came to a head. I was struggling with acceptance and denial. I damn well knew that acknowledging I was gay would, most likely, result in the loss of everything I had ever valued. It was terrifying and the constant, low-grade tension over those years had pushed me to the limit. It was a very private torture.
Ultimately I surrendered. I drew this corset: feminine, iconic, made both to contain and support. The release from what had felt like an emotional vice into the composed pain of a tattoo that large and emotionally charged was transformative. The shading took ten hours and I wanted the pain more than I wanted it to stop... which was a lot. I cried so much, so hard, that I had to master purposeful breathing so my artist could complete the laces.
When we were done, I remember her looking at me and saying, "Damn, girl. You earned your bad-ass wings on this one. You don't have shit to prove to anyone." I felt closure. I had been through so much physical pain that I felt strong enough to take whatever came next. My tattoo saved my life, then it gave me one."
Artist: Keely Tacket
Bisou
"My entire back is covered with four different flowers which represent the four seasons, evolution, and beauty. The Geisha and Hanya Demon are taken from the Noh Play where the Geisha's unrequited love for the priest creates anger and jealousy and eventually turns her into a Hanya Demon. This represents my unrequitted love for life despite the challenges I may face. [B]ut instead of letting it get the best of me I strive to stay grounded amongst the chaos."
Artist: Michael Sikes
Jennifer
"I wanted to get something inspired by [Alphonse] Mucha but of the tattoo artists creation, using a collage of ideas I had."
"I got praying hands over my breast bone for a close friend of mine who passed away. I got them on the first anniversary of his death because I thought a little bit of pain was necessary for that day. He had them tattooed over his heart so this is pure love for him"
"I really don't put too much weight or thought into my tattoos. The larger, more beautiful ones are ones I got to signify something for myself but I am also a fan of getting tattoos on the fly, just for fun."
"I got praying hands over my breast bone for a close friend of mine who passed away. I got them on the first anniversary of his death because I thought a little bit of pain was necessary for that day. He had them tattooed over his heart so this is pure love for him"
"I really don't put too much weight or thought into my tattoos. The larger, more beautiful ones are ones I got to signify something for myself but I am also a fan of getting tattoos on the fly, just for fun."
Artist: Scott Campbell (arm) / John Reardon (chest)
Eugenia
"The tattoo on my stomach is a Samuel Beckett Quote, 'Sleep Till Death Healeth Come Ease This Life Disease,' which is in memorial of my mother who died in 2002 from cancer."
"The tattoo on my forearm is a quote from the Bible. It reminds me that everyone is allowed to question authority, faith and their beliefs at some point, to feel alone."
"The tattoo on my forearm is a quote from the Bible. It reminds me that everyone is allowed to question authority, faith and their beliefs at some point, to feel alone."
Jessica
"I always wanted to be fully tattooed. I wanted to be covered with no open space. I used to draw on myself when i was very little to show what I wanted."
"Being a heavily tattooed woman is like talking about politics or religion - sometimes it's just not appropriate. Everyone has an opinion and my appearance can be quite pushy. [But] I am educated, articulate, successful, thoughtful, kind and respectful. My interactions with people change minds one at a time along this journey!"
"Being a heavily tattooed woman is like talking about politics or religion - sometimes it's just not appropriate. Everyone has an opinion and my appearance can be quite pushy. [But] I am educated, articulate, successful, thoughtful, kind and respectful. My interactions with people change minds one at a time along this journey!"
Artists: Mike Schweiggert, Topper, Josh Hoffman, Seth Ciferri, Patrick Dean, Dan Higgs, Matt Rinks, Kevin Leblanc
Scarlett
"The quote is from Albert Camus' 'The Fall.' [It] is about friendship...what it means to you and what you are willing to do for it. How it is so absent-minded and unavailing, never knowing what it really wants...so fragile and precious and one day it can just be gone."
Artist: Eli
Shon
"I wanted to be fully covered in tattoos."
Artist: Regino Gonzales / Grime / Jason Kundell / Norm / Justin Shaw
Julie
"I've always admired large floral tattoos on women, so I decided to get one of my own. The flowers are tulip illustrations from a botanical book."
Artist: Amanda Wachob
Carol
"I'm amazed that a creature like a peacock even exists. I chose the peacock because of its divine beauty. I wanted something that I would never one day decide I didn't like. Depending on which walk of life you encounter, the peacock can symbolize love, good luck, bad luck, vanity, virility, ego, purification, royalty, enlightenment, protection. The list goes on. [My tattoo] is sort of this wonderful secret I get to keep."
Artist: Artist: Stephani Tamez
Stephen
"People ask me if I deployed to protect my country or family...I tell them I did not fight just for America or just for my family. When we fight it's about the person next to you. We fight 'For Each Other' so that every man makes it home alive and in one piece."
Artist: Xoil
Jessie
"My tattoos are art that I can take with me everywhere I go. You have to have tough skin because people are going to talk to you about them, and they will give you an honest opinion."
Todd
"I've been a huge fan of Tim Burton ever since I was a little kid and saw Franken Weenie for the first time. I'm not about showing off or standing out. I'm just me. I got them for me. However, I do get stopped all the time and asked about them. The detail amazes people and I don't mind that."
Tattoo Artist: Chris Adamek
Marisa
"Ed Hardy once told me in an interview that he believes that there could be a “tattoo gene.” It made a lot of sense to me because when you ask somebody who has a visceral, physical attraction to tattooing - that is something that's ingrained. People can think back and say, ”Well, I've always felt that way”.
I remember when I was very young, looking at my mother's National Geographic magazines and coming across tattooed tribal women. I instantly thought that it was really beautiful, mysterious and I wanted to look that way.
I look at my tattoos now — and the body suit that I’m working towards — as a way to adorn myself so that I look and feel beautiful. I enjoy feeling like a walking work of art.
As a heavily tattooed woman, especially one in her forties working in a conservative environment, I get a lot of reactions. Most are positive, some are negative, and some can even be downright creepy. Tattoos spark conversations. It’s what I love about them, how they have brought some wonderful people in my life and even some great adventures."
Artist: Daniel DiMattia, Calypso Tattoo, Liege, Belgium
Jesse Lee
“My aunt, whom I love and admire, has a few tattoos, and I remember from an early age thinking she was so cool and that they were so beautiful. As soon as I was able to, I started to buy and collect tattoo magazines. I studied the ladies that graced the pages...there were very few women with tattoos in magazines back then.”
Artists: Andre Malcolm, Regino Gonzales, Marco Serio, Julie Becker, Jason Kundell, Troy Denning, Shinji Horizakura
Vanessa
“In traditional Maori tribes, boys began getting tattoos as a rite of passage into manhood and continued getting them from head to toe as they achieved milestones in their lives. Consequently, a man who was completely covered in tattoos was revered and looked up to. He was thought to have wisdom and great life experience. I really like to think of my tattoos as my own life evolving and growing and hopefully moving forward.”
Tattoo Artist: Dave Shoemaker
Antonio
My skin is my canvas and with it I've created a tapestry of my life: each represents me, my spirit, a personal event, or something that inspires or moves me. I've become one with the tattoos. Without the them I'd feel naked and vulnerable. The ink has become sort of my armor in this battlefield we call life.
Artists: Chris Golden of Kingdom Tattoos, Nano of Villain Tattoo
Tom
"I love taking my pants off! I can’t tell if people are more impressed with the tattoo or with how easily my pants come down with request."
Artist: Tony Ciavarro
Artist: Tony Ciavarro
Andrew
"One thing with Japanese tattooing- it will always be a timeless classic, safe from the tattoo fads and trends we see so often nowadays as this industry is becoming more and more popular and socially acceptable."
“The backpiece is a Polynesian/Yapese inspired by the godfather of blackwork himself, Leo Zulueta. The "blades" on the back are highly stylized whale fins which pays tribute to all the migrating ones that pass through Hawaii. It also pays respect to the old explorers of the world especially those of Polynesian descent, conquering the Pacific Rim in little more than canoes and catamarans.”
Artist: David Sena
Pamela
“I’m not sure what the moment was that made me think that it was the time to start, but the inspiration to start getting tattooed was a mix of signifying changes, and serving as a reminder for what I wanted my life to be: flowing like water, beautiful and fiery like a red lotus, strong and stable like the earth and mountains, and changing like the weather (clouds, movement of birds with wind).
Artists: Yoni Zilber: Lotus/Mountain/Dharma Wheel/Fish. Heron: Brian Kaneko.