Celtic Bee Tattoo

Today the VP of the local Santa Barbara Beekeepers Assn. came in with a request for a Celtic Bee. It was a lovely idea, and starting with a realistic bee silhouette and filling it with knotwork created this charming totem landing on his shoulder. Sweet!!!!! He now wears a permanent symbol of his enthusiasm for honey bees.

Celtic Knot Bee Tattoo by Pat Fish

A honey bee created from Celtic knots, celebrating the ancient connection between humans and bees. 

The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams. -Henry David Thoreau
 

The sweet Celtic bee design has been so popular I got a suggestion to add it to my CafePress store, and now it is up and available to purchase on imprinted shirts and other items. Support the cause of honey bees! http://www.cafepress.com/luckyfish/10379506

Killarney Celtic Cross Tattoo

Creating this cross was extremely challenging. It is based on a beautiful monumental cross in Killarney, Ireland, and the only photos the client had were taken from 3/4 and side views........... it was very important that we match this particular cross as closely as possible, because his father for whom the tattoo is a dedication passed away at the family home nearby in Killorglin, famous for their 400 year old Puck Fair. So this man knows his Celtic art, wanted to be as true as possible to the actual cross, but also was open to suggestions for rendering it with dots and shading. Plus he wanted to add the claddagh hands that I have drawn into other crosses he had seen and liked, so in the end it was an amalgamation of the best of many ideas, woven together like a Celtic knot.

Celtic Killarney Cross Tattoo by Pat Fish

Dedication Fireman's Cross Tattoo

This is a dedication tattoo, in memory of a beloved Grandfather who was a larger-than-life hero both to his family and to the men of the fire battalion he commanded. Now his grandson wears this permanent memory and strives to grow into a man that grandfather would have been proud of.

The 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.

This image now available as imprinted clothing and accessories in the LuckyFish Art-ifact Shop!

USA & EIRE Heritage

More zoomorphic animals, this time a request for an Irish Wolfhound representing ethnic ancestry and an American bald eagle for loyalty to country. I had a good time weaving the spaghetti together to make a complex Celtic knotwork that was also semi-representational. Two loyalties, one heart, proud of both allegiances. 

American 

A custom knotwork combining the bald eagle symbol of America and the Irish Wolfhound symbol of Ireland. Representing the loyalties of Irish-Americans for their nation of birth and their cultural heritage.