The White Dragon rampant, stalwart symbol of the Anglo Saxon power of England, big and bold on the leg of someone who cherishes their UK heritage. Standing on symbolic and secret runes.
Saxon White Dragon Tattoo by Pat Fish
9th century chronicles record the use of a white dragon as the symbol of the Anglo-Saxons as they invaded Britain. Here he stands rampant, ready, in an adaptation of a sculpture near the Knights Templar church on the Thames in London, England.
Today I finished this half-sleeve of Celtic dogs on an excellent client, balancing out another half-sleeve on his other arm. He wanted to show the gentle and fierce sides of the Irish Wolfhound, my own favorite dog breed, and we wove a knot work panel that covers the front of the arm and continues inside as a complete connected band. It took three fairly intense sessions, but now we are done!
Celtic Dog Half Sleeve
Dogs show us two sides, the loyal steadfast friend and the fierce protector. It is precisely because they can be both, and do so at our bidding, that we allow them into our lives as close and trusted and worthy companions.
Nothing can be more tragic than the death of a child. Today I worked with two young parents whose baby was born gravely ill and passed away last week. They came out from Ohio and we placed the boy's hand print on their forearms, in a Celtic endless knot ring, with one line of the braid in baby boy blue. In times like this I feel the true sacred nature of the tattoo artist's calling, being able to give them a way to literally touch the hand of the son who is lost to them but still present in their hearts and now on skin.
Handprint and Celtic Ring Dedication by Pat Fish
The ring pattern is available for purchase and immediate download: http://www.luckyfishart.com/perfectring.html
Ten years ago I did these stargazers on a gal's lower back, and today she came back for a complete rebuild. We like to say in the tattoo world that "Your tattoo will age as gracefully as you do" and by no means had this lady done too much wear and tear in Minnesota. But it was blurred, and the pink was barely there, and now it is re-outlined and bright and alive again. It was the era when most women got their tattoos in this location, but few were so bold!
Lower Back StarGazers Tattoo by Pat Fish
