Tattoo Update (Phoenix Tattoo Artist Eric Skramstad)

I realized that I hadn't posted newer pictures of my fiance's tattoo since my last post about it! Since then, it has been completely colored in and finished. It's so amazing! Click to see the whole thing:


I am definitely going to have Eric Skramstad do my next tattoo. He currently works at two tattoo studios: Love and Hate and his own shop, Fat Zombie. Seriously, this guy is amazing. Below is some of his amazing artwork for sale at his website:

Cactus Pups

When I was a kid, most of my allowance probably ended up in quarter machines in exchange for what my mom called cheap plastic crap. I like to think I have matured, but then I discover something like Cactus Pups and I realize that maturity is an illusion!


Cactus Pups are tiny little blind-box mystery toys combining three of my favorite things: cacti, doggies, and cuteness!!

Above are the ones I have so far... My fiance gave me several for Christmas (I opened them already lol) and there were a few duplicates. I am still missing four of them! You can buy them in Phoenix at my new favorite toy store, Red Hot Robot, and at the TokiDoki web store.

Amazing Artist: Eric Skramstad

- - - UPDATE: the tattoo is finished! - - -

So my boyfriend is getting his crappy old tattoo covered over by an awesome new tattoo. It's a work in progress... the lines are done and so is some coloring but it is still far from complete. But it looks AMAZING. We are beyond thrilled with this tattoo artist, Eric Skramstad of Love and Hate Tattoo in Phoenix, Arizona. Here are some photos of my boyfriend's tattoo in progress:

The (crappy) original. It may or may not say "Paul" in Kanji, along with the Southern Cross constellation. He got it at the same tattoo parlor as I got my first tattoo in Australia. It was a pretty crappy job, as was mine.


The line-art. It's not the best photo, but you can see the incredible detail, precision and artistry with which it was inked. At this point, we were skeptical about Eric's ability to cover the old tattoo but we have since been convinced!


Here is this Monday's work! Eric started on the color portion and it looks way beyond amazing! It really does cover up the original. Now I want him to do a tattoo for me!


Also, Eric Skramstad has a website through which he sells his and other tattoo artists' paintings. It has some pretty cool examples of tattoo style art. Check out FatZombie.com. Some of Eric's art:

White Space by Jennifer Urso

So my favorite coworker took me around to Phoenix's art galleries a few weeks ago (because I have no culture lol) and I actually saw a pen and ink drawing in a gallery that I loved enough to buy. That never happens. Stuff in galleries usually just... eludes me... Jennifer Urso's White Space series is amazing though. It was very difficult to choose which one to purchase, I would have been very happy with several. Here are some of my favorites:



Unfortunately, I can't find the one I bought online. It's amazing. I love the way various pieces look a little like maps, a little like organic cells and a little like scientific drawing in addition to being beautiful and fun to look at! Check out her website

I Like Freedom of Speech

Today in Phoenix, Arizona a group of neo nazis demonstrated. Of course, there was an even bigger counter-demonstration. Both sides were yelling and screaming their points of view, waving flags, throwing around nazi salutes...

While I in no way sympathize with neo nazis or racists in general, I was less angered by their point of view than I was happy to see extreme freedom of speech in action. Maybe 100 of Phoenix's police officers there, many of whom were sub-human minorities in the apparent view of the neo nazi protesters. The officers were amazingly calm and respectful, while many of them counter protesters were calling them nazis!

Our freedom of speech, our right to offend is so precious. There are a number of things I really love about America, but this probably tops the list. Below is my favorite photo I took of the event, a police officer holding back protesters from the neo nazis.


Neo Nazis in Phoenix 3 by ~firheruwen on deviantART

In the words of Evelyn Beatrice Hall, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it," one of my favorite quotes.

My Photos! They are in a book!

A while back I participated on a project on Deviant Art, the rules of which were to take 9 square photos of doors along one street in one city. The photo collage below is of my photos along Monroe Street in Phoenix, Arizona. Grunge! Bars! Pink!


The book is available on Blurb, with proceeds going to HORA COPIILOR, an orphan children support association in Romania.