I got my first tattoo when I turned 35, six years ago. I had been thinking about it for years. Then I realized, I'm over-thinking it. The best answer was simply a traditional tattoo—typical hearts, fire, an anchor, bones, wings, banner iconography. Sailor Jerry stuff. Hence the slogan on my right arm: "This is my tattoo." (A more literal translation would be "I am a person of words," or "These are the words on my body." My brother Chris, who has a doctorate in Greek and Latin, wrote the translation.)

So I found

Marcus Kuhn,

who was working in Jamaica Plain, MA, and Marcus did this:

This is my right arm. (The birds below and the all-seeing eye above were added about three years ago.) 

Now Marcus runs his own shop,

Just Good Tattoos,

 in Portland, Maine. The name alone should give you a pretty good idea of how Marcus operates. He's been working professionally for over 25 years, and does a fair amount of work in Japan and Europe.

Given we were going to be on vacation in upper New England, I got the itch to add some more to my canvas. I also had to add my sons' names to their respective banners. Fortunately, Marcus had a slot open for me. He said about 90% of his clients are from outside Maine and that he's basically booked solid all year.

I dig the interior of Just Good Tattoos. Lots of visual stimuli, which gives you something to concentrate on. But you also get a great sense of respect for illustration, form, anatomy and tattoo tradition. 

After some conversation about the names for the banners, we talked about my new theme: Stars. Basically, I wanted to add another iconic element and blend the existing work into the shape of my arm. I went out for some tea while Marcus got to work drawing.

He works in pencil, then translates the art to a kind of mimeograph paper. After rubbing my arm with alcohol, the image is applied onto my skin for placement and approval. Then colors get mixed and the tools get prepped.

(This image was taken midway through the process.)

So, yes. It hurts. It can hurt a lot. 

It hurts because there's a bunch of very tiny needles being agitated by a motor into your skin. The thing that amazes me is how someone like Marcus can hold this agitating tool so tightly, for so long, and be very, very accurate about where he's placing the ink. Oh, and still crack jokes.

Most of this new work was over muscle, so it wasn't too bad. 

You can see the black outline for the big star taking shape just above my elbow. (The bruise just below that is courtesy of a rug burn earlier in the week. That hurt more than some of the tattooing.) And note the latex gloves, and sterile wrap down the wires. Marcus is very careful with his work environment. 

(Taking photos of yourself being tattooed can provide a nice source of distraction.)

Aside from fantastic craftsmanship and a great attitude, I really appreciate Marcus' speed. He works fast, so you hurt less. And he's got a great sense of humor. We decided probably the worst thing you could overhear during a tattoo session was, "Ooops."

So there's the work. We added names in the banners and a bunch of different kinds of stars underneath, above and throughout the existing work. I especially dig the white outline bordering the "major" star. Nice touch, Marcus.

So, that was my summer vacation.

How about you?