Going to the Chapel.....

Heart, Steel, 160cm x 120, 1999

Love, well at least the human heart as icon is an image that I have been busy with for a long time. In fact the image of the heart I have created has been one of the more popular pieces that I've ever done and has figured as a gift in at least three weddings and is displayed in two heart clinics in Holland as well as a handful of private residences. I have a lot of cariño or feelings for the image. Recently I was approached by a group of friends that were interested in buying a gift for a close friend of their's who was tying the knot. As time was a factor a lengthy design process was not an option and I told them that it would be much easier to work with an image or design that I already and tweak it to personalize it. I half jokingly said to them that it would be great to incorporate text as currently I'm working on another piece that involves text. That's when a slew of possibilities hit me. We agreed that the idea had potential and I agreed to do a couple mockups. The result is what you see below.

I wanted a really ornate and frilly font which I was able to track down online seeing as the ones I had on hand weren't quite baroque enough.

Forever,Steel,158cm x 140cm, 2007

The result for me is an homage to classical tattoos from another era (although in researching the project I found that those classical themes are very much alive and present in contemporary tattoo design.

The finished piece in an interior.

And another....