evolution of an idea

The Bowery Hotel is in New York. I've never been there but I thought this guy on their coaster looked cool. I liked his stance and the simple style in which he was drawn. I thought he'd make a good lumberjack.

I enlisted my friend Coco, a talented artist, to make some quick changes. She drew this up for me in a minute.

I took the drawing to Aaron at Icon here in Portland and he made a couple changes before sticking it on my side. I really like how it turned out and though I don't think my great-grandpa and his daughter, my grandma, would approve of it, I think it's a fitting tribute that I'm happy to keep to myself.

Great-grandpa was a nature-lover, a dedicated outdoorsman with a great appreciation for natural beauty. He had to take a job in the timber industry during the great depression in order to support his family. I never really talked to him about it before he died, but my grandma and her sister are full of engrossing stories about growing up in logging camps.

Ever listen to that song "Tattoo" by The Who? It's a real cool cut from their early days on which they sing about being a man and getting your arm inked. The chorus finds Roger addressing his new tattoo, “I expect I’ll regret you…you’ll be there when I die,” and commenting on what many believe to be a senseless lark. Think what you will about the sacred art of tattooing--its permanence, its fad status and the undeniable stereotypes it generates--I still think the whole affair can be pretty cool.

That’s not to say that I like all tattoos, oh no. There are some horrible examples out there, tattoos that tell the world how foolish someone was or is and tattoos that demonstrate someone’s impaired decision-making process. I like to think that my tattoos are pretty tasteful. Not only that, nobody can see them (and judge me) unless I take off my shirt. The tattoos are for me and I'm not trying to show them off. My body’s still a temple, it’s just got some decoration on it now.