Grandma's Bird Painting Tattoo

by Conan Lea

Published May 21, 2013

This client loved and admired her grandmother. She used her to guide her daily ambitions, because her grandmother encouraged her to be herself above all else. As we worked, she shared stories: her grandmother was one of the rare white women in the Amazon River basin, and grew up in the jungle among aborigine people that were known as cannibals. Her grandmother was also an artist her entire life. During the crest of her career, she created gorgeous multidimensional paintings, but my client wanted a replication of one done in her late eighties. Her decision was charming and beautiful, and I love the piece she chose. Her grandmother's age at the time she painted it had reduced her hand but not her vision. The challenge was patterning this piece and then replicating the nuances of the paint with my eye, centimeter by centimeter. Another challenge was to convince a sweet young girl from Indiana that great tattoos couldn't happen in five minutes. They rarely happen within sixty minutes or even a single session. A tremendous scholar, this client now has her PhD. She loves the learning process and took the new tattoo education in stride. She also never missed an opportunity to pick on my weak left brain. She even gifted me a tool to grow that logical side of the brain. I love this gal, I love her tattoo, and I love watching her blossom. This piece is one of the favorites in my portfolio. I wish I could do more like them.