INKEDblog takes you beneath the skin of today's tattoo culture. Our mission is to celebrate tattooing as a modern art form which incorporates art, fashion, style, and pop culture. While paying homage and respect to the past, we look to present a contemporary take on the present and future of skin art. getinked@inkedblog.com

Beyond the Basics: Talking to Your Artist When Did Tattoos Arrive in the Americas? Every BODY Has A Story - Cyborg Fig Vines Every BODY Has A Story - "Wearing My Heart on My Sleave" Every BODY Has A Story - The Lotus Blossom January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005

Friday  Jan 20, 2006

Every BODY Has A Story - Cyborg Fig Vines

We found this tattoo on a guy working at Hot Lips, a Portland pizza shop. Curious, we asked the story…

This tattoo runs all the way around and the length of his arm. It’s a fig vine. Fig vines encircle other plants such as trees, and use their solidity as a base to climb. After a number of years, the original tree is completely overtaken by the fig, and dies. Sometimes you can see whole forests made of great towers of fig vines- the only remnant of the trees they have smothered over the years. This tattoo is drawn in the Cyborg style purposefully. This man told us that it’s interesting to compare the way figs grow to machines. We agree.

 © Electric Artists Inc. All rights reserved.