Lack of updates

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I really slacked getting the last two parts of this updated..  Plan on seeing a new post this week about the Homeward bound ship and Panther..

Artist #4 - Zack Spurlock - Anonymous Tattoo - Savannah Georgia

I found Zack through facebook posts from artist #1 Adam Hathorn, He has a really clean traditional style with custom work that just blows me away.   The Artwork looks like the kind of quality work that will last a lifetime, I am really looking forward to seeing his interpretation of the panther. 

You can check out an interview with Zack with some photo's of his work and a bio over at Swallows and Daggers  

Also see his portfolio

Zack works out of Anonymous Tattoo in Savannah Georgia

Panther Tattoo - History and Meanings

Panther, Leopard, Jaguar, Puma - they're all names for the graceful and ferocious panther. In Asia and Africa it's the leopard, in North America it's puma, and in South America it's known as the jaguar. Wherever this feline is found, it's revered for its strength, valour and power. Also for its maternal gentleness. As a tattoo motif, the panther makes a powerful statement about the person who chooses it, for it is a symbol of courage, strength and personal leadership.
   
The Panther figures prominently in the mythology of most cultures in South and Central America. It occurs in the art and religion of all pre-Colombian American civilizations and was considered a familiar and a companion of Shamans among the Olmecs, Mayans and Aztecs . It is an extraordinarily ancient and powerful totem animal and was a symbol of the nobility and the authority of royal families. The fur, claws and teeth of the jaguar were often used to adorn and decorate the costumes and finery of the highest ranking individuals.


These cultures found it very significant that panthers came in two colour phases, yellow and black and believed that the yellow phase of the panther pulled the sun across the day sky and that the black phase of the panther pulled the moon across the night sky. The panther / jaguar was often the symbol of shamans, individuals who could bridge the conscious and unconscious worlds, who had a special access to the afterlife and to the spirit world. Many thought the panther was shape-shifter, able to transform itself at will.

A powerful totem, the panther possesses an impressive range and scope of powers and abilities. Consider that its anatomy is said to consist of over 500 voluntary muscles. Be it physical, mental, or spiritual, that's a lot of 'muscle', and a lot of potential for action. For those who take the animal as their spirit guide, it's also a lot of responsibility. For those of a solitary leaning, the panther is a symbol of one who acts alone, particularly when taking the lead.

Wherever it has crossed paths with human civilization, the panther has been considered a highly intelligent and aggressive animal. The Greek god, Dionysus, chose the panther as his favoured mount, and his priests wore panther skins. The Egyptian Book of the Dead says that 'heaven opens itself' for the deceased king clad in the panther skin. The wearing of a panther skin signified one who had transcended their most base desires and was ready to enter the higher realms.

Mystery, mysticism and magic have been especially attributed to the black panther. Its sheer blackness suggests the night, the moon, primal darkness, and the energies that emerge from the depths. In art and legend, a beautiful and courageous woman is symbolized by the black panther. Virgin, mother, warrior, seducer, priestess and crone, this cat speaks of the feminine in all its aspects.

A nocturnal animal able to leap, climb, swim and chase - little wonder it became a mythic creature. In the Americas, it is said that the jaguar swallowed the sun, causing an eclipse, while its roar was thunder. Shamans are said to 'borrow jaguar power' in rituals that endow them with superhuman energy. Among the Aztecs and Mayans, the jaguar was a shape shifter, transmuting into human form. For those who achieved a meld with the jaguar power (becoming 'jaguar-man'), the result was freedom from social and cultural limitations. Many myths tell of the jaguar-men and their terrifying ferocity. In Greek myth, the black panther symbolized the unleashing of suppressed urges, of breaking through barriers and inhibitions.

The German philosopher, Nietzsche, is credited with saying, "That which does not kill us, makes us stronger." For those willing to open to the panther spirit, the potential for creating a link with the powerful archetypal force is considerable. The panther medicine can reawaken the innate power of our creative energy, even though it might have once been lost.

Biblical reference associates the sweet breath of the panther with the sweetness of Christ. The cat is said to have emerged from three days in a cave, its breath still fresh. In heraldry, the 'panther incensed' - sometimes depicted with a fiery tongue - symbolized fury and remorselessness. In China, the black cat reigned in the North, with water as its element.

Flower (Rose) - Holly Azzara

Artist #3 - Holly Azzara - Visions Tattoo - Medway MA

As I sat on a folding table in Holly's booth at the North Carolina Tattoo Convention, it was easy to see I made the right choice for artist #3. Every few minutes somebody would come up and  tell her how amazing her work was and asking when she would have time to do some work on them.  She clearly had pricing on her prints and photo's a very reasonable $25 and $10 yet on more than one occasion people would come up and pay 5 - 10 bucks more and tell her to keep the money.  This seemed to almost embarrass her when it happened, but to the person buying the prints they were clearly worth every penny.

After spending a few hours with Holly it is very easy to see why people have this reaction. As an artist you cannot define her style and she likes it that way. A Photographer, Painter, Mixed Media Sculptor, and oh yeah a tattoo artist her talent, hard work, and dedication shine through.   As a person she is intelligent, caring, and engaging, and you can tell just watching her work that there is a deep love for what she does.

As an artist with such a varied media portfolio you would think it might be a detriment. But it seems every aspect is filled with some emotion or story. Telling me about a particular time taking photo's in a graveyard and coming across some peacocks, her eyes lit up and the way she told the story made it clear that she has a strong emotional connection to the arts.

I am very grateful that she had the time to contribute to the 3x3 project, and even more grateful to have an artist who is so wholly devoted to her craft, no matter which craft that may be...

3x3 project Artist #3 - Holly Azzara
Subject: Flower (Rose)


Tattoo Site:
http://www.hollyazzara.com/


Art Blog:
http://hollyazzaraarts.wordpress.com/

Rose Tattoo - History and Meanings

The Rose in the West represents what the Lotus does in the East. A symbol of love, but especially of a love that is pure. Because of the rose's beauty, scent and shape, it is the ultimate floral symbol. Of all the flower tattoo designs, the rose is still the most popular and the most requested. Interestingly, the rose is nearly as popular with men as it is with women.

A symbol of passion, chastity, and purity, the rose reigns supreme as the most beloved of flowers. The gift of a single red rose says, "I love you" while a thornless rose declares "love at first sight". Yellow roses are for joy, white for reverence, light pink for sympathy and admiration, and orange for enthusiasm. In medieval times, the white rose was the symbol of virginity. Red, of course covers every kind of love, both sacred and romantic.

 Early Christians associated the rose with their Roman enemies, hence it became a mark of scorn, but eventually it came to symbolize the survival of persecution. Later yet, won over by its fabulous beauty, Christians adopted the rose as a symbol of the miraculous. At least a dozen saints have their names linked with roses, like Saint Therese of Lisieux, also known as Saint Therese of the Roses. The Virgin Mary herself is called "The Mystical Rose". The first "rosary" is said to have consisted of roses, then, later, rose-carved beads.

Countless tales and legends name the rose as a source of love and delight. According to the ancient Persians, the nightingale loved the white rose so much that the bird embraced it, piercing its heart and turning the rose red. Ancient Hindu writings speak of the goddess Lakshmi being born of 108 large rose petals, and 1,108 smaller ones. In 15th century England, during the bloody War of the Roses, the red rose stood for the House of Lancaster, while the white rose represented the House of York.

Fish - Jim Januzik