This past summer whilst guesting at This Time Tomorrow in Brooklyn, I had the absolute honor of tattooing Jaya @jayaism via ig and website link here www.Jayaism.com Jaya is a Tattooer whom I am hugely inspired by.
He very kindly sent over some healed photographs, this is about 4 months healed and settled.
This piece is inspired by bamboo ornament motifs from Borneo and Timor, which was to connect with Jaya’s Indonesian heritage.
Thank you Jaya.
My posts on this blog are sporadic to say the least…..
In an attempt to share some photographs of my work and keep posting…….
Here is Ryan’s back photographed on Ilford 4×5 hp5 film, using my Graflex Speed Graphic with a Schneider Xenar 210mm f3 Lens, taken last month whilst in Texas.
Thank you for looking, and thank you Ryan for getting this work done and sitting through all of it.
How is everyone doing out there?
I hope anyone reading this is doing ok and finding time to be healthy and safe during this crazy period.
This weekend I took up a fun little social media challenge from my friend @tomastomas108 – the #108sleevesinternetchallenge
I decided to post them on here also as it is quite a broad spectrum of my work, from my first ever sleeve on @jorgeteran into a selection of sleeves in somewhat chronological order, ending with one I finished a few weeks before the lockdown started. This represents approximately 17 years of tattooing.
I strongly recommend checking out @tomastomas108 work if you haven’t seen it before, totally mind blowing and his contribution to the art of tattoo is phenomenal. Thank you, to all the amazing clients through the years, can’t wait to get back to work. I’d also like to say sorry to those I didn’t include in this with sleeves from me, I don’t have all my photos anymore.
Stay safe and healthy out there.
Thank you for looking – Thomas.
Fires Within Fires is the eleventh studio album by Neurosis, a band I have been following since I was a teenager, that’s 25 years!!!! The album was released on September 23, 2016, via the band’s own record label, Neurot Recordings. I am very grateful to have teamed up with their record label Neurot and my good friends at Deathwish to make available for the first time, museum quality prints of the art I created for this album.
Making art for them has been a dream of mine and always seemed like it would be out of my league. So when I started making t-shirt art for the band and working with them on solo album projects I was honored and humbled to say the least.
When the opportunity arose to make an album cover for them, I jumped at the chance and poured every bit of creative energy into the project, creating not just a cover but a full album package and layout for the gatefold LP, even down to hand painting the bands logo, album titles and writing the lyrics page with recording info.
The first sketch that I created for the album that struck a chord with the band and led to ideas for the finished cover and layout.
I wanted this piece of work to be a landmark achievement for my creative outlet that I like to call painting but at times feel is just illustration. It was a hard project to get a visual grasp of as I didn’t want to embed my artistic personality into their music and also wanted to represent their monumental legacy and iconic visual identity without repeating previous art they have used.
The Sumi ink sketch that became the main element of the final painted back cover.
Carrying themes from their lyrics and weighted music, this was the final outcome……
Like Neurosis’ previous albums, Fires Within Fires combines “elements from the post-metal genre they co-created with elements of industrial, doom, punk and folk”.
You can listen to the album hear and discover more about the band here.
The prints are available here via Deathwish.com
There are two sizes available
Medium: 12.5″ W X 24″ H
Large: 18.5″ W X 36″ H
Printed on: Fine Line, Coarse Watercolor, 315 GSM
Museum Quality Giclée Prints.
Poster tube included with each order. Ships within 7-10 business days.
Thank you the all the members of the band for trusting me with this project and to Jacob Bannon for all his help making the art available as prints.
A rose from my garden, Hasselblad 500cm Ilford sfx 200.
The beginning of this year has been one of creativity introspection, I made a rash decision on the 1st of January to not post any tattoos on my main Instagram ( I may have started a new one that’s private for now as I attempt to do one abstract painting a day for the whole year…… more on that later) and try my best to disengage from any interaction on the platform for a while, instead turning that time into drawing and reading.
Creativity is the Key to surviving 2020!
The Secret Life of a Rock, Hasselblad 500cm Ilford sfx 200.
My good friend David Hines recommended this book towards the end of last year and it is providing a wonderful insight into the way I look at pictures, wether it is something I am photographing or a drawing/painting I am creating.
I now find myself wanting to capture more of my tattooing on film, below are some images from the last few months, thank you for reading through and taking a look at the photographs.
A portrait of Carl Brunson, an inspiring and talented painter I am very fortunate to tattoo.
Carl Brunson Koni Omega Rapid M Fuji POrtra 800-1
A visit from an old friend and client.
Emmanuel, tattooed at Saved Brooklyn 2009-2012. Hassleblad 500cm on Fuji Portra 800 pushes one stop.
Stepped back into the ring with an old friend.
Progress on Kyle’s back. Hassleblad 500cm on Ilford sfx 200
Getting close to the finish line with a wonderful client.
Hasselblad 500cm with Fuji Portra pushed 1 stop.
Joel Miller has been a client since 2005 and I’m honored we get to continue this journey here in ATX as he now lives local!
Joel 35mm with 120mm spool adapters in Hasselblad Super Wide C on Ilford Delta 400 pushed 2 stops, shot full Negative to cover sprockets holes.
Joel 35mm with 120mm spool adapters in Hasselblad Super Wide C on Ilford Delta 400 pushed 2 stops, shot full Negative to cover sprockets holes.
A recurring favorite Michael waters with the start of his legs.
Starting Michael Waters legs, Hasselblad Super Wide C on Ilford 3200.
Michae’s healed back, Hasselblad Super Wide C on Ilford 3200.
Daniel, the day after we finished his back.
Justin, Crown Graphic 4×5 Ilford 100 Delta.
And as a little foot note, today my good friend Dennis Mcnett AKA @Wolfbat dropped by the studio today and gifted me this set of woodblock printing tools and materials as he will be teaching me some of his amazing craft, more info on that as it progresses!
Thank you Dennis and thank YOU for taking the time to look at my work.
X Thomas.
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