My first day back in the Big Apple I met Caroline, at the corner of 23rd and 6th, a stone's throw from the Hotel Chelsea.
When I asked her to share one of her many tattoos (she has around 30), she bared her upper arm to reveal this great piece:
I recognized it immediately as the popular "underground" comic artist R. Crumb. Not that he wasn't already popular, but he illustrated a couple of Charles Bukowski stories in the late '80s, and this image was one used in the Black Sparrow Press issue of his short story "Bring Me Your Love
".
Caroline explained to me why this tattoo was essential to her tapestry. She would often, when angry or frustrated, say she was so mad she could punch herself in the face. When she saw the drawing, she knew it would be a perfect tattoo for her.
Joe at Saints & Sinners in Baltimore was the artist who transferred R. Crumb's genius onto Caroline's flesh.
Thanks again to Caroline for sharing this great tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!