Tattoos’ meaning more than skin deep, say those with body art
Sometimes it’s obvious; other times not.
If you look closely, you might see one peeking from a collar or the sleeve of a shirt, a hint of color with deep meaning to the wearer.
Tattoos can be just decorative, but many Spokane area residents say they also carry a deeper meaning, showing a lasting commitment to an ideal or a memory.
Pete Sabatino, a 58-year-old Vietnam veteran, got his first tattoo when he was 54.
“It’s safer, cleaner, and the art is better now,” he said. His tattoos commemorate his father, mother, and the men he served with. They are an outward representation of his unchanging feelings.
That kind of commitment is essential for anyone considering a tattoo. They are, after all, designed to be permanent.
Along with the commitment, it takes thick skin, so to speak, to deal with occasional negative reaction to their body art.
Kristi Kilbourne, tattoo artist and owner of Lady Luck Tattoo and Piercing, 8611 E. Sprague Ave., often hides her tattoos, which represent old religions, tribal markings, flowers and hummingbirds.
“People have really strong feelings about them,” she said, “I cover them because I get tired of talking about them,” when strangers demand explanations.
While tattoos are meant to be permanent, they can be removed. Dianne Landreth at Dianne’s Electrolysis, 9421 N. Division St., said she regularly removes tattoos because “people don’t want their kids to get the wrong impression of them” or “lifestyles and beliefs change,” such as when a guy with a Satan tattoo became a Christian.
Caleb Frey is a tattoo artist at Evolution Artspace, 312 S. Bernard St. He has been grabbed by his tattooed arm as a curious stranger has tried to “read” the meanings behind his markings. Even the “Hell Bent” that is inked under his chin doesn’t scare people away.
Denise Coyle has four sets of feet in different colors on her ankle for her grandchildren while her husband, Tim, has their handprints across his upper arm.
Luke Stone, a reservist who spent more than four years in the Navy, has leaves, vines, trees, a propeller, as well as Irish and Catholic designs on his leg, arms and back.
Patri Bartridge is a retired nurse who is heavily tattooed with constant reminders of her children, angels, fairies and dragonflies. The whimsical world of Oz is in the works on her leg, where her grandchildren’s likenesses eventually will have a place.
She also wears a Canadian maple leaf with her husband’s name and lyrics to their favorite love song, Keith Urban’s “Making Memories of Us.” In a society quick to divorce, maybe a simple reminder is all that’s needed to keep the love alive.
Chris Spriggs, a tattoo artist at Tiger Tattoo, 825 W. Garland Ave., has his wife’s name on his wrist, and she has his.
“I’m proud of my choices, and I wear my tattoos proudly,” he said. “Some people have a hard time believing we are real artists, but we make the ultimate commitment by wearing our art on our sleeves literally, and if that isn’t real, I don’t know what is.”
His wife, Donell Barlow, has a large tattoo on her chest that represents her sister, who died from cancer 10 years ago.
“It hurts me when people choose to dislike me because of the tattoos. They don’t want to see the person behind the ink,” she said.
“If they actually would look at them and see the beautiful artwork that represents my life, they wouldn’t judge so harshly.”
Zack Woods, artist and owner of The Missing Piece Tattoo Lounge, 154 S. Madison St., said, “The act of moving a feeling from the inside of yourself to the outside is an act of self-expression.
“The point of getting tattooed is to show the world that there is something inexorable about you… something that can never be separated from you… a show of commitment to an ideal, a person or a group. I’m proud that I get to spend my life being a small part of this process.”
He has had thousands of clients since he began 10 years ago, and he gives them credit as “the reason that this once primitive art form remains a part of our modern lives.”
Be it a fad or a way of life, it always will be a curious, thought-provoking and artistic way to “live free,” as it says on Spriggs’ knuckles.