

I’ve been thinking about tattoos a lot lately as I creep closer to getting my own. Since it’s something that lasts forever (gulp), I want to be extra sure, so I’ve been trying to find the perfect artist to finish the piece I want. While my personal taste leans more toward really clean line art, this work by tattoo artist Amanda Wachob in NYC has officially blown my mind.





I discovered Amanda’s work through Amy Merrick last week. A reader is getting some flower photos Amy took for D*S (how cool is that?) turned into a tattoo, and Amanda is the artist she’s chosen. I didn’t have a chance to dive into Amanda’s portfolio until last night, but when I did, I found myself saying over and over again, “Is that really a tattoo?” Amanda’s work goes way beyond what I’ve ever expected from or seen in contemporary tattoo work — it looks like watercolor and oil paint applied directly to the body without a needle. I’m dying to see some of these tattoos in person — I can only imagine how impressive they look in real life.



As if Amanda’s contemporary work wasn’t mind-blowing enough, she’s also done a conceptual series of tattoos called “Bloodlines” using distilled water instead of ink. The lack of ink means the tattoo isn’t permanent, and as the needle mark heals, the design slowly fades. It’s such a beautiful idea and would be a really interesting way to experiment with using your body as a canvas.

I know tattoos aren’t for everyone, but if you’re an art appreciator, I hope you’ll take some time to check out Amanda’s work online — it’s really spectacular and definitely worth checking out. Thanks to Amy for the tip! xo, grace