“Scared shirtless.” Me, not him. Shot under less than ideal conditions, Paul’s portrait was done on the fly at the 17th Annual Downeast Tattoo show. Knowing that I would not be making it to his home in New York, I decided to sacrifice quality of image for quality of person.
To be perfectly honest, a little intimidated best describes my experience as Paul started explaining some of the body art of which he is the most proud. Referencing his leg, “this piece tells the story of how important tattooing and body piercing are to me. It symbolizes that the only way I’ll ever stop doing it is if they cut me off at the wrists and pry the tools out of my severed hands.”
Before I could really think about what had just been said, Paul continued, “I got my first tattoo when I was fifteen, just after release from a detention center. It saved my life. The guy who did the artwork hired me on to work in his studio, and I have been tattooing, piercing, and staying out of trouble ever since.”
The Never Judge a Book By Its Cover moment did not come until the very end of our encounter. As I set down my pen, Paul mentioned his daughter’s name was inscribed on his arm. Indeed, there on his arm was written, Nevaeh – it’s Heaven spelled backwards. Paul took out his cell phone to reveal her picture. She is indeed a cutie. Every time he flips open his phone, there she is smiling at him. “She’s my light,” Paul commented. The Never Judge a Book by Its Cover moment – my son Isaac’s picture is the background image on my cell phone for the same reason.
