Authentic Faith ~ the Lola Lamore Interview

Not all tattoos are as straightforward as they first may seem. Icons tend to be interpreted and then quickly shelved under the labels given to them by the collective society and the on-looker. It is through an individual’s personal story that the icon shifts and forms a new meaning. A skull isn’t just a skull. Not all crows fly in the same direction. And a sexy lady doesn’t always represent a particular woman from the past. Tattoos are as unique as the person who is wearing them. 

My next guest on Tattoos: the picture's story, is a perfect example of this uniqueness.  

Raised mainly by his grandparents, David is no stranger to the harsh realities and hard work of the farm life. He grew up on a farm just outside of Holden, in Central Alberta. At first glance, David seems like a normal big guy who you could imagine had tended to the homestead for much of his life; but for those who get to know David a little deeper, realize there is much more to him than just an Albertan farm boy. David is a minister; a minister known as Lola Lamore. 

Tattoo:tps:  Tell me about yourself.

David: Well, I was born in Drayton Valley, Alberta. My mum was a teenage mother so I was raised mostly by my grandparents. We had a farm near Holden Alberta. We had a mixed farm of grain, cattle, and a little bit of everything. My grandfather was an amputee. He lost both of his arms in a bailer, but he continued to be a farmer even after that. He could keep up with an auger or shovel with his feet faster than what I could with my arms. (laughs)

Tattoo:tps: Who was the biggest influence of your life?

David: My Grandmother. I see her as a strong independent, take no shit from nobody kind of person. She has always been supportive of me and still is. 

Tattoo:tps: Do you think that she knew you were bisexual or a drag queen before you knew?

David: No. 

Tattoo:tps: When did you discover that part of yourself?

David: I knew I was gay when I was around sixteen. 

Tattoo:tps: When, or how did you first discover Lola Lamore?

David: It wasn’t until I was in my twenties. I discovered Lola after being in an abusive relationship. In that relationship, I was emotionally and sexually abused. When it ended I was a mess. I was depressed and couldn’t interact with anybody. When I discovered the ISCWR, I bought shoes and raided mums closet. Lola was born. The minute I turned into Lola, I was turned into a different person. 

(Laughs) The first time I let a real girl do my makeup, it was not pretty. It was horrible! I looked like a football player in heels. I looked like I had fallen out of a semi-truck and into a pair of heels. 

So the first clothes I put on were my mothers. It was what I had available. But when she found out, she was like you can’t raid my closet, but I can raid yours. LOL  My mother was not supportive of who I was. She wanted to pray away the confusion. 

Tattoo:tps: And yet your grandparents did except you. 

David: My grandfather never had the privilege of meeting Lola as he died on the farm in 2008. Long before I came out. 

Tattoo:tps:  (My condolences). Your grandmother, a religious woman, how does she rationalize one being bisexual or a drag queen, and a minister? What do you think she would tell people?

David: She believes it’s not her job to judge, only God can judge. So she would tell people to shut the hell up. (laughs)

Tattoo:tps: One of your tattoos is the Star of David. Why did you choose this?

David: My tattoo is a representation of my Jewish ancestors. I am a Jewish Christian, that’s how I equate the two. As Christ himself was Jewish this to me makes me feel that much more connected to my faith. 

I grew up in the church. Ministry was always something I strived for. In fact, it’s why I went to Bible school. When I graduated from college in Eston, Saskatchewan, I knew I was gay. I also knew I couldn’t be fully authentic so I struggled for years to figure out how to do ministry as a Gay man.  I’m now able to do this authentically because of one simple verse of the Bible; John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” I believe that everyone is created by God and that he loves all his creations. 

Tattoo:tps: You also have a black rose tattoo on your leg. Do you have a fondness for roses, or is there a significance for this tattoo? 

David: The rose tattoo is in memory of the founder of the international court system. The ICS is a charity organization throughout Mexico, USA, and Canada. We raise money for scholarships and other various charities unique to each chapter. The founder is Jose Julio Syria, Empress 1 the Widow Norton (commonly referred to as Mama Jose). I got the tattoo the year he died after the Queen Mother Nicole of the Americas made a proclamation that all title holders wear a black rose that year. Now, I proudly wear a black rose all year long to honor his memory. 

Tattoo:tps: Tell us more about your role of Lola Lamore as a Minister. Is there a particular church that you work with?

David: No there isn’t. I just send emails out and see what happens. They invite me to their church. I’ve been to at least six of them now. 

For years I would do Christian music as that’s predominantly what I listen to. I discovered people enjoying it so I kept at it. Recently, I was given an opportunity to partner with a church. So for the past two years, I’ve been working at bridging the gap between the LGBTQ2 and the community. The church has done a lot of damage to the LGBTQ2 community and I am kind of that buffer zone between them. I get the backlash from them and the church. And at the same time, somebody's gotta be willing to do it.  I feel that it is my gift to do so.

It’s no small task but I consider it a calling.

Tattoo:tps: Thank you David.

David:  My pleasure. 

If you would like to know more about what David is up to, you can visit him on his Facebook page: Dave Lola Copeland. 

#dragqueen, #drag, #gay, #christiangays, #gayrights, #gayminister

Happy Lunar New Year

One of my favorite photos I took at the Muttart Conservatory while admiring the Chinese New Year display.

Tattoos in the Workplace

It really wasn't so long ago that a person with tattoos was asked, "How will you get a job when you have tattoos?" or "Nobody will hire you if you have tattoos." Due to the rapid rise in tattoo acceptance and social approval, I thought that stigma had faded already. But quite recently while at a job training course that prepares unemployed people for upcoming interviews, one of the Do’s and Don’ts was to hide the tattoos and piercings. As I saw this statement in the presentation, I wondered if this material was outdated, or still a fact in the workforce. Especially considering the last person to interview me had inked arm sleeves on both of her arms and lots of facial tattoos. Yes, this was corporate. 

Instead of arguing what I felt needed to be the updated reality of our times, I decided to do a little digging to see what I would find. Therefore, the next day I went to a Summer Job Fair that was being held at the UofA in the Dinwoodie Lounge building. There were about thirty tables hosting different companies and the representatives who welcomed the job seeker. The companies ranged from the government, transportation, sales, research, military, security, education, health & wellness, children’s programs, hospitality, and restaurants. From a bird's eye view, I knew the diversity of employers would give me a great range of possibilities which allowed my inquiry to have a generous outcome of possibilities. 

                                     

With my survey and pen in hand, I approached the tables. “If someone with tattoos and body piercings applied for a job with your company, would you consider hiring them, or would you turn them away.”

The results were quite surprising.

Due to Media Regulations bound to the companies, the representatives did not have permission for comment release and were not able to allow me to take photos. Having said that, they did allow me to take quotes and blanket the companies under sub-types. Fair enough. I’ll take that. 

 Although sailors and war heroes were some of the first to embrace tattoos, surprisingly, I found it was the navy, military and security type positions that seemed to have the most regulations when it came to ink and piercings.

One man said, “Our military career counselors when they do a military interview during the application process, they ask for pictures of any tattoos so there can be nothing offensive, vulgar, pornographic, nothing on the hands, or above the neck. It’s the Department of National Defence policy. Piercing for women are like gold studs, nothing bigger. No facial piercing.” He continued to say, “ It’s not a problem. I have friends who have tattoos and continue to get tattoos.”

Another military type person added, “As an equal opportunity employer, we cannot discriminate against tattoos unless they are offensive.”

A woman at the Security booth said employees were “only allowed one visual tattoo”.  I noticed both she and the other person accompanying her had their quota of ink. 

When it came to the companies that work with children, it was thumbs up all-round. Some of the representatives had visible tattoos. One young woman said, “Companies or careers services that advise candidates or people looking for jobs that having lots of tattoos or piercings is unprofessional and to cover them up or take them out, no one is going to hire you ….that idea is obsolete. I think our world is changing, lots of people have tattoos, lots of people have piercings, and I think depending on the job and the employer those things should not prohibit someone from working a job.”

Helen from the City of Spruce Grove felt that times have changed and referred to tattoo people as  “the more diverse they are the more they can relate to the children”. Yes, you read that correctly. Diverse.  I noticed this idea that having tattoos and piercings was now considered a part of being diverse. It was becoming a collective agreement. I noticed many of the people who I spoke with considered the idea of people having tattoos and piercings were to be amongst the  “diversity opportunities”. 

“In the railway business, pretty much most of the field employees have a tattoo.” answered a railway representative. 

“The way someone looks does not determine their ability to do the job.” said a representative in the service industry.

“In the field of research, most employees are working behind the scenes, so it is not relevant for their job.” said a research company employee. 

By the end of my investigation, it was an unanimous response. Every company representative that I had asked “would you hire a person with tattoos or piercings” all agreed that they would hire the person as long as the tattoos were not offensive or vulgar, and of course, the person needed to be qualified for the job. 

End.

#tattoos  #tattoosintheworkplace  #diversity

The Courtesy of Requesting Permission

One thing I already figured out before I started taking pictures of people’s tattoos was that I needed to ask for their permission first. For one thing, it is a simple courtesy. The other reason is that tattoos can be a form of identity and an unknowing photo could jeopardize a person's safety.

I grew up in the days before the digital age, the days when a person actually had privacy or could make mistakes publically and not too many people knew about it. Back then, cameras were for people on holidays or who were serious about being photographers. Not like today, where everyone has a digital camera in their pocket and obsessively taking photos of whatever catches their eye. And yes, that is totally cool that people can catch the moment and share it with others. The problem is that the value of responsibility did not get inherited with the privileges of having this technology.  

There are lots of reasons why people do not want to have strangers taking pictures of their tattoos. I’ve been told on numerous occasions that the person does not want to have their photo taken. I won’t even ask why, but just respect their boundaries out of respect. Some people find it too personal to share. For others, it is because of their spiritual reasons. Some people are forbidden to have them because of their culture and don’t want their family members seeing them, especially online. And having been involved with domestic violence survivors, I know there are a lot of people out there who do not want to be identified over the internet for safety reasons. I cannot tell you how many times I have had people thank me for asking for their permission. The great part is, there are many people who love to display their tattoos for a photo when asked for permission.

A great example of cause and effect of a tattoo photo going viral is in the story Tattoos lead Thai police to arrest Japanese Gang Member. It’s the story of a 74-year-old fugitive Japanese gang member who was hiding out in Thailand for ten years. He was discovered because someone took a picture of his beautiful bodysuit and it went viral on the internet. This may be a case of the guy’s karma catching up, I’m not here to judge. But I do think it is a great example of how people can be identified by their ink.

So as a gentle memo to those of you who have your personal reasons for not wanting to share your very cool looking tats, remember that when you are out in public, there are cameras everywhere and there are many people who are not going to ask for your permission. But on the flipside, there is lots of opportunity for having your tattoo appreciated by millions and that is pretty fantastic for those who are comfortable with this kind of exposure.

#tattoos #identity #viral

Sugar Skull

Skulls have been an iconic symbol since the beginning of time. They have been used in sacred rituals, centerpieces for art and offered glimpses into the human mind and spirit. For the Aztecs, skulls were a sacred symbol that meant death and rebirth. In Christianity, the skull is one of the symbols used to embody the idea of the immortality of the soul.  And in areas of philosophy, poetry, and psychology they are used to personify the idea of the mind.

Skulls are also one of the most tattooed symbols in the Ink industry. Tattoos of the Skull and Bones, the Skull and Rose, the Grim Reaper, or images that portray humanity through the symbol of a skeleton are incredibly popular. Another highly popular skull tattoo is called the Sugar Skull.

Sugar Skull tattoos come in many different forms. In most cases, they are a standard skull but have very intricate artwork of flowers and symmetrical compositions. These designs usually consist with the eyes being replaced with flower petals or gemstones. The entire face of the skull is covered with flowers, delicate heart shape designs, and symbols of beauty. The skulls always have a look of celebration and charm. In many cases, you will see these tattoos representing beautiful images of women and also animals.

There is much more to the idea of a Sugar Skull than being just a popular tattoo. As a matter of fact, the Sugar Skull comes from a very old tradition that is celebrated in Mexico. The Sugar Skull also called the Calaveras de Azucar, is the main symbol for the Mexican celebration Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos). The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday that is celebrated on the first and second of November. The event officially starts on October 31st at midnight. This is a time when the Mexican families celebrate the lives of their much loved departed friends and relatives. Instead of mourning the dead, they celebrate by holding a festival for the those who have passed away. This festival can be traced back to the Aztecs ancient festival that was in honor of the goddess Mictecacihuatl. It then was greatly influenced by the Spanish Christian culture and transform into what is now a Mexican tradition.

In the weeks leading to the Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican people begin creating the Sugar Skulls. The skulls can be made in two ways. One way is to use clay and then decorate it with sugar, icing, feathers, beads or whatever bright and cheerful accessories they have on hand. Or the skull can be made out of molded sugar and then decorated with icing. What is important is that the skulls are handmade and have symbols on them that represent the person who is being celebrated. Some skulls will even have the person's name written on them.  The skulls are then used as an offering to the one who has passed into the afterlife.

The celebration begins at home. The family lights candles on an altar so that the spirits can find their way back home. Food and drinks are left there as well to greet them. Then the families head to the graveyard where the big celebration happens. The families clean around the gravestones and decorate it with the Sugar Skulls, and the spirit's favorite food. The families then have their own feast, sing songs and welcome the spirits back for the evening.

In understanding this sacred tradition, it may be wise to put some real thought into the Sugar Skull tattoo design before having it inked onto the body. Who does it represent for you? What spirit would you like to honor? And if it is to honor a loved one, what images best represent them? The Sugar Skull definitely is not just a random design, but rather a design that is symbolic, meaningful, and meant to be worn with respect and honor.

sources:
1. Crule Daze of Summer: https://crueldazeofsummer.wordpress.com/2013/08/12/sugar-skulls-status-in-popular-culture-what-is-their-meaning-and-where-do-they-originate-from/
2. tattooseo:  http://www.tattooseo.com/sugar-skull-tattoo-meaning/
3. skullspiration:  http://www.skullspiration.com/skull-sugar-meaning

4. wikipedia.org: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead

5. wikipedia.org: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Calavera_Catrina

6. national geographic.org: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/dia-de-los-muertos/

7. national geographic.com: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/celebrations/day-of-the-dead/

8. the spruce: https://www.thespruce.com/sugar-skull-history-2342805

#sugarskull #Dayofthedead #celebrations #halloween #tattoos #sugarskulltattoo #Mexico #spirits

Interview with Lisa Jones

Inspiration comes in many forms. It can be from the nature that surrounds us, a person who acts as our Muse, the food we eat, and even the life that we lead. Artists are very aware of the things that make them want to unleash their creative edge and transform the energy into the visual image. For some artists, art is a form of expressing the beauty in their lives. And for other artists, painting is a platform to express their personal values and create images that reflect what isn’t always so beautiful in our world.  

Lisa is a passionate painter who lives and works in Edmonton, Alberta. At this time, much of her work reflects the old fashion circus world during the days of when there was no animal rights movement.  Bears being forced to do tricks, monkeys forced to look, dress and act as humans. Interestingly, the circus isn’t just a random platform for Lisa’s artwork, but rather a part of her life.

“My dad is a circus clown.” explains Lisa. “He went to the Dell'arte school in California. So, he is a trained clown. He has a theatre company in Calgary called The Green Fools and they do circus camps and he’s always inspired me to sort of purse this circus theme. He performed with Cirque du Soleil and was a street performer as well.” She continues to say, “I was adopted as a kid, but I met my biological father when I was sixteen, kinda by fluke. So it is my biological Dad who is involved in the circus. From sixteen onward, he taught me how to stilt walk, unicycle, and through the stilt walking, I got to do some gigs with Cirque du Soleil. I got to do some openings. It was super fun!  And he does so much awesome work with underprivileged youth and immigrant families. He does camps that the government funds and he teaches people how to do all these things that you don’t need to know how to speak English to do. So he’s been a huge inspiration to me because what he does really makes a positive impact on his community in Calgary. So he definitely finds his way into my work. He’s helped shaped who I am. I’m 27 now, so I’ve known him for 11 years, and he’s kinda awesome so I try to take a little bit of his clowning awesome energy and put it into my work.”

 

In many of Lisa’s pictures, there is a white face clown. He seems to have an innocent distressed expression as he is morphed into abstract perspectives. In one picture called White Face Moon, his head is on a spider monkey’s body that was being used for scientific testing. You can see the arm of the spider monkey was trying to pull on his chain to get away from the scientists. It is a dark piece but reflects well that we will destroy innocence if that means a favorable end for mankind.

Lisa explains, “This particular piece, this face here is based on the first white-faced clown; this was late nineteenth century 1870’s I think it was. He was the first person to do an all white face clown and so he entertained people, but because there was lead in the face paint, it slowly made him insane. So what use to be his living and what was bringing him joy eventually put him into a mental depression.”

She says,”I found that I was starting to paint some chimps and out of all the animals I was painting, whether it was bears, horses or hippos, the monkeys facial expression just captivated me so much. They are so expressive and their eyes say so much, and they have been so historically mistreated and privately owned, and dressed up. Monkeys for me have become this metaphor, for just all the things that frustrate me about humanity, and how entitled human beings are to have control over all the living things on earth. If I’m going through something really rough then my paintings tend to reflect what I am going through, but I use these monkeys more like my metaphor. So the facial reflection, that probably reflects what’s going on in my life at the time when I was painting it.”

Lisa’s dedication to self-expression and her values of compassion and responsibility do not stay fastened to her personal artwork on canvas. Lisa is a tattoo enthusiast who displays a variety of wonderful tattoos. On her thigh, she has a very large tattoo of a monkey riding a plush horse. When asked to explain why she chose this tattoo she explains, “So this is my cowboy monkey and he is riding a plush horse, and he has a little gun. Although he looks kinda happy, it's the same idea, you know, he’s been dressed up by some human to be a cowboy. I don’t like guns at all, but he’s been given a little toy gun, and it's kind of about the control that human beings feel the need to exert onto all other living things. The meaning behind it is a little more depressing, but I like to bring colour and a little bit of joy into these things that bother me. Bringing awareness to something that bothers me. Animals in human clothes have become my overarching metaphor for my misanthropy and general distaste for the things people do. (laughs)”

Lisa has a peacock tattoo on her left arm. She was inspired by the Greek Mythology story of  Zeus trying to hide the princess Io from Hera. Hera had a peacock with a thousand eyes watching over IO. Lisa decided years ago to have the peacock as a symbol of always having someone looking over her. Also, her mother loves birds, so she saw the connection with her mother. Which actually makes perfect sense because Hera was the wife and mother image in mythology.

On her right arm, Lisa has a beautiful scene of a sailing ship, the HMS Endeavour to be exact. There is also a plaque that says Aotearoa which means New Zealand in Maori. Although Lisa lives and works in Edmonton, she spent the better part of her childhood living in New Zealand. Her family immigrated there when she was small and therefore it became her second home. She considers this tattoo to be her homage to her favorite place.

At this time, Lisa works in retail as she strives to move forward as a full-time artist. She is working towards getting into grad school to get her MFA. Every free moment Lisa has she will be in her studio painting. She says, “I just want to be a painter. It’s what I want to do. Just want to paint all day, every day. (laughs)”.

To see more of Lisa Jones's work you can visit her on website LISA JONES  or at her Instagram account JONESIEST and FaceBook Page ART BY LISA JONES. Lisa also has some of her work on display for the next three months at the Cafe Mosaics located at 10844 82 Ave. Nw. Edmonton, AB.

#artists #painters #LisaJones #CafeMosaics #Edmontonartists #yegartist #tattoos #interview #thegreenfools #monkey #chimpanzee #clowns #circus #cirquedusoleil #paintings #womenwithtattoos

Infinity

The Infinity Symbol has made its way into the modern day tattoo subculture as a trending image that reflects the idea that life is everlasting or the love between two people is forever intertwined. Although this sounds very like a romantic notion, there actually is a lot of merit to this. But first, perhaps, we should look back to the beginnings of this iconic symbol.

The concept of the Infinity can be dated back to the 3rd century BC to the book Archimedes Palimpsest which was originally created by the Greek Mathematician Archimedes. The man was also a physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. It seems that he had an infinite thirst for knowledge as well.   But the person who is credited to have made the symbol well known to the public was the English Mathematician John Wallis in 1655. John was one of the founding members of the Royal Society and helped to define the pillars of today's Calculus. I think it is also important to mention that John Wallis was also a spiritual man having been the son of Reverend John Walliss Sr. and he himself had entered the priesthood as well. This may be important to mention because the Infinity symbol is not just used in the area of math and science, but it is also used in Spiritual Symbolism.

The mathematical significance of the Infinity symbol meets with the Spiritual significance when we perceive it as energy in motion. Energy is indestructible because it just keeps transforming. One form of the infinity image is credited to the Ouroboros, an ancient symbol of the snake biting its own tail. The Ouroboros embodies the concept of life - death - renewal; completion, the motion of energy, etc. It could be seen in context with the flow of reincarnation. The history of the Ouroboros or the concept of it goes further back in time, right back to ancient Egypt, India, and Asia. In some ways, it is seen as a balance in the forces or an equilibrium of energy. The Yin and Yang is a close example of this.  It is also associated with Alchemy, Gnosticism, and Hermeticism. It should be no surprise then that we find the infinity symbol used on the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. You can see it on the Magician card, Strength card, and the 2 of Pentacles.

Interestingly, in Canada, the Metis People had adopted the Infinity symbol for their flag. History tells us that the Metis People became a group of separate people because they did not represent the white people, nor did they represent the original Indigenous People by the standards in those days. The Metis were a mixture of First Nations women and European men. Although recognized as an Indigenous People, their treaties and rights were not exactly the same as the other Indigenous groups. In time, they became distinguished as their own people and created a flag to represent themselves. The flag is blue with a white Infinity symbol or red with a white Infinity symbol. The Metis flag represents the combining of two cultures and the existence of a people forever.

Sean Howse is an Alberta Metis who has the Infinity symbol tattooed on both of his arms. He says, “My family was really big into the Metis community. They were the real pioneers. I am proud to come from that family, from that lineage.”

Another form of the Infinity symbol that is quite popular in the tattoo industry is the Triquetra. The triquetra is also known as the Trinity Knot. It is an old Celtic symbol that represents the eternal spiritual life of no beginning and no end. For many, it represents religious significance but varies from one religious belief to the other. Celtic Christians would see it as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; while a Pagan view would be the representation of the Triple Goddess.

It seems it is human nature to interpret symbols pertaining to how our cultures influence us, how we need to perceive them personally, and what we are comfortable with or what we are willing to embrace. But the one thing that everyone seems to agree upon, whether it be a mathematician or a high priestess, the Infinity symbol does represent the idea that life or energy is always in motion somehow and is able to recycle itself and/or regenerate a new form. That is the magic of our universe and our entire existence. Not only is that a profound discovery, but it is the strength of love, life, and unity and a worthy symbol to have as a reminder of the forces that embrace us.

Sources:

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/eppp-archive/100/205/301/ic/cdc/albertametis/history/flag.htm

http://ojibweresources.weebly.com/metis.html

http://www.mmf.mb.ca/history_of_the_metis_flag.php

http://www.messagetoeagle.com/10-ancient-celtic-symbols-explained/

https://www.livescience.com/3336-idea-infinity-stretched-century.html

http://www.ancient-symbols.com/symbols-directory/infinity.html

http://fsymbols.com/signs/infinity/

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/John_Wallis

http://www.crystalinks.com/ouroboros.html

#infinity #symbols #johnwallis #Ouroboros #tattoos #eternal #science #spirituality #life #Metis #triquetra #Celtic #trinityknot