Maple Syrup

I worked in a natural history museum in the Midwest for over 20 years and was lucky enough to have a great biologist on staff who would answer all of my silly cabin questions. Over the years, we started making our own maple syrup all the while learning more and more about the nature all around our little cabin in the woods...

This is one of my tattoos that always brings a smile to my face in remembering all that he taught me from his perspective...

Me...I was a collections gal :-)


Jackie Hoff
Independent Museum Collections Care Consultant








Want to share your own story and tattoo?
Email Beth: bredmondjones (at) sdnhm (dot) org or Paul: info (at) orselli (dot) net.

Deep in the Woods

I've moved around from one city to the next throughout my museum career, but my heart has always belonged deep in the woods. When I'm not doing what I love in the museum world, I'm typically off hiking through nature or camping in the backcountry. My tattoo is one way I can have nature with me no matter where I happen to live. The stylized tree is the focal point of the design, with mountains far off in the distance.

As a collections manager, I've always been responsible for integrated pest management (IPM), and have spent quite a bit of time learning about insects in general, those hazardous to museum collections as well as those beneficial to the environment. I volunteer as a butterfly monitor, so my design also has representations of my favorite butterfly, the Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon), a butterfly that exists all over North America. I've seen them throughout all of the cities I've lived in, as well as places I've hiked through, including Alaska.

Britta Keller Arendt

Senior Collection Manager

Chicago History Museum

Want to share your own story and tattoo?
Email Beth: bredmondjones (at) sdnhm (dot) org or Paul: info (at) orselli (dot) net.

Nature Lover's Work in Progress

 

Steph Hample submitted this "work in progress" and here's the story...

When I was in high school I was obsessed with wolves!  In college I decided to get my first tattoo not knowing it would turn into something more!

I was visiting a friend at college and we decided randomly (yikes!) to go and get tattoos.  For me, it felt like a natural choice to get a running wolf, and although I love the concept it unfortunately didn't turn out as great as I had hoped.  Fast forward 11 years and three tattoos later, I decided to finally get my tattoo covered.  I still loved the concept of the wolf but it just needed some revamping.  I have always believed tattoos to be a form of art and my body is just a medium for the art.   I try not to tell the artist what to do but rather give them a guideline and let the artist create their work.  I told the artist that I would like to cover the wolf, add a new wolf, and incorporate a maple tree in fall foliage with a owl in the tree --- OK so I did have SOME stipulations, but I did let him do the creative part.  The image included is the result - so far.

What I love about this tattoo is, well everything, but mostly the wolf.  I know the wolf isn't done in this image but when I got the running wolf at 19 years old it was very appropriate for my life.  I was busy! Always moving, always looking for the next thing.  These days my life has settled and I enjoy standing still to enjoying the scenery.  The owl also has some significance as well.  To start, it was created from an image of an owl I work with, Oliver, at The Wild Center. I have loved owls for a long time and that love has worn off on my daughter, so it also represents her.  In addition to that I have a cousin that has Muscular Dystrophy who also has a love of owls.  For that reason it is also representative of him.  Needless to say, it's pretty significant to me.  Finally the tree.  It was probably the one part of the work that I was most particular about.  It had to be a sugar maple tree, and it had to be in fall.  I wanted color, and lots of it.  The artist was amazing, getting the "u" shape of the falling leaves of the sugar maple!

You may be wondering 'how the heck is he going to cover the wolf?!' It is still very obvious and I had no idea how he was going to do it so I left that to him. The tattoo artist is going to turn it into a hole in the tree...somehow, I'm very interested to see how it all turns out!  So far there is about 6 hours of work done and I would expect it to be at least that remaining.  There is a lot of detail to come and I will send an image when it is complete!

Stephanie Hample, The Wild Center


Want to share your own story and tattoo?
Email Beth: beth (at) redmond-jones (dot) com or Paul: info (at) orselli (dot) net.