A BEAUTIFUL BEGINNING

The last few weeks were very memorable to me.  I got to hang out with my boy Michael Fellner for several sessions to complete his beautiful  tattoo idea.  We spent a lot of time together at first going back and forth trying to figure out what would be the best composition for his tattoo and after three hours we came out with the perfect lay out.  I have to say this has bee one of the most fun tattoos I have done lately.  We had really good conversations through out the whole tattoo process.  With different playlist playing and changing like the weather, from fast pace Salsa Music to very slow Romantic Chicano Oldies with out forgetting the Gangster Rap I kept chiseling trying to get through the outlining part of the tattoo.

I keep referring to we, because it took the two of us to get through the tattoo, not only the two of us but also all the boys at the shop the help make every experience a pleasant one.  Chris, Krystal, David, Justin, Cesar and my brother Steven all helped out not only with this tattoo, but with all the people who walk through the doors of Lowrider Tattoo.

I began with the Epic, Super Iconic Hollywood sign which sets the whole mood for the entire tattoo sleeve that follows.  Michael wanted a sort of passage through memory lane to revisit a part of him that has passed but will always remain in his mind.  Having lived in Las Vegas and Hollywood really helped when it came to finding good references for his tattoo idea.

What followed was just as impressive as the Hollywood sign. The LA skyline next to the Capitol Records building gave the the tattoo the true west coast tattoo feel.  The 6th street bridge did just that, it served as a bridge when combining the Las vegas scenery.  I picked the Bellagio Casino with the dancing waters for its majestic feel and some dice flying through the air along with the Luxor Casino to complement the two.

From the beginning I kept pushing forward a very special part of the tattoo.  A Lama,  a pet for the company Zappos for which Michael worked for several years of his life.  The Lama named Cusco always stayed with him even after he moved on.  I waited to the end to add the final touch and I got to say it was very rewarding seeing it all come to life.  If you are wondering about the rose it represents that special someone in our lives.

Right before we did the Lama I put Michael through some more pain to complete the inside of his sleeve.  We choose a Beautiful Show Girl to complement the rest of his tattoo.  The Welcome to fabulous las vegas Nevada sign and Michaels vintage Mercedes Benz fit perfectly right next to the Royal Flush of cards.  Damn some things are just meant to be,  I want to thank Michael for sharing so much with me it was a true bonding experience working together and realizing some thing so special to him, The beginning of his life.  A few years ago Tattoos were not so favored and now they are changing peoples lives around the world.  “What an Irony’

Jose Lopez

Your friend and artist.