Tag Archive: jun cha

  1. TEZCATLIPOCA

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    The future is fuckin terrifying, the idea of the unknown is something that haunts the thoughts of countless who meditate on the subject, myself included. But in the infinite number of paths and doors both our own and the other conscious vessels there’s a horror show of beauty, pain and knowledge waiting to be acquired.

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    No mystic we seek in the world can come to a conclusion, even with a glimpse through the eye hole, just suggest the best wisdom they have available. I love it. The future is a never ending learning process and it’s forever changing. Even when you feel you’ve come to know it, other factors are introduced and your spiral back to the terror that is square one.  All the knowledge you’ve gained from the past seems to evolve with every second your mind processes more information, so in a sense the future is humbling cause it reminds us about how little we actually know and how far we are willing to push ourselves to continue.

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    My future so far is nothing I thought it would be and I’m nowhere I thought I would. But the places I’ve been and experiences I’ve had have all been fucking amazing. But the steps i’m taking now have me pacing like a maniac thinking of where I’ll be headed next…

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    Meditate on whats happened, whats coming and what to do to get there. Don’t dwell on past mistakes, embrace the ones coming. Fuck the mystics that tell you your path is set and who you are, you are who you make yourself.

     

     

    -J.A.M

    http://www.jamontoya.com/

     

     

  2. DESIDERATA

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    “Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

    Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

    Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

    Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

    Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

    Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

    Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

    Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

    Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

    And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.

    And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.”

    Max Ehrmann, “Desiderata”

    Nick-meek-Chest-Plate-Tattoo

    broken-hearted
    What becomes of the broken hearted, what comes after the pain, well like a wise man said “isn’t the fact that you’re hurt that counts, But only how did you take it?  What came from it, it is not the falling thats bad what is shame full is to lie there in disgrace doing nothing. We must over come our fears our failings and most important to never forget that more will come.  We must build endurance to tackle what ever comes our way.  Men and women  have done just that and we must learn from them, we must learn not just from their mistakes but from the actions that followed that made them who they are.  It is possible, it can be done and it will be done.

    neptune-2

    Greater men have struggled in the past, it is some thing normal some more than others but thats just how life is, we must keep an open mind and always remember the old saying “when one door closes a window always opens up”.  I always keep a sliding door open just in case lol.  Is that rainy day bag our parents always talked about.  I love the interaction with nature, I have learned to accept things I cannot change and have come to terms with it, I welcome what ever happens and I know that things are unfolding as they should.  I pay attention to the everyday omens and every person I meet I learn from them and  make them part of my journey, I mind my sheep. “the alchemist”

    Xiao-Portrait-of-Grandma-Arm-Tattoo-

    Beautiful people from all walks of life they all teach me so much and they remind me about the beauty of this planet that we often ignore.  We all long to exist and to be acknowledged to feel loved and needed to feel we are alive, and pain is the perfect solution for this dilema.

    moms

    Our loved ones all they have sacrificed should be a reminder that we must sacrifice something our selfs at one point or another.  A good friend of mine once told me “Experience is the greatest teacher but he kills all his pupils.”  So we must thread careful for there is no perfect recipe for success.

    Collins-sleeve

    I often wonder what motivates people to go through such great lengths only to put them selfs trough so much pain but then again pain is what makes us feel alive.  Sometimes it is  self inflicted in many different ways, and other times it is a by product of our surroundings.  But one thing is certain it creates an amazing reaction in us that helps us in the never ending transformation of one self.

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    good-deeds

    There is so much going in our lives that it often feels like a blur, we only see certain things but we must remember that some one is always watching and taking notes wether it be our good deeds or our wrongs.  Lowrider tattoo has become a staple in the tattooing industry and it has got great recognition from a very diverse audience from all over the world.  It brings me great joy not from what I have accomplish but more from what other people have made of them selfs, and the many more that have come from across the seas to make their dreams come through.  For me to be able to contribute to that is the greatest reward I get.

    determination

    Some will blame their failings on language barriers others on the distance between them and the opportunities, they blame it on the fact that is too hard and it takes so much work and others will acknowledge all this excuses and simply do the opposite.  They will work hard not mind the language barrier and travel across the world to come face to face with opportunity and seize the moment that will make all difference in  failure and success.

    never-forgoten

    So go ahead and allow time to write your story and add to the amazing  people that have done just that in the past, a divine comedy a mixture of good and bad the eternal balance we must create in our lives.

    aliah

    Do it for your self, do it for your loved ones and one day you will stumble upon a reflection and you will see the beautiful structure you have created.

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    just-the-beginning-

    DESIDERATA, latin for desired things.   I have all that I need in my life,  the only desire that I have left is not to make every one happy for many have fail in that attempt,  but to contribute to the happiness of everyone else.

    With a combine effort happiness and so much more can easily be accomplished and only then you will acquire the character of the happy warrior.

      Who is the happy Warrior? Who is he
    That every man in arms should wish to be?
    —It is the generous Spirit, who, when brought
    Among the tasks of real life, hath wrought
    Upon the plan that pleased his boyish thought:
    Whose high endeavours are an inward light
    That makes the path before him always bright;
    Who, with a natural instinct to discern
    What knowledge can perform, is diligent to learn;
    Abides by this resolve, and stops not there,
    But makes his moral being his prime care;
    Who, doomed to go in company with Pain,
    And Fear, and Bloodshed, miserable train!
    Turns his necessity to glorious gain;
    In face of these doth exercise a power
    Which is our human nature’s highest dower:
    Controls them and subdues, transmutes, bereaves
    Of their bad influence, and their good receives:
    By objects, which might force the soul to abate
    Her feeling, rendered more compassionate;
    Is placable—because occasions rise
    So often that demand such sacrifice;
    More skilful in self-knowledge, even more pure,
    As tempted more; more able to endure,
    As more exposed to suffering and distress;
    Thence, also, more alive to tenderness.
    —’Tis he whose law is reason; who depends
    Upon that law as on the best of friends;
    Whence, in a state where men are tempted still
    To evil for a guard against worse ill,
    And what in quality or act is best
    Doth seldom on a right foundation rest,
    He labours good on good to fix, and owes
    To virtue every triumph that he knows:
    —Who, if he rise to station of command,
    Rises by open means; and there will stand
    On honourable terms, or else retire,
    And in himself possess his own desire;
    Who comprehends his trust, and to the same
    Keeps faithful with a singleness of aim;
    And therefore does not stoop, nor lie in wait
    For wealth, or honours, or for worldly state;
    Whom they must follow; on whose head must fall,
    Like showers of manna, if they come at all:
    Whose powers shed round him in the common strife,
    Or mild concerns of ordinary life,
    A constant influence, a peculiar grace;
    But who, if he be called upon to face
    Some awful moment to which Heaven has joined
    Great issues, good or bad for human kind,
    Is happy as a Lover; and attired
    With sudden brightness, like a Man inspired;
    And, through the heat of conflict, keeps the law
    In calmness made, and sees what he foresaw;
    Or if an unexpected call succeed,
    Come when it will, is equal to the need:
    —He who, though thus endued as with a sense
    And faculty for storm and turbulence,
    Is yet a Soul whose master-bias leans
    To homefelt pleasures and to gentle scenes;
    Sweet images! which, wheresoe’er he be,
    Are at his heart; and such fidelity
    It is his darling passion to approve;
    More brave for this, that he hath much to love:—
    ‘Tis, finally, the Man, who, lifted high,
    Conspicuous object in a Nation’s eye,
    Or left unthought-of in obscurity,—
    Who, with a toward or untoward lot,
    Prosperous or adverse, to his wish or not—
    Plays, in the many games of life, that one
    Where what he most doth value must be won:
    Whom neither shape or danger can dismay,
    Nor thought of tender happiness betray;
    Who, not content that former worth stand fast,
    Looks forward, persevering to the last,
    From well to better, daily self-surpast:
    Who, whether praise of him must walk the earth
    For ever, and to noble deeds give birth,
    Or he must fall, to sleep without his fame,
    And leave a dead unprofitable name—
    Finds comfort in himself and in his cause;
    And, while the mortal mist is gathering, draws
    His breath in confidence of Heaven’s applause:
    This is the happy Warrior; this is he
    That every man in arms should wish to be.
    Your friend and artist Jose Lopez
  3. “KNOWLEDGE IS FOR THOSE WHO SEEK IT”

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    The best way to learn a craft is to go to the source, and for my boy mark from Canada was just the thing.  He comes once a year to the Lowrider Tattoo Studio just to be in the front to soak up as much knowledge as possible while enduring hours of agonizing pain gathering strength from deep within with the end goal in mind.  This is a perfect example of determination, Determination to learn.

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    girl-with-sacred-heart-tattoo

    Girl-with-scared-heart-close-up

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    Finished-girl-with-scared-heart-tattoo

    Seek your knowledge in observation.
    Know friendship to be the truest bond of all,
    Near perfect is Love platonic in essence.
    Within nature perceive the friendship of all,
    For all. Friendship can be Death in a lovers guise.
    Don’t let it come as a surprise to you when you
    Find your heart broken in parts, buried beneath
    The steeples you have erected in Honour of your Love.
    Bonds without friendship are as shackles.
    Seek a stranger of sympathetic intellect.

    We encourage all tattoo artist who are just starting out to do the same as our friend Mark to come in and get tattooed for it is the best way you can learn.  By being in the front seat not only watching but also by feeling the process and asking as many question is the beginning of your way to the top.

    When you know a thing, to hold that you know it, and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it: this is knowledge

    Confucius

  4. MEN OF HONOR

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    Don’t.

    Don’t ever come back here.

    You get in there and  fight, Carl.

    Don’t take promises.

    Bust their old rules if you have to.

    And when it gets hard-

    and it will-

    don’t quit on me. Ever.

    Now, go on.

    Don’t come back here.

    Not for a long time.

    lion-statue-tattoo

    A lion, which is strongest among beasts,…. For what is stronger than a lion, or more courageous and undaunted? it walks with great majesty, very slowly, step by step, the left foot first; shaking its shoulders as it goes, and as here intended, and this without fear;

    and turneth not away for any; it does not go out of its way for any creature it meets with; nor does it hasten its pace when pursued, nor show the lest sign of fear; nor does it turn its back to any;   This creature is an emblem of Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who is stronger than the strong man armed; who never turned his back to any of his enemies; nor turned aside from the way of his duty, or the work of his office, on account of any; not Herod the fox, who threatened to kill him; nor Satan, the roaring lion, when he knew he was on the march to meet him; nor any of those, who, though they had a band of soldiers, that came to take him;  and also it is an emblem of righteous men, who are as bold as a lion; and cannot be moved from their duty by anything they meet with, but remain steadfast and constant in it;

      davids-session

    Business just like Respect has to be earned … You must demonstrate your values and beliefs even if you have to  break the rules.  There is not only one way to do things and get results.   We are all unique, We are all capable of making the impossible Possible.   Once having earned some ones Business or Respect you must not expect it but rather welcome it with the same humility you started with, and those Men of Honor shall notice the Honor in you.  So make your self a promise, keep that promise and honor those who will honor you and in the process earn their business, earn their respect.

    el-general

    So once you have endured the test of time, then you can sit back for a moment of peace with a nice cigar on one hand and a firm grip on your rifle on the other.

    Always ready for what comes next.

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    “TODAYS STRUGGLES ARE TOMORROWS VICTORIES”

    Jose Lopez

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  5. A BEAUTIFUL BEGINNING

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    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.

     

    micheals-tattoo-fiished

    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.

    micheals-hollywood-tattoo-sleeve

    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.

    micheals-hollywood-tattoo

    micheals-close-up

    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.

    micheals-tattoo-back-view

    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.

    micheals-inside-sleeve-tattoo

    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.

  6. LONDON PROJECT

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    On an ordinary night as the lights lit up the city of London there was some thing special taking place…  Just minutes from some of the most grand land marks of the city of London Jermain a private security agent greeted hundreds of guest arriving to celebrate the Grand Opening of the new Lowrider Tattoo Studio.  It was overwhelming the amount of people who came to support us from all over the world.  Old friends new friends, tattoo enthusiast, tattoo collectors and party goers they all came together to support all the hard work that was put into this amazing project which has been in the works for the last two years.  Finally after so much work from every one on both end of the world and blood sweat and tears it has become a reality that so many people got to experience.

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    Jose-Noah-and-Boog

    Our boy Boogstar was a must attendee, He came to show his support for the brand and really got things going as the Mexican Mariachi showed up and the trumpets began to sing.  It was amazing my good friend Dimitri went all out with so many surprises he had laid out for the night from entertainers caterers and musicians.  So many new friendships were made and most important so many more were re enforced,  I got stranded in the back room unable to get out, a big mistake I had to to work on that day but soon decided to end it to go out and greet the guest.  My good friend for a long time now Doodles show up with the usual Irish touch a bottle of Jameson whisky.  Im proud to announce that he is a member of the Lowrider Tattoo family and has always been.

    Andrick-chillin

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    Noah-with-Lee-and-Paul

    We have talked  so much about this with my boy Noah Minuskin, Paul and lee,  They were posted holding up the fort.

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    Dj-Close-up

    Jose-with-D-enzo-and-the-homies

    It was a big surprise to see my brothers Enzo and Lucio from Napoli they came to show their love along with our good friend Rodney.  It was a beautiful night but like every other night it had to come to an end but not before giving out some thing special.  Jun had the idea of creating something to give to one lucky person.  Jun, Andrick, Noah, Pablo and me drew up a nice drawing which we raffled away at the end of the night.  It was a perfect night,  everyone was so happy to have Lowrider as part of their own family.

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    Jose-and-homie-with-Vodka

    Mariachi

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    The most Happiest was me…. The woman who supports me on booth sides was there to see what has come from all the endless nights of hard work.  The only word I can think of to explain how I feel is Blessed.

    Thank you every one for all the love and support.

    Lowrider Tattoo studios London

    Jose Lopez