Information on Lars’ tattoos is presented here to educate and inspire readers, but the art should not be copied. All of Lars’ tattoos were created especially for him and so should your own! So why not mark your own personal journey with something related to your life story? That would only be fitting!
This Hawaiian-style tattoo was designed and created by hand-tapping master Keone Nunes of Wai’anae, Oahu, and hand-poking guru Elle Festin. It is meant for a traveler: the triangles represent the ocean, the lines are the earth, and the sea bird (I will keep that knowledge to myself!) is a type that always finds land. In short, no matter where I may I journey I will never lose my way.
Sak yant is the sacred and magical tattooing practice indigenous to Indochina, and most notably Thailand. This particular tattoo is called yant putsoorn or alternatively yant pra jao ha praongk (5 Buddhas yantra) and offers protection, amongst other things. It was created by Arjan Pat Dee Wan and hand-poked on my ribcage with a traditional Thai tool.
This tattoo motif is often glossed as the “Borneo Rose” or bunga terong, the Iban word for eggplant flower. It was created and hand-tapped by Eddie David in the Iban longhouse of Lalang on the Skrang River, Sarawak, in 2002. For the Iban and other indigenous peoples of Borneo who wear it, there are just as many variations of this popular design as there are potential meanings. But for me, each petal represents one degree of patience that has been learned and carried across a lifetime. The center swirl symbolizes the underbelly of a tadpole, a virility symbol.
This yant is ancient and as a circular design it represents the face of the Buddha. It is comprised of several other elements (crown, lotus) and is sometimes called “bullet stopper,” an important protective device especially for travelers. It was machined by the Italian artist Federico Benedetti who excels in producing sak yant and many other styles of tattooing for his eager clients.
The spider tattoo on my leg is inspired by the Nazca Lines of Peru, created between 800 B.C. and 800 A.D. by culture bearers of the prehistoric Nazca culture. My good friend and tattoo artist Omar Santos, who is originally from Peru, created this lasting symbol for me at the 2012 Florence Tattoo Convention. He used the traditional Japanese tebori technique to hand-poke the design into my skin.