This new feature exposes you (and your friends') Vancouver-themed tattoos! We have an obvious fascination with pride-of-place and how it manifests, and getting a tattoo showing your pride for something is perhaps the ultimate commitment. With vancouver Ink happy to share some stories from locals sporting ink inspired by their love for this city.
Please email your photos and stories of vancouver-tehemed tattoos to contact@vancouverisawesome.com with the subject "Vancouver Ink".
Last week we shared Irving Lau's V5N tattoo, this week it's Vannucci's EAST VAN Cross.
We asked Kenny to share his thoughts on how it came to be, and here's what he had to say...
I had always wanted a tattoo. All through university. However, I was (am) a chicken shit when it comes to needles. I hate them. I can't even do a blood sugar test. In 2012, just before turning 46, I finally got the guts to commit to doing some tatts.
My first was for my original home. I was born and raised in Trail; in the West Kootenays. Lived in the same house for the first 19 years of my existence. My first tattoo was what I had been using as my online entity for years - "Kootenayborn". I designed it in a Russian type font for my Mom. She was born and raised in Grand Forks - another "kootebayborn" person and was of Russian heritage.
My second tattoo was going to be done for the second home in my life. I had been in Vancouver, at the time of my first and second tattoos, for almost 27 years. Over 20 years (the last 20) of that, in East Van. I loved (still love) living in East Van. East Van reminded me of, and still reminds of, Trail; my first home. East Van was and is all about hard working, blue collar, immigrants who are busting their butts to get ahead. That's what Trail was all about. Trail had a strong and dominant Italian community (My other half - My Dad - is of Italian heritage - born and raised in Tuscany - immigrated in his twenties, in the late 1950's.
East Van was also where the love of my life was born and raised (we live just blocks where Emilia grew up). It's where my two kids were born and are being raised. The kids went to same elementary school as Emilia and my son attends the same high school that his Mom attended. My best friends live in East Van. My most favourite neighbourhoods are in East Van. My favourite restaurants are in East Van. I just really love East Van. I have a deep rooted connection to East Van because of my upbringing in a similar setting and because my family is all East Van.
When I designed the tattoo, I wanted something original and something mine. I did not want to do "the east van cross". I wanted to do my own "east van cross". The cross is spiritual and for the Italian in me, the font is for the Russian in me. To me, it just roots me into East Van at a deep, spiritual, family focussed level.
It connected with me.
Actually it connected with a couple of East Van buddies as well. I have a couple of buddies who started The Commercial Drive Coffee Company. Their company ideals and philosophy about life and community are very similar to mine. They loved the design so much, they asked if they could use it and trademark it for their coffee company. How cool is that!
