Sam's Sleeve Revels in Her Heritage

Last month I had the pleasure of running into Sam on the subway platform at West 4th Street. She had this amazing work on her left arm:

Sam's half sleeve is autobiographical in that it celebrates her heritage and her family in the South.

Her ancestry is one-half Koren and one-half Scotch-Irish, which explains my favorite part of the tattoo, the pigs holding the fans emblazoned with the flag of South Korea:

Her home state is acknowledged by the pig with the gold necklace in the shape of Virginia:

And the one pig drinking from the distinctively-shaped bottle is a nod to her affinity for Jack Daniels.

Many may ask, why pigs? Sam explained that many of her family gatherings and reunions are lavish pig roasts. As a chef, Kim, who blogs here, embraces the cultural aspects of her upbringing through food and, as one can see, in this tattoo.

The work done is by Willie Kirby at Classic Tattoo in Richmond, Virginia.

Thanks to Sam for sharing her awesome tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!