Traditional American tattooing has a rich, extensive heritage. Often underappreciated, it represents a true folk art, encompassing design motifs and themes that are expressions of the heart, the desires, loves, and ambitions of the artists and those who wear their artworks. After carefully studying work by renowned American tattoo artists (including Paul Rogers, Leonard "Stoney" St.Clair, George Burchett, August "Cap" Coleman, Percy Waters, Owen James and others) the author distilled it into five component colors: black, red, yellow, green, and brown, and developed a new interpretation of their classic styles. Besides classic designs by the author, the images here include collaborative work with other tattoo designers. Over 640 individual flash designs are reproduced in color as a celebration of the tradition and the hope that it will continue as folk art.
