Right now, obstacles are something that are at the forefront of my mind and in my life.
It was the perfect time to come across this fresh Ganesha from Chad Koeplinger. It’s a reminder that obstacles can be removed (I worship the lotus feet of Ganesha, the son of Uma, the destroyer of all sorrows, who is served by the host of gods and elementals, and who takes the essence of the kapittha-jarnbu fruit) and that I need to meet up with Chad, work on my panther and just have the therapy that comes with spending a few hours with him.
Chad Koeplinger
Last Sparrow: Chad Koeplinger
One of the best things about getting tattooed by Chad Koeplinger is being able to sit around and bullshit with him. Sure you’re going to end up walking away with a rad tattoo, but you’re also going to have spent a few hours shooting the breeze with one of the nicest gents in the business.
Scott Sylvia sat down with Chad at the Bay Area Tattoo Convention October of 2011 for this must see interview.
Chad is currently ‘on the road’- if he makes a stop at a shop near you… get tattooed.
And if you’re not already a Last Sparrow member… LST.
Son/Sun
All things tallied, 2011 has been a very kind year to me as far as tattooing is concerned.
This year saw the creation of OV, which has helped me be more proactive about archiving classic tattoo videos as well as being able to spotlight tattooers that I respect and hopefully encourage other people to check out their work. It’s also seen me getting tattooed more in one year than I have in the last few years combined. With a few weeks left in 2011, I’m healing up a new piece by the always impressive Chad Koeplinger. It’s just under a week old and it’s on it’s way to settling down.
I’ve been dreading the stomach; horror stories abound when it comes to stomach tattoos, from people who’re considerable more covered than I am. I went to Tattoo Paradise in D.C. prepared for the worst, calmly accepting that I was going to be in agony and that’s just how it was.
Luckily that wasn’t the case at all. This was my first time getting tattooed by Chad and it was a breeze. It hurt; of course. It’s a tattoo and all tattoos hurt. But it wasn’t agony. Conversation flowed fairly solidly, and before I knew it we were done with session one. I couldn’t have asked for a more efficient and enjoyable afternoon. Chad’s a well traveled dude and that comes with amazing anecdotes that really take your mind off the tattoo. If he comes to your neck of the woods, and there’s a pretty decent chance that he will; book some time. You’ll end up with a damn nice tattoo.
This is a little snippet of my stomach tattoo; It’s the incarnation of Christ/Krishna with Vishnu’s Panchajanya. There’s a lot going on in the design that’s not really apparent, but we put a lot of thought into it and I’m lucky to have Chad interpret my more abstract needs and turn it into something honest and awesome.

Chad Koeplinger print/original art for sale
From Mr. Koeplinger:
“Prints for sale. Limited to 35 singed and numbered. 100 dollars, shipping included, unless where you live costs a fortune, then I may add a bit. PayPal is tattinaction@gmail.com. There’s about 20 left as if now, and they are going fast. No reprints. And, the original is 1200 if you want it.”
Really cool piece.
You might want to check with Chad to make sure there are some available before you purchase; these seem like they’ll go pretty quickly.
Stewart Robson Videos
Frith Street’s Stewart Robson has been documenting life at the shop though his Vimeo video page for a couple of months now. Each one gets progressively better. Swing by his Vimeo profile to check them out.

Giving the Devil His Due
Chad Koeplinger tattoos a dang good devil.
Here are two examples of that truth.
You can check out the life and times of Mr. Koeplinger via his IN FULL EFFECT blog.
You can find the devil in the details.