Description
"Polynesian art is a form of humbleness and soothes the mind and soul," says tattoo artist Anthony J. Tenorio. His Pacific Islander background inspired his passion for the traditional art of tatau, in which each tattoo is filled with symbolism and is composed to relate uniquely to the individual. When Tenorio creates a tatau, he says, "I guide the placement of art on the body with patterns and meanings that relate to their background, culture, past, present, and future. It creates a sense of strength. To have a tatau is so meaningful that it upholds a better vision of their future, thoughts, feelings, and the way they genuinely see things in life." Tenorio (American, b. Guam 1992), who goes by AJ, grew up in Oregon and produced art from a young age. He began tattooing after graduating from college, and with the support of his wife and children and the mentorship of fellow tatau artist Ricky Gaspar, he began to take part in this ancient art. The fifty designs in this Colouring book are works of contemporary Polynesian artTenorio's individual expressions based on the pattern and symbolism within the art of tatau, passed down to him from mentors and Polynesian elders and drawn from island cultures around the world.