Untitled 1-17-71 [study for "tattoo" book] 1971

Here's a page of tattoo designs made in 1971 by James McCracken Jr., probably with a pen or marker, and maybe even some Letraset. There are crescent moons, a sailboat, and rows of creepy, crawly centipede-like creatures capped with human skulls. Two are red. Imagine McCracken hunched over a table, meticulously crafting these images, maybe for a friend who’s a book binder. What’s that about? I wonder if he was thinking about sailors and the sea, life and death... The starkness of the black ink, punctuated by that occasional hit of red, it gives the drawings a raw, edgy quality. Each motif feels carefully considered, yet spontaneous—like a thought that’s just been inked onto the page. There’s something ancient and modern here, like a weird remix of folk art and something punk. It makes me think of the Lower East Side in the 80s. Basquiat, Haring, and the birth of street art. The great thing is the image offers different ways of seeing, thinking, and experiencing the world.