Directly from the web site which honors Sailor Jerry. The Original Sailor Jerry. All the 'cool' trendy types with their Ed Hardy belts and ball caps and whatever else they adorn themselves with, should read every word on this site and study the art. The art, my friends.

Sailor Jerry's Work
(Including a rationale for Buxoms)

As with the work of any great artist, every one of Sailor Jerry's designs reflects an extra level of depth, some detail that communicates more than the content would indicate. In one surprisingly beautiful design, a sailing ship crosses ocean over the word "HOMEWARD"- the shading is meticulous, the lines are perfect, but it's a burst of bright red coming from behind the boat that makes it extraordinary, depicting the romance and optimism necessary to sustain a life at sea.

The biggest thing missing from such a life, of course, is breasts- and the individuals behind them. Buxom maidens are a centerpiece of old-school tattooing, and they were Sailor Jerry's specialty. Jerry's girls are not waifs, they are zaftig creations, with luscious thighs, shapely calves and highly pert boobs. Yet its their eyes that stand out above everything- eyes that are playful, knowing and aware. Even when they're shut, you can feel the presence behind them. It's easy to see how they can get under a man's skin. They're alluring enough to look at everyday, until death do you part, leaving them behind to spark lively conversations at your wake. "That was the last one old Joe got before he settled down. Word is she still lives on the islands, raised two kids. She's a sweetie, she is."

One masterpiece has a woman standing with legs spread, holding a large cobra. The snake's head arches over her shoulder its midsection wraps around her waist. It's tail is in her hand and she's holding it a hair's breath below her crotch, as though she's been assigned to push a man to the edge of temptation his whole life long.

Another seductress is a kind of honky tonk Eve, staring naked for behind a pint bottle with her right hand gesturing toward a cherry. Below in Sailor Jerry's signature all-caps style, it read "MY RUIN". Other women are subtler, seductively shielding themselves with peacock feathers or, in some cases, the peacocks themselves.

Where there are women, there's disappointment. The Sailor Jerry oeuvre also includes hearts broken in two, the words "BUSTED!" printed in the gap between the jagged halves. Another heart is gashed through with a torpedo. There are whole hearts as well, with banners customized for girlfriends, mothers, and fathers. Even these have something that makes them stand out. A banner "in memory of my father" is centers around a cross set in two hearts. The shading on the cross and the lines around it make it shimmer, conveying a sense of honor that could only exist between a father and a son.

The Man you should know.