Tattoos are commonly referred to as "a folly of youth". That hardly applies to me. I got my first one in 1994, age 41.

What to consider on the subject of tattooing is not IF but WHAT. Because you certainly don’t get a tattoo just to dye your skin. What you’re looking for is a motif with a statement not necessarily meant for others. But with meaning to You! It should preferably be something that can be displayed to others and can stand the passage of time.

For me personally not much thought was needed as I’ve been fascinated by Ice-age paintings in European caves for ages.

Maybe the reason I chose motifs of that kind was that part of me that likes to be "trendy" got the better of me.

My first tattoo is the bison or buffalo from Altamira placed on my left upper arm. Unfortunately it’s reversed. Which goes to show the importance of research and having more that one image to chose from.

But it certainly is beautiful. With its thin outlines and subtle shading and colour blends it puts any tattoo artist to the test.

However I recently saw a TV-show about Altamira and the picture was facing the same way as my tattoo!?

Here is the picture I used. It’s hard to see if it’s reversed or not. Which why it’s so important to have more than one picture of an image.

Good material from these caves is hard to come bye. The Spaniards don’t seem to take much pride in cherishing Mans earliest works of art.

Most images from Spanish caves are from Altamira and often are of this quality. Many of the later caves in Spain also have interesting paintings. Unfortunately the Spanish don’t seem willing to print any modern books with good-quality pictures in them.

So, if anybody knows any good books on Spanish caves, get in touch!

The year after I got this horse from Lascaux.

When you’ve decided to get a tattoo don’t rush of to any old tattoo-parlour.

And don’t be a penny-pincher. Price and quality don’t always go hand in hand, however it’s hard to get something difficult made on a budget.

Here is the original!

My (and also others) tattoo-artist is Mia.

She is to be found at Hägerstenvägen 145 in Stockholm and can be reached on +46 8 18 17 87.

Finding a good artist sometimes isn’t enough!

If you’re lucky he or she has specialised in the type of art you want.

The year after a deer from the same cave.

And if you’re really fortunate the artist likes your choice.

However stay clear of the kind that says something like: Right show me your arm, I’m going to lunch in 15 min.

And here the real thing.

The cave at Lascaux is well documented and several books have been published about it.

My book on Lascaux by Georges Bataille is in French, which means I don’t understand a single word!

In 1997 I added some stick figures from a lesser-known cave, Trois Frères. These are in actual fact scratched into the wall of the cave and thus not painted.

As I didn’t want a scarification I had them done as if they were painted. As I was cheating anyway I moved them around a bit.

And here they are in real life!

And in my life!

This is placed in connection with the deer on my back which is not the case in reality.

It’s from Lascaux but I’m not sure what it is exactly.

Maybe it’s an owners mark or brand of some kind.

That is probably true about this one too.

Or maybe it’s an animal? Maybe a turtle or armadillo, but armadillos aren’t to be found in Europe, at least not anymore.

This is certainly a tattoo in future.

Here you can see how the "marks" are placed.

My next tattoo I am planning is one I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Namely the Wizard of Trois Frères.

More to come!