Her tattooed sleeves make Chuck’s Caf bartender Sarah Turbett easily recognizable behind the bar. Turbett, a senior viola performance major, wears tank tops and T-shirts on work nights and shows off her inked poppies and octopus.

Right before she turned 18, Turbett got her first tattoo at Lucky Lotus Studio in Rochester, N.Y.: a sleeve of poppies on her left arm.

The poppies are based on works by Hokusai, a Japanese artist widely known for his painting ‘The Great Wave of Kanagawa.’

‘I have a weird fascination with old Japanese-style prints,’ Turbett said.

An octopus came to life on her right arm about three years ago. She had it done at Halo Tattoos on Marshall Street.

‘The artist free-drew the octopus on my arm,’ she said. ‘I like the way it moves perfectly with my body.’

Another Japanese painting inspired the octopus, ‘Tamakatzura Tamatori Attacked by the Octopus’ by artist Kuniyoshi.

She intends on getting another tattoo, but said she wants to have a good reason for it. For now, she’s content with what she has.

‘They’re both different. They’re complete opposites,’ she said. ‘The poppies are sweet and colorful, whereas the octopus is more aggressive.’

-Compiled by Soriana Stern, staff writer,sostern@syr.edu

Published on April 9, 2012 at 12:00 pm