If you’ve never seen the man, he is down-right impressive. John Ochandorena Descarga, better known as simply Johnny O, is a walking tribute to the Basques, their culture, their history, and his ancestry. With two arm sleaves, tats up and down his legs and across his chest, Johnny definitely stands out in a crowd. I had the pleasure of meeting Johnny about 14 years ago at a small festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, where Gauden Bat, the dance group Johnny was a part of, performed. Maybe a little intimidating at first, due to the abundance of ink on his body, he was a great guy. It was a great event overall.
Johnny has sent photos of all of the work he has had done, a project that continues to evolve, most recently including the footprints of his daughter, right in the middle of his chest! Because of the number of photos, I’ve created a separate gallery for Johnny’s tattoos, and he’s given explanations for each one, with photos from multiple perspectives of each arm and leg.
While such ink is not for everyone, it is still a wonder what Johnny has done. I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next!
Lee Azpiroz sent a photo of his tattoo, a collage of Basque icons. He writes:
Seth Jor
dan and Dax Arguello have both sent photos of their new tattoos, both of which prominently feature the lauburu. Seth’s tattoo, of a big lauburu on his forearm, was done at Tattoo Revolution in Meridian, Idaho. Dax’s, features a lauburu centered in a bigger design, was done at Guru Tattoo in San Jose, California. Large versions of these photos can be found in the 
Molly Mendiguren sent this photo of her lauburu tattoo.
The tattoo photos keep coming in.