Customer stories: A tattoo with meaning ❤️

What do you do when old tattoos no longer reflect who you are? For Knut Erik, the answer was to cover them with a tattoo that tells a life-changing story—a story of an icy morning, a dramatic fall, and a four-legged hero named Lennox who refused to give up.

Daniel: First, I'd like to hear a bit about the tattoos you wanted to cover up. What made you want to remove them, and how did you find your way to Masterpiece to get cover-ups on your arm?

Knut Erik: Well, I got them done in Gamlebyen. Oslogata, isn't that what it's called? It was back in '88. I wanted to cover them because they'd become quite flimsy.

Daniel: What made you get those tattoos in the first place? Which version of Knut Erik got tattooed, so to speak?

Knut Erik: Oh, it was really just about getting the biggest tattoo for the cheapest price, haha. The first tax refund had come in, so I had to get a tattoo.

Daniel: So the design didn’t mean much to you?

Knut Erik: No, not really. And the other one, the spider web, I got at a house party. It was never finished. I probably should've done more with it, but I didn't. I regretted it for a long time, actually for 15 years, before I decided to cover it up. It started to get embarrassing to show it. So when I finally decided to do it, I had to find the best in Norway for the job.

Daniel: How did you come across us?

Knut Erik: I'd heard about Electric Linda for many years and seen a lot of her work. I knew she was the best at cover-ups. When I googled Linda, your studio came up.

Daniel: Good to hear! It turned out to be an amazing tattoo.

Knut Erik: Yes, it did! I'm really happy with it. People think it's incredible when they see the details. I'm very proud of it!

Daniel: We are too! Your new tattoo carries an incredible story. Would you like to share it again?

Knut Erik: Yes, it was actually seven years ago yesterday. I was heading out to walk the dog at a quarter past seven, and we went behind the garage as the sun began to rise. I thought, 'This is going to be a beautiful day.' But when I turned to look at the sunrise, both of my legs suddenly gave way. I landed on my side and immediately knew I was either paralyzed or something else serious had happened.

I had no feeling on my entire left side, and the pain was so intense I just screamed and screamed. The dog darted back and forth, but we live out in the countryside, so no one could hear me. Suddenly, he laid down on top of me. I managed to roll over onto my right side, which still worked, but it was -18 degrees Celsius, so I knew I was done for if I passed out. I pulled my wool scarf up over my cheeks, and the dog laid on me to keep me warm. He realized something was wrong and licked my face every time I was about to lose consciousness.

After an hour and a half, I was starting to black out, but he refused to give up. Finally, he started dragging me, tugging at my clothes and barking. He pulled me 20 meters to the yard and barked until the people in the house woke up. When they came out, he was sitting by my head, guarding me.

My clothes were completely shredded from where he had bitten to drag me. I screamed in pain, but he wouldn’t stop. My family could barely touch me because he was guarding me until the ambulance arrived. They wrapped me in bubble wrap and took me to Gjøvik Hospital, where they operated and gave me a titanium hip.

Daniel: That’s an absolutely incredible story...

Knut Erik: Yes, my body temperature was only 35 degrees when the ambulance arrived, so it was a close call. I still don’t understand how it could happen.

Daniel: It’s a literal sunshine story!

Knut Erik: Yeah, it was an easy choice for the tattoo design after that. He’s my guardian angel now, and he’ll be with me for the rest of my life, even when he’s gone. Since it happened, he’s always watching over me. If I turn around, he’s there.

Daniel: So he’s still like that?

Knut Erik: Yes, he scratches at the bathroom door to check if everything’s okay. At night, he lies in bed to keep watch. He’s been doing his job for the rest of his life. He’s spoiled now—he gets to sleep wherever he wants.

Daniel: How do you feel when you look at the tattoo?

Knut Erik: Pride! Pride in the tattoo and in him. I’m glad I did it. He deserves all the praise he gets.

Daniel: We agree! Thank you so much for sharing your story and for choosing Masterpiece as the studio to honor the hero Lennox. We truly appreciate it!

Knut Erik: Thank you for wanting to share the story.