Shirt off, art on
Marcus Ginyard shows off his body … of artwork
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October 14, 2009
When Marcus Ginyard needs a reminder of what’s important to him, all he needs to do is take his shirt off.
Ginyard’s six tattoos, one on each wrist, his back, both sides, and chest, represent significant people, events and philosophies in his life.
“I like being a piece of artwork,” he said.
He got his first tattoo in the summer of 2006 to honor a high school friend who died.
“Up until that point, I was the most anti-tattoo person you could ever imagine,” he said. “But obviously, things change.”
Ginyard, a member of the UNC basketball team, said he was nervous when he got his first tattoo, but now the process doesn’t bother him.
“I was probably a little baby,” he said. “I went into a hot sweat.”
Ginyard’s latest two tattoos were designed by a friend, UNC senior Devin Coley.
“If someone wants to put my artwork on their body, it’s an honor,” Coley said.
Ginyard said each tattoo was carefully thought out beforehand.
“That’s the one thing I’m really happy about,” he said. “None were spur-of-the-moment things.”
Ginyard said he plans to get three more tattoos — one for his mother, one for his brother and one that represents peace and love.
“I want to continue to get things that are meaningful to me.”
The tattoo on his left wrist, which states, “It’s All Love,” symbolizes a phrase Ginyard said during his high school years.
“We would never say ‘You’re welcome,’” he said. “We would say, ‘It’s all love.’ It’s an expression of humanly love.” He got this tattoo in the fall of 2008.
Etched on his right wrist is a tattoo that Ginyard got with his mom in September 2007 to represent unconditional love. She has the same tattoo, which states ‘Be True To You,’ in the same location.
“He held my hand the whole time,” said Annise Ginyard, Marcus’ mom.
Ginyard wanted this tattoo of his father’s Marine dog tags to honor his important role model.
“I always thought of my dad as Marine,” he said.
He got the tattoo three weeks ago.
The tattoo on his back is a constant reminder of his friend who died her freshman year of college.
He said his friends made patches in remembrance of her, which people put on their cars and books. But Ginyard wanted a permanent place to put his patch, so he opted for a tattoo.
“I never had anything to put my patch on,” he said. “I couldn’t find anywhere to put it.”
Devin Coley, Ginyard’s friend, said he designed a different tattoo for Ginyard, but when the friend died, the first design was scratched in favor of this tattoo, the letter P with wings.
Ginyard got this tattoo, his first, in the summer of 2006.
“Once I got that first one, I was hooked,” he said.
Ginyard’s philosophy for life can be seen on his left side. The Om, a symbol in Hinduism, represents the earth, heaven and atmosphere.
“It’s a reminder that we are all connected and everybody’s actions affect the earth,” he said. “We are one with the universe.”
He got this tattoo in spring 2009.
On his right side is a sketch of Ginyard’s hometown of Alexandria, Va., and the monuments he used to walk past frequently: the Air Force Memorial, the Washington Monument and the Pentagon.
He got the tattoo on Sept. 11, 2009. Ginyard said the date was a coincidence but is meaningful because his dad was in the Pentagon during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
DTH/All photos by Phong Dinh
Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.
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