"Tattooed Lady" by Edwin Salas, Framed Original (2023)

This rare and iconic piece by Asheville-based artist Edwin Salas is part of his beloved Tattooed Portraits series, which merges vintage Americana with a modern, rebellious twist. Known for altering traditional portraits with meticulously drawn tattoo art, Salas's work balances humor, nostalgia, and subversion in a style all his own.

This particular piece is beautifully framed in a deep burgundy oval frame with gold trim, true to the artist’s aesthetic and attention to presentation. The portrait features a smiling 1950s-era woman adorned with an array of whimsical and deliberately crude tattoos — a signature Salas juxtaposition that continues to resonate with collectors.

Notably, much of Edwin Salas’s original work was tragically lost during Hurricane Helen, which destroyed several of the galleries where he regularly exhibited and sold out his collections. This piece comes from one of the few surviving batches, making it a true collector’s item.