09/01/2026
I am Pat Fish, Celtic tattoo artist in Santa Barbara since 1984. On August 20 I had successful reverse total shoulder replacement at Keck Medicine of USC after an acute rotator cuff injury caused when Tobe the mule yanked back while I was putting his fly mask on.
I spent a week in the hospital and am home now, in a sling, in a lot of pain. I will be unable to tattoo for at least two to three months. The incision cut straight through my Newgrange triple spiral — one of my favorite designs to do, a 5,000-year-old symbol of energy in motion. The irony is not lost on me. I appeal to my ancestors for the strength to get through this rough patch.
Meanwhile the bills do not pause: studio rent, feed for the Irish wolfhounds, mules, and the rest of the menagerie, and ordinary living costs. Income from the tattoo studio is gone until I have the arm back.
If you have ever thought of being a patron of the arts, a donation now would mean more than you know. It will keep me and the animals fed and the studio lease current until I can work again.
While I am one-armed I can still animate a photo into a short reel. If you would like something back for your charity, send me a picture (a childhood pet, a person, a place) and I will happily bring it to life and send it to you.
PayPal or Zelle: [email protected]
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-pat-fish-recover-and-return-to-tattooing
Thank you for helping me heal so I can return to the career I love and to trail riding.
