Etsy Trashion Materials Focus: Vinyl
Trashion team member Christine Claringbold of Eye Pop Art gives new life to Vinyl records with amazing talent! We asked her a few questions about reuseing vinyl and here is what she had to say:
What do you make from vinyl?
I create mandala art, home decor, and wearable accessories from upcycled vinyl records.
These include my Popsicle Clocks, Mandala Record Bowls, Feng Shui Mirrors, Roman Record Cuffs, and Eye Candy Cuffs.
What do you love about vinyl?
I love vinyl records because they are perfect circles with a perfectly defined center - perfect for creating mandalas!
I also love them for being flexible and easy to manipulate into other unexpected forms.
I love that they are so abundant - people give them to me all the time.
I love that they are retro-cool and easily recognizable, and they make people feel a bit nostalgic. People are always amazed to flip over one of my bowls and read the original record label.
I also love the fact that they represent a hugely important part of my life, which is MUSIC! I love to listen to records, I grew up on records as did my husband, and we still love to spin discs, as do our kids. But there are so many old, crappy, scratchy, unplayable records out there that people can't seem to get rid of, and these are the ones to which I love giving new life.
What’s the largest challenge in re-utilizing vinyl?
Well, it was a big challenge to me to figure out how to cut them so I could start making cuffs. Now that I have that figured out, it's a breeze! I do prime all of my records before painting them and I guess that is the biggest pain of the process - it's not challenging, but I don't enjoy it that much so I tend to procrastinate on doing it.
How long have you been working in this medium?I started painting records in 1997. 11 years!
Where do you find inspiration?
I have always been inspired by the psychedelic '60s. I love the mad patterns, bold colors, stylized florals and paisleys and weird motifs that characterized that era (including the music!). I have a really huge collection of vintage psychedelic coffee cups and the designs on them have inspired me a lot. I also get inspired by working with children. I teach art to kids and just love the beautiful works of art they create.
Wow! Christine you have certainly taken vinyl to a place of extraordinary beauty. Thank you for sharing your talent and creativity with us!
Interested in discovering more about Christine Claringbold and her work check out her blog, and website. Want to have some of her passionate creations for your very own? Go to her Etsy shop!
4 comments:
Christines colors are soooo amazing! I love how everyone who works with vinyl has such completely different results. EyePopArt rocks!
Thank you!
Yes, those colors are definitely wonderful! :)
"Upcycle". A new one on me. I like it! My only hesitation in applying it to my work is that I consider the music on the record to be more of a cultural contribution than my work. It'd be big-headed of me to assert that I'm making something better than it was originally.
That said, I am usually saving the record from the trash, so that physical record's value socially and monetarily is all but gone before I do what I do.
I do love repurposing though!
Peace.
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