1. Are these records for sale?
Some of them are. Some of them aren't. Many of them have been sold and shipped to loving homes. A few of them still live with me.
2. Will you paint a record for me?
I probably will. Please contact me with a message through my Facebook Records By Rachro page, and we can discuss it.
3. Can you still play the records on a record player after they are painted?
No, you cannot. However, I try to select records to paint on that are damaged, messed up, and fatally scratched to begin with. So you couldn't have listened to it before it was painted anyway.
4. How do I frame one of your painted records?
There are several ways to display a painted record. First, you could have it professionally framed, which would make it look fantastic.
Another option is to buy a ready made frame from a craft store or department store. There are frames that are specifically made to display 12"x12" art - some are shadow box style. Some are just plain frames, in which you could insert a 12"x12" piece of colorful art paper as a background, behind the painted record.
Finally, you could simply hang them on the wall using the spindle hole and a thumb tack or nail. It will look great no matter what. *The most important thing is to hang your painted record in a place where it will NOT be in direct sunlight or extreme heat.* Since it is an actual vinyl record, it needs to be handled with care. Also, don't clean it with any cleaners or touch it with anything with any sort of oily residue -meaning - don't touch the painted surface with your fingers.
5. How long have you been painting records?
I painted my first records around 2001-2002. Then I took a break and did other kinds of art. I missed painting records and came back to it around 2007, and then again in 2011. On and off, over 15+ years.
6. Where do you get your ideas for the designs?
From my head. Each record tells me what it wants to look like. I usually have an idea of how the final piece will look the second I see the record. The label, the colors, the grooves, the number of tracks, and the length of the songs all play a role in the geometry in my head. The music translates to art almost instantly for me and I know what to design. I am inspired by natural and geometric forms, numbers, and psychedelic art. Also, it helps that I was raised around a lot of art and music. My late aunt who I lived with, Betty Schaffner, was the original pioneer of the psychedelic, abstract design coloring books in the late 1960s: Designs to Color. I continue to be influenced by her incredible imagination, even decades after her passing.
7. How long does each painted record take to create?
Sometimes I have to search for just the right record for someone as a request, and that takes hours of browsing thrift stores. But once I have the record in my hands, the prep, design, and painting take at least 6 hours, sometimes more, sometimes less. So while the actual record may cost very little, the time, other materials, and labor that I invest into each piece is quite a bit.
8. Do you use a stencil to paint your records?
No, I don't use stencils. It's all freehand, baby. There are some super cool stencil artists out there that paint on records, but I'm not one of them. I've stenciled before, but it's not my current method. My records are not mass produced. They are one-of-a-kind, hand painted creations. I design them with the simplest, most ancient tools: a pencil, a compass, and a protractor. Then I get out the paint, turn on some music good and loud, get hypnotized by some sacred geometry, and get it done.
9. Do you take requests?
Yes, I am flexible about certain aspects of the design and colors. But for the most part, I try to stick with my own style. If you have a certain record in mind, I can work with you on that, depending...
10. Will you paint on my very valuable and rare, mint-condition, signed, imported, collectors edition album of (insert band name)?
No, I will not. No way.
11. Are your painted records on Facebook/Tumblr/Twitter/Instagram?
Yarp.
Search for "Records by Rachro" on any of those social media apps and you should be able to find my records.
12. Do you do other kinds of art besides painting records?
I do. Sometimes I make and sell other types of things. Usually, it's something painted with watercolor, inks, or acrylic, but I have been known to take up all sorts of fine arts, photography, and crafty things. You can see what I've made lately that's for sale at my Etsy shop:
Art by Rachro Etsy Shop
Here is a link to my Facebook page for my art: Records by Rachro on Facebook
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