BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Artisan Series: Lobyn Hamilton Creates Using Shattered Vinyl

For Indianapolis native Lobyn Hamilton, vinyl records hold more than just spiral grooves emitting rhythmic notes, they’re flattened time capsules recalling a very distinct emotion from a particular experience long ago. In reference to a storage unit full of vinyls he once owned, Hamilton said, “Being able to take me back to that place in time and conjure up emotion, even before the needle hit the record, was worth the heavy fee.” Yet, his love for music supersedes his passion for artistic mediums like paint, sculpture and illustration. Wanting to bridge the two in a special homage to an obsolete form of DJing as well as the emotions and feelings that reemerge with every needle drop, Hamilton uses vinyls to sculpt the likings of iconic musicians with incredible detail. And to think, his imaginative art went virtually unheard of until he decided to enter last year’s BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Artisan Series where he took home first place in one of the ten regional finals.

As we approach the start of the fifth annual BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Artisan Series, we chose to catch up with Lobyn Hamilton at his Indianapolis studio to hear about last year’s experience, what went into the creation of his winning piece, and how the national contest has since impacted his life.

For more on 2014’s contest, including how to enter and/or vote, visit here.

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