Have old records? Artist Cadence Hodes can spend up to 20 hours painting patterns on vinyl

There’s not a lot you can do with a scratched up old vinyl. Cadence Hodes thought so too when some roommates left her with a bunch of their old records when they moved out.

Then inspiration struck.

She saw her cousin’s friend use an old record as a mixing palette. Cadence says she thought, “why not use it as a canvas?”

Depending on the size, Cadence can spend up to 20 hours painting a single vinyl. She’ll paint a layer, waitt for it to dry, and then paint another layer. When she first started painting, the “Law & Order” theme song that played once an hour made her notice how she lost track of time as she painted.

Do you think it’s Bluetooth compatible? Photo courtesy of Cadence Hodes.

What started as a fun hobby bloomed into a small business. Cadence started gathering attention when she made an Instagram for her art. She paints when she’s not at school or studying for her master’s in counseling from UMSL.

When she first started, she chose which records to paint by the look of their label. She’d comb through vinyls at Goodwill or estates sales for labels with vibrant colors.

Cadence paints one of several layers onto Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark.”

Now, Cadence does a lot of custom orders. People ask her to paint records that have an emotional significance to them, like a couple’s first dance or whatever their loved one’s favorite song is.

Cadence says she does get some criticism for buying new records just to paint on them.

“I get that and I don’t disagree, but if someone wants it, I’m going to do it,” Cadence says.

Cadence’s vinyls cost from $125 to $225. Browse her online gallery here.

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