This Artist Breathes Life into Old Motorbike Parts by Turning Them into Guitar Sculptures
Brisbane artist and motorcycle fan Paul Tinson has found a glorious way to convert his passion to his art by using old bike parts to create guitar sculptures.
(All images taken from Motorbike Writer)
According to Motorbike Writer, Tinson used to ride in Scotland, but since moving to Australia in 2009 has not done so.
“I did plan to ride bikes over here, but Australian car drivers are mental and didn’t need the risk in my life,” he explained.
“I now get my fix of bikes by avidly following the World Superbike and MotoGP with annual visits to Phillip Island.”
Along with following various motorsport events, Tinson also continues to feed his passion for motorcycles by turning them into art.
His first bike was a Honda FT500 Ascot that he recovered from a scrapyard and later rebuilt while he was still studying engineering at Glasgow University. The artist then moved on to a Yamaha XJR1300SP, which he continued riding right up to his transfer of citizenship from Scotland to Australia.
Inspired by the complexities that make up a motorbike, Tinson started to get motorcycle parts from friends and AllBikes at Slacks Creek to create his guitar sculptures.
“I get most of my parts from friends and acquaintances that know what type of material I’m after. Some of my friends ride motorcycles so they help out,” he said.
Speaking to Motorbike Writer, the Scotland native also said that he does not focus on any particular model of a bike but instead builds his sculptures based off the variety of parts that are available and fitting for the art piece.
He elaborated: “For example, the Eddie Van Halen Kramer 5150 replica, I predominantly used motorcycle chains and front sprockets to build up the guitar, and the came from many different varieties of motorcycles, so from a design/artistic perspective I do not limit myself there.”
When speaking to the curator of the gallery where Tinson’s sculptures are displayed, Lindsay Mengel said: “Paul takes those discarded parts of your motorbike’s soul and builds them into a new life. A new life anyone would want. A rock life.”
“Camshafts, tappets, spark plugs, gears, cogs, valve springs, disc brakes, timing chains, nuts and bolts, sprockets, chains, wheel spokes, tie rods, steel bar, steel tubing, fencing wire all make their way into recognisable lifelike guitars meticulously designed and welded together by Paul.”
Tinson’s musical collection that so wonderfully captures the motorbike soul is currently residing at the Aspire Gallery in Paddington.
As Mengel said: “Much like an iconic motorbike, Paul brings together a sum of individual pieces of metal that each have their own unique and engineered purpose to create an iconic guitar.”
The artist’s creativity now joins the ranks of other ingenious bike-turned-music-creation-pieces, such as this one where Harley parts are used to make a guitar.