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WITH RAMONA ARMITAGE
JF - When did you first realise that your experience of sound might not be shared by those around you?
RA - I’d never heard of Synesthesia until about eight years ago when I was watching a video of another artist describing her work. Up until this point I’d always assumed that everyone experienced music and sound the same way as me so had never questioned it.
After hearing her describe Synesthesia and recognising the similarities with my own experience, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole and realised that my way of experiencing sound was not the norm. I’ve been developing my Synesthesia practice ever since.
JF - How do you perceive a song? Are the notes primarily separate elements or do you have a sense of the song as a whole?
RA - Generally I see the song as a whole and I experience the different aspects of the song in 3D layers of colours and shapes. These layers tend to not be completely still and often vibrate or swirl, meaning that whilst the colours in each song always stay the same, the placement and shapes can differ slightly.
I have spent time focussing on certain instruments, vocals and notes in the past but usually only do this if there is a sound that is particularly visually interesting to me.
JF - Do people and places - their voice, sound, tonality - have their own colour palette?
RA - Yes, although some are more noticeable than others. There are certain musicians that have such an instantly recognisable vocal colour. Generally for me, vocals tend to sit in a range of deep, rich violets, crimson, orange and magentas but interestingly, this often isn’t the case when vocals are digitally altered or synthesised. There’s something about the pitch that means they are almost always pastelised and often present, in much lighter pinks, greens and yellow tones.
Nature sounds also present visually for me (bird song, breeze through the trees etc). I’d love to have the opportunity at some point to explore an area of nature through Synesthesia.
JF - Would you describe your creative process?
RA - My creative process has developed quite dramatically over the past few years. Where previously I would complete a painting in one long session whilst listening to the music on loop for hours, I now have a much longer process that takes up to three months per painting.
Nowadays I will start with a loose digital sketch. I’ll listen to the song on repeat while doing this and spend around half an hour laying out the key colour placement and shapes.
I work in many layers so sketching digitally has become incredibly important to me as it allows me to structure and organise the painting before I begin.
It also helps me to understand how the colours will react to each other once layered in a certain way.
Once the sketch is done, I get to work on canvas using a base of acrylic mediums, charcoals and inks and then finish each painting with oil mediums.
The colours and placement of each of my paintings are usually led by my Synesthesia, whereas the mark making and details are influenced by the rhythm and flow of each piece of music.
JF - What is your preferred genre of music in terms of the visual experience it conjurs? Do certain instruments tend to be consistent in their colour and tonality or do they all express themselves differently depending on the way in which they are played?
RA - I paint a wide variety of music, often times my favourite songs are not the most interesting to look at so it’s a real mish-mash and I’ll paint anything that stands out to me visually.
As a rule of thumb, the more complex the composition, the more complex the painting. Classical music is always interesting as it has so many moving parts, so I have a lot of larger classical pieces, but I have paintings of pop, rock, hip hop, folk…anything goes really.
JF - What are you working on at the moment?
RA - When I experience music and sound through my Synesthesia, it is never 2D. Instead, it is staggered, comes in waves, moves and flows with the music. I’m currently working on ways to depict this in 3D form, so am exploring ceramic and textile sculpture. I’m hoping to find funding to develop this into larger scale installation work alongside my painting practice in the near future, so watch this space!
JF - When did you first realise that your experience of sound might not be shared by those around you?
RA - I’d never heard of Synesthesia until about eight years ago when I was watching a video of another artist describing her work. Up until this point I’d always assumed that everyone experienced music and sound the same way as me so had never questioned it.
After hearing her describe Synesthesia and recognising the similarities with my own experience, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole and realised that my way of experiencing sound was not the norm. I’ve been developing my Synesthesia practice ever since.
JF - How do you perceive a song? Are the notes primarily separate elements or do you have a sense of the song as a whole?
RA - Generally I see the song as a whole and I experience the different aspects of the song in 3D layers of colours and shapes. These layers tend to not be completely still and often vibrate or swirl, meaning that whilst the colours in each song always stay the same, the placement and shapes can differ slightly.
I have spent time focussing on certain instruments, vocals and notes in the past but usually only do this if there is a sound that is particularly visually interesting to me.
JF - Do people and places - their voice, sound, tonality - have their own colour palette?
RA - Yes, although some are more noticeable than others. There are certain musicians that have such an instantly recognisable vocal colour. Generally for me, vocals tend to sit in a range of deep, rich violets, crimson, orange and magentas but interestingly, this often isn’t the case when vocals are digitally altered or synthesised. There’s something about the pitch that means they are almost always pastelised and often present, in much lighter pinks, greens and yellow tones.
Nature sounds also present visually for me (bird song, breeze through the trees etc). I’d love to have the opportunity at some point to explore an area of nature through Synesthesia.
JF - Would you describe your creative process?
RA - My creative process has developed quite dramatically over the past few years. Where previously I would complete a painting in one long session whilst listening to the music on loop for hours, I now have a much longer process that takes up to three months per painting.
Nowadays I will start with a loose digital sketch. I’ll listen to the song on repeat while doing this and spend around half an hour laying out the key colour placement and shapes.
I work in many layers so sketching digitally has become incredibly important to me as it allows me to structure and organise the painting before I begin.
It also helps me to understand how the colours will react to each other once layered in a certain way.
Once the sketch is done, I get to work on canvas using a base of acrylic mediums, charcoals and inks and then finish each painting with oil mediums.
The colours and placement of each of my paintings are usually led by my Synesthesia, whereas the mark making and details are influenced by the rhythm and flow of each piece of music.
JF - What is your preferred genre of music in terms of the visual experience it conjurs? Do certain instruments tend to be consistent in their colour and tonality or do they all express themselves differently depending on the way in which they are played?
RA - I paint a wide variety of music, often times my favourite songs are not the most interesting to look at so it’s a real mish-mash and I’ll paint anything that stands out to me visually.
As a rule of thumb, the more complex the composition, the more complex the painting. Classical music is always interesting as it has so many moving parts, so I have a lot of larger classical pieces, but I have paintings of pop, rock, hip hop, folk…anything goes really.
JF - What are you working on at the moment?
RA - When I experience music and sound through my Synesthesia, it is never 2D. Instead, it is staggered, comes in waves, moves and flows with the music. I’m currently working on ways to depict this in 3D form, so am exploring ceramic and textile sculpture. I’m hoping to find funding to develop this into larger scale installation work alongside my painting practice in the near future, so watch this space!
IMAGE CREDITS
1 There Was Plenty Time Before Us - 60cm x 60cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'There Was Plenty Time Before Us’ by Deem Spencer.
2 Une barque sur l’océan from Miroirs- 100cm x 100cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'Une barque sur l’océan from Miroirs’ performed by Andre Laplante
3 Wading In Waist-High Water - 60cm x 60cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'Wading In Waist-High Water’ by Fleet Foxes.
4 Before Us - 30cm x 30cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'There Was Plenty Time Before Us’ by Deem Spencer.
5 Pure Michigan - 59.4cm x 84.1cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'Pure Michigan’ by Julian Klincewicz.
6 Sunset Canyon - 30 cm x 30 cm - Mixed Media On Board - 2023
Inspired by the song 'Sunset Canyon’ by Foxwarren.
7 These Days - 60cm x 70cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'These Days’ by St. Panther.
8 Sometimes It Snows In April - 30inch x 40inch - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2022
Inspired by the song 'Sometimes It Snows In April’ by Prince.
9 Sweet Disposition - 30inch x 40inch - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2022
Inspired by the song 'Sweet Disposition’ by The Temper Trap.
Ramona Armitage completed a Foundation Diploma at Leeds Art University, continuing to study BA Graphic Design at The University of the Creative Arts. After graduating in 2014, she began to explore portraiture and abstract painting.
WITH RAMONA ARMITAGE
JF - When did you first realise that your experience of sound might not be shared by those around you?
RA - I’d never heard of Synesthesia until about eight years ago when I was watching a video of another artist describing her work. Up until this point I’d always assumed that everyone experienced music and sound the same way as me so had never questioned it.
After hearing her describe Synesthesia and recognising the similarities with my own experience, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole and realised that my way of experiencing sound was not the norm. I’ve been developing my Synesthesia practice ever since.
JF - How do you perceive a song? Are the notes primarily separate elements or do you have a sense of the song as a whole?
RA - Generally I see the song as a whole and I experience the different aspects of the song in 3D layers of colours and shapes. These layers tend to not be completely still and often vibrate or swirl, meaning that whilst the colours in each song always stay the same, the placement and shapes can differ slightly.
I have spent time focussing on certain instruments, vocals and notes in the past but usually only do this if there is a sound that is particularly visually interesting to me.
JF - Do people and places - their voice, sound, tonality - have their own colour palette?
RA - Yes, although some are more noticeable than others. There are certain musicians that have such an instantly recognisable vocal colour. Generally for me, vocals tend to sit in a range of deep, rich violets, crimson, orange and magentas but interestingly, this often isn’t the case when vocals are digitally altered or synthesised. There’s something about the pitch that means they are almost always pastelised and often present, in much lighter pinks, greens and yellow tones.
Nature sounds also present visually for me (bird song, breeze through the trees etc). I’d love to have the opportunity at some point to explore an area of nature through Synesthesia.
JF - Would you describe your creative process?
RA - My creative process has developed quite dramatically over the past few years. Where previously I would complete a painting in one long session whilst listening to the music on loop for hours, I now have a much longer process that takes up to three months per painting.
Nowadays I will start with a loose digital sketch. I’ll listen to the song on repeat while doing this and spend around half an hour laying out the key colour placement and shapes.
I work in many layers so sketching digitally has become incredibly important to me as it allows me to structure and organise the painting before I begin.
It also helps me to understand how the colours will react to each other once layered in a certain way.
Once the sketch is done, I get to work on canvas using a base of acrylic mediums, charcoals and inks and then finish each painting with oil mediums.
The colours and placement of each of my paintings are usually led by my Synesthesia, whereas the mark making and details are influenced by the rhythm and flow of each piece of music.
JF - What is your preferred genre of music in terms of the visual experience it conjurs? Do certain instruments tend to be consistent in their colour and tonality or do they all express themselves differently depending on the way in which they are played?
RA - I paint a wide variety of music, often times my favourite songs are not the most interesting to look at so it’s a real mish-mash and I’ll paint anything that stands out to me visually.
As a rule of thumb, the more complex the composition, the more complex the painting. Classical music is always interesting as it has so many moving parts, so I have a lot of larger classical pieces, but I have paintings of pop, rock, hip hop, folk…anything goes really.
JF - What are you working on at the moment?
RA - When I experience music and sound through my Synesthesia, it is never 2D. Instead, it is staggered, comes in waves, moves and flows with the music. I’m currently working on ways to depict this in 3D form, so am exploring ceramic and textile sculpture. I’m hoping to find funding to develop this into larger scale installation work alongside my painting practice in the near future, so watch this space!
JF - When did you first realise that your experience of sound might not be shared by those around you?
RA - I’d never heard of Synesthesia until about eight years ago when I was watching a video of another artist describing her work. Up until this point I’d always assumed that everyone experienced music and sound the same way as me so had never questioned it.
After hearing her describe Synesthesia and recognising the similarities with my own experience, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole and realised that my way of experiencing sound was not the norm. I’ve been developing my Synesthesia practice ever since.
JF - How do you perceive a song? Are the notes primarily separate elements or do you have a sense of the song as a whole?
RA - Generally I see the song as a whole and I experience the different aspects of the song in 3D layers of colours and shapes. These layers tend to not be completely still and often vibrate or swirl, meaning that whilst the colours in each song always stay the same, the placement and shapes can differ slightly.
I have spent time focussing on certain instruments, vocals and notes in the past but usually only do this if there is a sound that is particularly visually interesting to me.
JF - Do people and places - their voice, sound, tonality - have their own colour palette?
RA - Yes, although some are more noticeable than others. There are certain musicians that have such an instantly recognisable vocal colour. Generally for me, vocals tend to sit in a range of deep, rich violets, crimson, orange and magentas but interestingly, this often isn’t the case when vocals are digitally altered or synthesised. There’s something about the pitch that means they are almost always pastelised and often present, in much lighter pinks, greens and yellow tones.
Nature sounds also present visually for me (bird song, breeze through the trees etc). I’d love to have the opportunity at some point to explore an area of nature through Synesthesia.
JF - Would you describe your creative process?
RA - My creative process has developed quite dramatically over the past few years. Where previously I would complete a painting in one long session whilst listening to the music on loop for hours, I now have a much longer process that takes up to three months per painting.
Nowadays I will start with a loose digital sketch. I’ll listen to the song on repeat while doing this and spend around half an hour laying out the key colour placement and shapes.
I work in many layers so sketching digitally has become incredibly important to me as it allows me to structure and organise the painting before I begin.
It also helps me to understand how the colours will react to each other once layered in a certain way.
Once the sketch is done, I get to work on canvas using a base of acrylic mediums, charcoals and inks and then finish each painting with oil mediums.
The colours and placement of each of my paintings are usually led by my Synesthesia, whereas the mark making and details are influenced by the rhythm and flow of each piece of music.
JF - What is your preferred genre of music in terms of the visual experience it conjurs? Do certain instruments tend to be consistent in their colour and tonality or do they all express themselves differently depending on the way in which they are played?
RA - I paint a wide variety of music, often times my favourite songs are not the most interesting to look at so it’s a real mish-mash and I’ll paint anything that stands out to me visually.
As a rule of thumb, the more complex the composition, the more complex the painting. Classical music is always interesting as it has so many moving parts, so I have a lot of larger classical pieces, but I have paintings of pop, rock, hip hop, folk…anything goes really.
JF - What are you working on at the moment?
RA - When I experience music and sound through my Synesthesia, it is never 2D. Instead, it is staggered, comes in waves, moves and flows with the music. I’m currently working on ways to depict this in 3D form, so am exploring ceramic and textile sculpture. I’m hoping to find funding to develop this into larger scale installation work alongside my painting practice in the near future, so watch this space!
IMAGE CREDITS
1 There Was Plenty Time Before Us - 60cm x 60cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'There Was Plenty Time Before Us’ by Deem Spencer.
2 Une barque sur l’océan from Miroirs- 100cm x 100cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'Une barque sur l’océan from Miroirs’ performed by Andre Laplante
3 Wading In Waist-High Water - 60cm x 60cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'Wading In Waist-High Water’ by Fleet Foxes.
4 Before Us - 30cm x 30cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'There Was Plenty Time Before Us’ by Deem Spencer.
5 Pure Michigan - 59.4cm x 84.1cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'Pure Michigan’ by Julian Klincewicz.
6 Sunset Canyon - 30 cm x 30 cm - Mixed Media On Board - 2023
Inspired by the song 'Sunset Canyon’ by Foxwarren.
7 These Days - 60cm x 70cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'These Days’ by St. Panther.
8 Sometimes It Snows In April - 30inch x 40inch - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2022
Inspired by the song 'Sometimes It Snows In April’ by Prince.
9 Sweet Disposition - 30inch x 40inch - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2022
Inspired by the song 'Sweet Disposition’ by The Temper Trap.
Ramona Armitage completed a Foundation Diploma at Leeds Art University, continuing to study BA Graphic Design at The University of the Creative Arts. After graduating in 2014, she began to explore portraiture and abstract painting.
WITH RAMONA ARMITAGE
JF - When did you first realise that your experience of sound might not be shared by those around you?
RA - I’d never heard of Synesthesia until about eight years ago when I was watching a video of another artist describing her work. Up until this point I’d always assumed that everyone experienced music and sound the same way as me so had never questioned it.
After hearing her describe Synesthesia and recognising the similarities with my own experience, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole and realised that my way of experiencing sound was not the norm. I’ve been developing my Synesthesia practice ever since.
JF - How do you perceive a song? Are the notes primarily separate elements or do you have a sense of the song as a whole?
RA - Generally I see the song as a whole and I experience the different aspects of the song in 3D layers of colours and shapes. These layers tend to not be completely still and often vibrate or swirl, meaning that whilst the colours in each song always stay the same, the placement and shapes can differ slightly.
I have spent time focussing on certain instruments, vocals and notes in the past but usually only do this if there is a sound that is particularly visually interesting to me.
JF - Do people and places - their voice, sound, tonality - have their own colour palette?
RA - Yes, although some are more noticeable than others. There are certain musicians that have such an instantly recognisable vocal colour. Generally for me, vocals tend to sit in a range of deep, rich violets, crimson, orange and magentas but interestingly, this often isn’t the case when vocals are digitally altered or synthesised. There’s something about the pitch that means they are almost always pastelised and often present, in much lighter pinks, greens and yellow tones.
Nature sounds also present visually for me (bird song, breeze through the trees etc). I’d love to have the opportunity at some point to explore an area of nature through Synesthesia.
JF - Would you describe your creative process?
RA - My creative process has developed quite dramatically over the past few years. Where previously I would complete a painting in one long session whilst listening to the music on loop for hours, I now have a much longer process that takes up to three months per painting.
Nowadays I will start with a loose digital sketch. I’ll listen to the song on repeat while doing this and spend around half an hour laying out the key colour placement and shapes.
I work in many layers so sketching digitally has become incredibly important to me as it allows me to structure and organise the painting before I begin.
It also helps me to understand how the colours will react to each other once layered in a certain way.
Once the sketch is done, I get to work on canvas using a base of acrylic mediums, charcoals and inks and then finish each painting with oil mediums.
The colours and placement of each of my paintings are usually led by my Synesthesia, whereas the mark making and details are influenced by the rhythm and flow of each piece of music.
JF - What is your preferred genre of music in terms of the visual experience it conjurs? Do certain instruments tend to be consistent in their colour and tonality or do they all express themselves differently depending on the way in which they are played?
RA - I paint a wide variety of music, often times my favourite songs are not the most interesting to look at so it’s a real mish-mash and I’ll paint anything that stands out to me visually.
As a rule of thumb, the more complex the composition, the more complex the painting. Classical music is always interesting as it has so many moving parts, so I have a lot of larger classical pieces, but I have paintings of pop, rock, hip hop, folk…anything goes really.
JF - What are you working on at the moment?
RA - When I experience music and sound through my Synesthesia, it is never 2D. Instead, it is staggered, comes in waves, moves and flows with the music. I’m currently working on ways to depict this in 3D form, so am exploring ceramic and textile sculpture. I’m hoping to find funding to develop this into larger scale installation work alongside my painting practice in the near future, so watch this space!
JF - When did you first realise that your experience of sound might not be shared by those around you?
RA - I’d never heard of Synesthesia until about eight years ago when I was watching a video of another artist describing her work. Up until this point I’d always assumed that everyone experienced music and sound the same way as me so had never questioned it.
After hearing her describe Synesthesia and recognising the similarities with my own experience, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole and realised that my way of experiencing sound was not the norm. I’ve been developing my Synesthesia practice ever since.
JF - How do you perceive a song? Are the notes primarily separate elements or do you have a sense of the song as a whole?
RA - Generally I see the song as a whole and I experience the different aspects of the song in 3D layers of colours and shapes. These layers tend to not be completely still and often vibrate or swirl, meaning that whilst the colours in each song always stay the same, the placement and shapes can differ slightly.
I have spent time focussing on certain instruments, vocals and notes in the past but usually only do this if there is a sound that is particularly visually interesting to me.
JF - Do people and places - their voice, sound, tonality - have their own colour palette?
RA - Yes, although some are more noticeable than others. There are certain musicians that have such an instantly recognisable vocal colour. Generally for me, vocals tend to sit in a range of deep, rich violets, crimson, orange and magentas but interestingly, this often isn’t the case when vocals are digitally altered or synthesised. There’s something about the pitch that means they are almost always pastelised and often present, in much lighter pinks, greens and yellow tones.
Nature sounds also present visually for me (bird song, breeze through the trees etc). I’d love to have the opportunity at some point to explore an area of nature through Synesthesia.
JF - Would you describe your creative process?
RA - My creative process has developed quite dramatically over the past few years. Where previously I would complete a painting in one long session whilst listening to the music on loop for hours, I now have a much longer process that takes up to three months per painting.
Nowadays I will start with a loose digital sketch. I’ll listen to the song on repeat while doing this and spend around half an hour laying out the key colour placement and shapes.
I work in many layers so sketching digitally has become incredibly important to me as it allows me to structure and organise the painting before I begin.
It also helps me to understand how the colours will react to each other once layered in a certain way.
Once the sketch is done, I get to work on canvas using a base of acrylic mediums, charcoals and inks and then finish each painting with oil mediums.
The colours and placement of each of my paintings are usually led by my Synesthesia, whereas the mark making and details are influenced by the rhythm and flow of each piece of music.
JF - What is your preferred genre of music in terms of the visual experience it conjurs? Do certain instruments tend to be consistent in their colour and tonality or do they all express themselves differently depending on the way in which they are played?
RA - I paint a wide variety of music, often times my favourite songs are not the most interesting to look at so it’s a real mish-mash and I’ll paint anything that stands out to me visually.
As a rule of thumb, the more complex the composition, the more complex the painting. Classical music is always interesting as it has so many moving parts, so I have a lot of larger classical pieces, but I have paintings of pop, rock, hip hop, folk…anything goes really.
JF - What are you working on at the moment?
RA - When I experience music and sound through my Synesthesia, it is never 2D. Instead, it is staggered, comes in waves, moves and flows with the music. I’m currently working on ways to depict this in 3D form, so am exploring ceramic and textile sculpture. I’m hoping to find funding to develop this into larger scale installation work alongside my painting practice in the near future, so watch this space!
IMAGE CREDITS
1 There Was Plenty Time Before Us - 60cm x 60cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'There Was Plenty Time Before Us’ by Deem Spencer.
2 Une barque sur l’océan from Miroirs- 100cm x 100cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'Une barque sur l’océan from Miroirs’ performed by Andre Laplante
3 Wading In Waist-High Water - 60cm x 60cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'Wading In Waist-High Water’ by Fleet Foxes.
4 Before Us - 30cm x 30cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'There Was Plenty Time Before Us’ by Deem Spencer.
5 Pure Michigan - 59.4cm x 84.1cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'Pure Michigan’ by Julian Klincewicz.
6 Sunset Canyon - 30 cm x 30 cm - Mixed Media On Board - 2023
Inspired by the song 'Sunset Canyon’ by Foxwarren.
7 These Days - 60cm x 70cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'These Days’ by St. Panther.
8 Sometimes It Snows In April - 30inch x 40inch - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2022
Inspired by the song 'Sometimes It Snows In April’ by Prince.
9 Sweet Disposition - 30inch x 40inch - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2022
Inspired by the song 'Sweet Disposition’ by The Temper Trap.
Ramona Armitage completed a Foundation Diploma at Leeds Art University, continuing to study BA Graphic Design at The University of the Creative Arts. After graduating in 2014, she began to explore portraiture and abstract painting.
WITH RAMONA ARMITAGE
JF - When did you first realise that your experience of sound might not be shared by those around you?
RA - I’d never heard of Synesthesia until about eight years ago when I was watching a video of another artist describing her work. Up until this point I’d always assumed that everyone experienced music and sound the same way as me so had never questioned it.
After hearing her describe Synesthesia and recognising the similarities with my own experience, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole and realised that my way of experiencing sound was not the norm. I’ve been developing my Synesthesia practice ever since.
JF - How do you perceive a song? Are the notes primarily separate elements or do you have a sense of the song as a whole?
RA - Generally I see the song as a whole and I experience the different aspects of the song in 3D layers of colours and shapes. These layers tend to not be completely still and often vibrate or swirl, meaning that whilst the colours in each song always stay the same, the placement and shapes can differ slightly.
I have spent time focussing on certain instruments, vocals and notes in the past but usually only do this if there is a sound that is particularly visually interesting to me.
JF - Do people and places - their voice, sound, tonality - have their own colour palette?
RA - Yes, although some are more noticeable than others. There are certain musicians that have such an instantly recognisable vocal colour. Generally for me, vocals tend to sit in a range of deep, rich violets, crimson, orange and magentas but interestingly, this often isn’t the case when vocals are digitally altered or synthesised. There’s something about the pitch that means they are almost always pastelised and often present, in much lighter pinks, greens and yellow tones.
Nature sounds also present visually for me (bird song, breeze through the trees etc). I’d love to have the opportunity at some point to explore an area of nature through Synesthesia.
JF - Would you describe your creative process?
RA - My creative process has developed quite dramatically over the past few years. Where previously I would complete a painting in one long session whilst listening to the music on loop for hours, I now have a much longer process that takes up to three months per painting.
Nowadays I will start with a loose digital sketch. I’ll listen to the song on repeat while doing this and spend around half an hour laying out the key colour placement and shapes.
I work in many layers so sketching digitally has become incredibly important to me as it allows me to structure and organise the painting before I begin.
It also helps me to understand how the colours will react to each other once layered in a certain way.
Once the sketch is done, I get to work on canvas using a base of acrylic mediums, charcoals and inks and then finish each painting with oil mediums.
The colours and placement of each of my paintings are usually led by my Synesthesia, whereas the mark making and details are influenced by the rhythm and flow of each piece of music.
JF - What is your preferred genre of music in terms of the visual experience it conjurs? Do certain instruments tend to be consistent in their colour and tonality or do they all express themselves differently depending on the way in which they are played?
RA - I paint a wide variety of music, often times my favourite songs are not the most interesting to look at so it’s a real mish-mash and I’ll paint anything that stands out to me visually.
As a rule of thumb, the more complex the composition, the more complex the painting. Classical music is always interesting as it has so many moving parts, so I have a lot of larger classical pieces, but I have paintings of pop, rock, hip hop, folk…anything goes really.
JF - What are you working on at the moment?
RA - When I experience music and sound through my Synesthesia, it is never 2D. Instead, it is staggered, comes in waves, moves and flows with the music. I’m currently working on ways to depict this in 3D form, so am exploring ceramic and textile sculpture. I’m hoping to find funding to develop this into larger scale installation work alongside my painting practice in the near future, so watch this space!
JF - When did you first realise that your experience of sound might not be shared by those around you?
RA - I’d never heard of Synesthesia until about eight years ago when I was watching a video of another artist describing her work. Up until this point I’d always assumed that everyone experienced music and sound the same way as me so had never questioned it.
After hearing her describe Synesthesia and recognising the similarities with my own experience, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole and realised that my way of experiencing sound was not the norm. I’ve been developing my Synesthesia practice ever since.
JF - How do you perceive a song? Are the notes primarily separate elements or do you have a sense of the song as a whole?
RA - Generally I see the song as a whole and I experience the different aspects of the song in 3D layers of colours and shapes. These layers tend to not be completely still and often vibrate or swirl, meaning that whilst the colours in each song always stay the same, the placement and shapes can differ slightly.
I have spent time focussing on certain instruments, vocals and notes in the past but usually only do this if there is a sound that is particularly visually interesting to me.
JF - Do people and places - their voice, sound, tonality - have their own colour palette?
RA - Yes, although some are more noticeable than others. There are certain musicians that have such an instantly recognisable vocal colour. Generally for me, vocals tend to sit in a range of deep, rich violets, crimson, orange and magentas but interestingly, this often isn’t the case when vocals are digitally altered or synthesised. There’s something about the pitch that means they are almost always pastelised and often present, in much lighter pinks, greens and yellow tones.
Nature sounds also present visually for me (bird song, breeze through the trees etc). I’d love to have the opportunity at some point to explore an area of nature through Synesthesia.
JF - Would you describe your creative process?
RA - My creative process has developed quite dramatically over the past few years. Where previously I would complete a painting in one long session whilst listening to the music on loop for hours, I now have a much longer process that takes up to three months per painting.
Nowadays I will start with a loose digital sketch. I’ll listen to the song on repeat while doing this and spend around half an hour laying out the key colour placement and shapes.
I work in many layers so sketching digitally has become incredibly important to me as it allows me to structure and organise the painting before I begin.
It also helps me to understand how the colours will react to each other once layered in a certain way.
Once the sketch is done, I get to work on canvas using a base of acrylic mediums, charcoals and inks and then finish each painting with oil mediums.
The colours and placement of each of my paintings are usually led by my Synesthesia, whereas the mark making and details are influenced by the rhythm and flow of each piece of music.
JF - What is your preferred genre of music in terms of the visual experience it conjurs? Do certain instruments tend to be consistent in their colour and tonality or do they all express themselves differently depending on the way in which they are played?
RA - I paint a wide variety of music, often times my favourite songs are not the most interesting to look at so it’s a real mish-mash and I’ll paint anything that stands out to me visually.
As a rule of thumb, the more complex the composition, the more complex the painting. Classical music is always interesting as it has so many moving parts, so I have a lot of larger classical pieces, but I have paintings of pop, rock, hip hop, folk…anything goes really.
JF - What are you working on at the moment?
RA - When I experience music and sound through my Synesthesia, it is never 2D. Instead, it is staggered, comes in waves, moves and flows with the music. I’m currently working on ways to depict this in 3D form, so am exploring ceramic and textile sculpture. I’m hoping to find funding to develop this into larger scale installation work alongside my painting practice in the near future, so watch this space!
IMAGE CREDITS
1 There Was Plenty Time Before Us - 60cm x 60cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'There Was Plenty Time Before Us’ by Deem Spencer.
2 Une barque sur l’océan from Miroirs- 100cm x 100cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'Une barque sur l’océan from Miroirs’ performed by Andre Laplante
3 Wading In Waist-High Water - 60cm x 60cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'Wading In Waist-High Water’ by Fleet Foxes.
4 Before Us - 30cm x 30cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'There Was Plenty Time Before Us’ by Deem Spencer.
5 Pure Michigan - 59.4cm x 84.1cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'Pure Michigan’ by Julian Klincewicz.
6 Sunset Canyon - 30 cm x 30 cm - Mixed Media On Board - 2023
Inspired by the song 'Sunset Canyon’ by Foxwarren.
7 These Days - 60cm x 70cm - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2023
Inspired by the song 'These Days’ by St. Panther.
8 Sometimes It Snows In April - 30inch x 40inch - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2022
Inspired by the song 'Sometimes It Snows In April’ by Prince.
9 Sweet Disposition - 30inch x 40inch - Mixed Media On Canvas - 2022
Inspired by the song 'Sweet Disposition’ by The Temper Trap.
Ramona Armitage completed a Foundation Diploma at Leeds Art University, continuing to study BA Graphic Design at The University of the Creative Arts. After graduating in 2014, she began to explore portraiture and abstract painting.