Hear my blues
The vertical-leaning format frames the musician as an upward arc of energy, the trumpet acting as a visual and sonic axis. Flowing hair, the angle of the instrument, and the surrounding swirls of paint create a spiral that pulls the eye from the figure’s bowed head through the bell of the trumpet and into the atmospheric background. Negative space is actively painted, turning emptiness into echo and allowing rhythm to circulate through the canvas.
A concentrated trio of blues, reds, and greens produces a chromatic tension that reads like harmonic contrast. Blue dominates the face and atmosphere, signaling introspection and tonal depth, while warm reds in the clothing punctuate the composition with emotional heat. Layered transparencies and visible brushwork build a luminous surface where paint behaves like sound: some strokes resonate cleanly, others blur into reverb.
The closed eyes and relaxed facial planes communicate immersion rather than performance for an audience, making the act of playing an inward testimony. The stylized body and elongated gesture reduce literal detail to an essential choreography of breath and posture, so the painting becomes a portrait of feeling as much as a likeness of form.
Hear my blues translates music into chroma and motion, making the inner life of sound legible as color and line. Themes include emotional release, memory encoded in melody, and the private ritual of music-making turned public through paint. The work invites viewers to listen with their eyes and to feel the music as a lived, bodily experience.
At 30 by 48 inches the painting fits both intimate and gallery contexts, rewarding close inspection of brushwork while retaining a strong presence from a distance. Hang at eye level with soft, directional lighting to reveal layered strokes and subtle color shifts. A narrow, dark floater frame or exposed stretcher edge keeps attention on surface movement and color vibration.
Hear my blues makes sound visible: through swirling gesture, a resonant palette, and textured acrylics, Lawal Said renders musical immersion as a painted confession of feeling and rhythm.
My blues are my quiet times, sad time, peaceful times .
A concentrated trio of blues, reds, and greens produces a chromatic tension that reads like harmonic contrast. Blue dominates the face and atmosphere, signaling introspection and tonal depth, while warm reds in the clothing punctuate the composition with emotional heat. Layered transparencies and visible brushwork build a luminous surface where paint behaves like sound: some strokes resonate cleanly, others blur into reverb.
The closed eyes and relaxed facial planes communicate immersion rather than performance for an audience, making the act of playing an inward testimony. The stylized body and elongated gesture reduce literal detail to an essential choreography of breath and posture, so the painting becomes a portrait of feeling as much as a likeness of form.
Hear my blues translates music into chroma and motion, making the inner life of sound legible as color and line. Themes include emotional release, memory encoded in melody, and the private ritual of music-making turned public through paint. The work invites viewers to listen with their eyes and to feel the music as a lived, bodily experience.
At 30 by 48 inches the painting fits both intimate and gallery contexts, rewarding close inspection of brushwork while retaining a strong presence from a distance. Hang at eye level with soft, directional lighting to reveal layered strokes and subtle color shifts. A narrow, dark floater frame or exposed stretcher edge keeps attention on surface movement and color vibration.
Hear my blues makes sound visible: through swirling gesture, a resonant palette, and textured acrylics, Lawal Said renders musical immersion as a painted confession of feeling and rhythm.
My blues are my quiet times, sad time, peaceful times .