Part of the 'Seeing Sounds: moments visualised through music' collection. A body of work where each piece is inspired by a different song. Worked on whilst listening to the music and channelling the emotions from it, each painting shows how I view, perceive and feel every individual song, creating visual representations of each track using paint on canvas.

Inspired by 'Paper Thin' by Lianne La Havas.

From the opening notes of this song I can feel my body literally let go. Everything gives way down to the ground - a beautiful melancholic inevitability takes over. It feels like La Havas is on a last chance saloon conversation in the lyrics ‘if you’re trying to lose, you’ll never win.’ From the first time I heard this track I had a deep visceral connection to the music and lyrics. The album came out nearly a year to the day that my dad died. At this point I still felt paper thin, vulnerable from the grief, lacking in confidence - finding a way creatively but still so closed off as to how I could make it happen ‘slipping in and out of such confidence and overwhelming doubt’.

There’s this sense of wanting to stay in the pain, of not allowing yourself to move forward and heal, and that did and still does deeply resonate with me.

The song feels deep but also has a transparency and space to it, the gentle beat and guitar just keep it beautifully grounded. Its about letting go, being free and opening your heart to allow yourself to be loved by others and yourself.