What happens when music is not only heard, but painted? With his Painted Songs, Patrick Schmidt transforms songs into colourful works of art, creating a deeply personal tribute to music. As part of the 2nd anniversary exhibition of the New & Abstract Gallery, Patrick Schmidt will also perform his Painted Songs live. In this interview, he talks about the connection between music and painting, creative inspiration and his current projects.
At first, I painted songs that I only knew digitally through streaming as a way of remembering them better. They replace the missing physical medium that once reminded us of a piece of music simply through its presence. My artistically designed “notes” allow me to build a similarly deep connection with the song.
When I started sharing them on social media, an interesting dynamic emerged. Musicians responded positively to my creative fan-art feedback. You can feel the impact when your work inspires another person – a transfer of creative energy.
Both music and visual art can do this in a deeply moving way. As a fan reaction, it means much more than any comment under a post or video.
After a while, I had built up quite a collection, which I have since enjoyed presenting in exhibitions. The songs themselves have always been played during the exhibition openings. Today, they are also part of my DJ sets, where the Painted Songs are used as performative elements.
When does a song become a painting for you?
Whenever a song is very present in my mind. If I have the time and the right mood in the studio, I listen to it and quickly translate that impression into a visual note.
Your works function even when viewers do not know the song they refer to. How do you translate sound, atmosphere and emotion into colour, composition and lettering?
The process is completely open and spontaneous. Thanks to the simplicity of the concept, I feel entirely free in my artistic choices and in the materials I use. Every note belongs to the series as long as the artist’s name and song title remain legible.
Pop culture, nostalgia and painting come together in your work. Do you see the Painted Songs primarily as a tribute to music or as an independent form of memory art?
I primarily see the Painted Songs as my humble tribute to music – a thank you to all the musicians who enrich my life so profoundly through their art.
Whether the Painted Songs represent a completely independent form of memory art is difficult for me to judge. Perhaps there is someone out there pursuing the same concept as consistently and over such a long period as I have. I just haven’t come across it yet.
Give us a glimpse of what’s next: What are you currently working on, and what are your upcoming plans?
I am planning further DJ set video recordings that I will publish online. In these performances, for example, I want to use the minutes between mixes on the Traktor controller to cover the walls of the space with expressive calligraphy, continuously painting the titles of the songs currently being played as a kind of visual playlist.
I imagine it being as challenging as chess boxing – combining two disciplines that demand complete focus at the same time.