Paintings for Music

Lorna Robertson • 22 December 2022

Creative collaborations in oil paint and jazz. The relationship between abstract painting and instrumental music. Colliding these worlds in a record label.


Artist painter Lorna Robertson and jazz trumpeter and composer Nick Walters, have been collaborating since 2018, bonded by a shared passion for music, art and design. The duo have worked on several sold out vinyl records and limited edition art prints over the past four years. Collaborating first through the London jazz label 22a, they went on to form their own imprint D.O.T. Records in 2020 - where the relationship between music and art are an integral part of the label identity.

Through D.O.T. Records, they bring their worlds together. Nick creates jazz and electronic albums, and Lorna leads on the artwork. Inspired by their love and respect for great UK labels of the past such as Manchester’s Factory Records and regional independent record shops, D.O.T. Records is a D.I.Y. ethos. Founded during lockdown, the pair brought the vinyl production in house, adding their touch to everything. Lorna creates an original painting or drawing for each album, used to design the vinyl record covers and limited edition art prints.

The duo originally met in a live / work warehouse set up in East London, where Lorna was developing an abstract portrait series and Nick on his album ‘Active Imagination’. Their first crossover occurred when Lorna painted a double portrait of Nick, of the front and back of his head - which went onto become the front and back cover of ‘Active Imagination’ released on 22a Records. Lorna followed up with a group portrait of the band Ruby Rushton, which became the cover for ‘Overture 1’ also released on 22a. From this, the couple continued to collaborate on other projects - fast forward to 2020 and D.O.T. Records was formed.

The Inaugural release on the new label was ‘Implicate Order’ 2020, where Lorna began to more fully explore the ideas on the relationship between abstract painting and instrumental music. Drawing on the theories of Wassily Kandinsky, she created a large abstract oil painting that represented the 11 musicians involved. Responding to the sounds of the album, Lorna applied Kandinsky’s theories of specific instruments having certain colours associated with them - the trumpet red, flute light blue, double base dark blue. The results are a composition that is both structured with a sense of internal movement, that responds to the composed and improvisational nature of jazz. There is a sense of movement and interplay between the shapes and colours as they guide our eye around the canvas.

Conceptually the same, but different in form, Lorna became fascinated by how abstract painting and instrumental music are both non-verbal modes of expression that create a space for abstract, even spiritual thought. This was explored in depth in the work ‘Painting for 18 Musicians’, 2022. A painting about using colour to express sound - visualising musical time, movement and rhythm as the subject. The painting took shape while she was thinking about the continuous curves of sound waves, and how a digital sound recording is split into tiny discrete chunks (many thousands per second). 

The title was inspired by a live performance of Steve Reich's 'Music for 18 Musicians', a minimalist composition written between 1974–1976. On hearing the piece for the first time, the visualisations that occurred during the performance influenced the development of the painting, and encapsulated the ideas around the structure and behavior of music and abstraction. The final artwork is about the complementary characteristics of instrumental music and abstract painting. The conceptual similarities between the gradual shifting musical textures, and the colour palette of music, took shape within the composition of the painting.

In 2022, Lorna continued to examine the relationship of abstract painting and instrumental music more closely, developing the series ‘No Words, Only Feelings’ about how sound and rhythm can be visualized using shape and colour. Juxtaposing deep yellow, red and blue, humming alongside their cooler toned counterparts to create their own kind of harmony – the colours and shapes are a nod to the aesthetics and ideas of the women of the Bauhaus movement. The musical touchstones drawn on to inspire the paintings, range from the compositions of Philip Glass to the spiritual jazz of John and Alice Coltrane. The shapes and colours interact visually to stimulate and excite the eyes, as we follow them around the composition they push forward and retreat - creating a visual movement.

Looking ahead to 2023, the Lorna and Nick have plans for new bodies of work and the third release on D.O.T. Records that continue to explore the theme. Their latest work is inspired by the sights, sounds and smells of a trip travelling around the Indian subcontinent, with the music and art built around samples recorded on the streets of India. 


Instagram @lorna.robertson.art

Website www.lornarobertson.co.uk 


Instagram @nick.walters.music

Website www.nick-walters.co.uk


D.O.T. Records 

https://nick-walters.bandcamp.com/

Daniel Varela

by Daniel Varela • 2 November 2025
Daniel Varela is a talented Argentine visual artist and fine art photographer who immerses himself in a universe of creativity through visual expression. His passion for art and photography drives him to explore new perspectives and innovative approaches, with the purpose of capturing beauty in all its fullness. With a dynamic spirit and a forward-thinking vision, he has ventured into contemporary art inspired by new digital processes. Through the use of advanced technologies, he has created unique and captivating works that challenge the boundaries of creativity. His artistic production has become a source of inspiration for other creators and photography enthusiasts, establishing a valuable contribution to the world of art and culture. 

Tianyun Zhao: Gentle Rebellions in a Digital Age

by Tianyun Zhao • 30 October 2025
London-based moving image artist and photographer Tianyun Zhao (Yano) creates works that drift between stillness and transformation, where memory becomes light and time turns tactile. Her practice navigates the intersections of image, perception, and identity, revealing how the digital age reshapes our sense of the self and the spaces we inhabit. Drawing from Eastern philosophy and the rhythms of urban life, Zhao constructs visual worlds that exist between reality and imagination — contemplative yet quietly rebellious. Through the fusion of lens-based imagery, AI-generated fragments, and fashion-inflected aesthetics, she invites viewers into atmospheres where emotion and technology merge in a delicate equilibrium. “I see my work as a dialogue between the visible and the invisible — a meditation on how we remember, and how we are remembered,” Zhao reflects. Expanding the Language of Moving Image Zhao’s practice has been presented internationally across galleries, festivals, and digital platforms. Her recent exhibitions include Field of Clarity at Photofusion Gallery (London, 2025), Broken Silence at Summerhall – In Vitro Gallery (Edinburgh, 2025), The Green Grammar Exhibition at art’otel Hoxton Gallery (London, 2025), and Fragments of the Past, Futures Unfolding at Normanou 3 (Athens, 2025). She also participated in Video Edition ArtIn as part of The Wrong Biennale (London, 2025), a globally recognised platform for digital and post-internet art. Zhao’s work has appeared in publications such as Artist Talk Magazine (Issue 39, 2025) and Viridine Literary Issue 03 (UK, 2025), reflecting her expanding presence in both gallery and online contexts. 

Nyll Axis

by Nyll Axis • 27 October 2025
Nyll Axis is the pseudonym of an artist who prefers to remain incognito. His paintings emerge as nameless presences moving through shifting layers of perception. There are no stories, no time — only appearances and disappearances. What remains are abstract glyphs with the illusion of meaning: thresholds, lines, dissolving architectures. These are not narratives but signals, pointing beyond knowledge toward the vanishing wall of the self.

Hollow Mountain

by Ziyi Huang • 30 September 2025
Ziyi Huang is a Chinese oil painting artist. His recent works are mainly landscapes inspired by his travels. He received Bachelor's and Master's degrees from China Academy of Art, where he is now studying for a Doctoral degree. He participated in an artist residency at Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, France from 2018-2019, and studied at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, USA as an international exchange student in 2024. His paintings have been exhibited in China, Japan, France, UK, Canada, Italy and Latvia, and he has held solo exhibitions in Hangzhou and Xiamen, China. He is a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA), International Council of Visual Arts (ICVA), 90' Creative Art Society, Zhejiang Artists Association and Zhejiang Association of Oil Painters. 

Daniel Agra

by Daniel Agra • 7 September 2025
Daniel Agra is Spanish artist of abstract and fine art photography. In the artistic field his work is defined as subjective, experimental and conceptual expressionist visual poetry, with a profound imaginative capacity and endowed with strong intuition. Defined by a resounding individual and experimental personal mark that allows him to mentally project a great deal of his compositions with a language and style full of symbolism. The defined perception and emotional depth of his work should be highlighted reflecting his interest in the subconscious, abandoned methods, dialogues and conventional and traditional photographic narratives which transcend their state to be symbolised in a deep analysis, to be recreated into a poetic frontier between the material and the spiritual, between man and the environments he inhabits, distinctive elements that emphasise the communicative character in his allegorical symbology and relative to the inner world, raising it to levels of evocative spirituality in transcendental and vindictive themes, on the existential importance of the individual in his creative freedom, a personal form of contemporary expression that does not bow to the established norms, an archetype through a vocabulary with meticulously selected images and iconographies. Over time, his works have achieved wide appreciation, recognition and international dissemination. The more than 50 awards and international honour mentions of photography that he has achieved during his career should be emphasised, he has shown his work and participated in exhibitions across various countries, as well as published in assorted media and international art guides. His work can be found in national and international museums, foundations and private art and photography collections. 

Mary Joy Manuel

by Tension & Release: A Spontaneous Series Born from Stillness • 10 August 2025
This ten-piece body of work, created on fine art paper (21 x 14.5 cm), explores the emotional and societal tensions that shape our collective experience. Using acrylics, graphite, and charcoal pencils, each painting captures dynamic movement through vibrant palettes—juxtaposing warm and cool tones to evoke contrast and conflict. Black graphite and charcoal lines cut through the compositions like fractures, symbolizing resistance, boundaries, and the desire to break free from imposed limitations. The negative space, softly blended with graphite, adds depth and quiet intensity, while ghost markings—my signature underpainting technique—linger beneath the surface, hinting at unseen histories and layered emotions. These subtle traces speak to the persistence of memory and identity, even when obscured.

Sahar Hasan: Artist and Curator

by Sahar Hasan • 25 July 2025
Sahar Hasan is a artist and curator whose work brings hidden emotions and overlooked stories into view. Her practice moves between painting, mixed media, and curation, always tracing the quiet spaces where memory, identity, and heritage meet.

Victoria Moses: Grand Era

by Victoria Moses • 24 July 2025
Victoria Moses: Grand Era  Victoria Moses, born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1990, is a student at the Art Academy Hamburg, where she engages with diverse artistic media, including painting, sculpture, and digital art. Her work is characterized by a profound exploration of perception and identity search, focusing on the relationships individuals establish within society. Through her use of both vivid, figurative oil paintings and monochromatic charcoal drawings, she examines how people integrate or distance themselves in various social contexts, adopting different roles that shape their self-expression and interactions. Her latest series, Grand Era, is deeply influenced by her experience working on an ocean liner - an enduring symbol of intercontinental connection as it was in the early 20th century. Within this series, Moses portrays individuals navigating multiple societal roles, shifting fluidly between personal and professional identities. A single person may simultaneously function as a professional, a family member, a friend, and a community participant, with each role reflecting distinct expectations and responsibilities dictated by their environment. Through these themes, Moses explores the complexities of human adaptability and the intricate balance required to meet the demands of social existence. Her art contributes to broader discussions on identity, social roles, and the evolving nature of interpersonal relationships.

Ashwani Verma, Busking Piccadilly Circus

by Grant Milne • 24 July 2025
Critics Review: The artist's exceptional talent is evident in their masterful control of watercolour, a medium notorious for its difficulty. The painting demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of light and atmosphere, using the medium's transparency to create a luminous, hazy glow over Piccadilly Circus. This is expertly contrasted with the sharp, dramatic shadows, showcasing a remarkable ability to create depth and a sense of time. The seemingly effortless washes of colour for the background and the energetic brushstrokes for the performers perfectly balance delicate subtlety with bold expression, a clear sign of a highly skilled watercolorist. Furthermore, the artist excels at capturing the emotion and energy of the scene, not just its physical form. The dynamic poses and loose, impressionistic style of the musicians suggest movement and rhythm, as if the music is about to pour from the frame. The artist has a rare gift for distilling the essence of an urban scene—its constant motion and the unexpected joy of a street performance—and conveying it with a powerful sense of atmosphere and narrative. This ability to imbue a painting with such a strong sensory experience is a true testament to their talent. Critics - Grant Milne - Founder of Artist Talk Magazine

LAURENTIU STROE

by EMOTION IN EVERY LAYER • 4 July 2025
Laurențiu STROE is a Romanian painter known for his raw, expressive style and textured surfaces. His artwork stands out through thick layers of paint, powerful brushstrokes and pallette knives, and a strong emotional presence. Using the impasto technique, STROE applies paint so heavily that it creates a sculptural texture, adding depth and movement to the canvas.