Eyes closed, head first, can't lose

Artist Melissa S. McCracken’s synesthesia allows her to translate music into stunning abstract oil and acrylic paintings. Those who have synesthesia posses the ability to see certain sounds and words as colors because their sensory and cognitive pathways neurologically lead them to involuntary experience secondary sensory cognitive pathways.

Her paintings express a vibrant and beautiful mixture of colors which feature a variety of artist from Led Zeppelin to Stevie Wonder. 

To describe her experience as a synesthetic artist, McCracken says on her website:

“I paint music. Until I was 15, I thought everyone constantly saw colors. Colors in books, colors in math formulas, colors at concerts. But when I finally asked my brother which color the letter C was (canary yellow, by the way) I realized my mind wasn’t quite as normal as I had thought.”

Radiohead – Lucky

(Listen on YouTube)

“Basically, my brain is cross-wired. I experience the “wrong” sensation to certain stimuli. Each letter and number is colored and the days of the year circle around my body as if they had a set point in space.”

David Bowie – Life On Mars?

(Listen on YouTube)

John Lenon – Imagine

(Listen on YouTube)

Prince – Joy In Repetition

(Listen on YouTube)

Jimi Hendrix – Little Wing

(Listen on YouTube)

“But the most wonderful ‘brain malfunction’ of all is seeing the music I hear.”

Soulive – Interlude II

(Listen on YouTube)

John Mayer – Gravity

(Listen on YouTube)

Led Zeppelin – Since I’ve Been Loving You

(Listen on YouTube)

“It flows in a mixture of hues, textures, and movements, shifting as if it were a vital and intentional element of each song.”

Smashing Pumpkins – Tonight, Tonight

(Listen on YouTube)

Radiohead – Karma Police

(Listen on YouTube)

Glass Animals – Flip

(Listen on YouTube)

“Having synesthesia isn’t distracting or disorienting. It adds a unique vibrance to the world I experience.“

Airhead – Callow

(Listen on YouTube)

Find Melissa S. McCracken on Etsy!