The Lift Of The Tune

This painting was inspired by the unmistakable lift of the Irish banjo in a session, that bright, percussive rhythm that seems to skip beneath the melody and pull everyone forward. There’s a kind of cheerful drive to it: grounded, steady, and a little bit daring, the sound that can turn a good tune into something that feels almost unstoppable. With this piece, my hope was to capture that momentum, the way a banjo can spark a set into life and keep it dancing.

It sits within my series of eight Irish musical artists, collectively inspired by the lively and mesmerising traditional music scene found across Ireland’s cosy pubs. The monochrome palette and faceless subject are intentional, leaving space for your imagination to step in: the room warm with conversation, glasses clinking, feet tapping in time, and that familiar swell when the next tune begins. Rather than pinning it to one specific place, I wanted it to feel like a doorway back to your own memories of trad sessions, where the banjo’s rhythm becomes the heartbeat that holds the whole room together.