Translating Santana’s “Flor d’Luna” into Synesthetic Art
Some songs feel like they paint a picture in our minds—the way they move, flow, and breathe with emotion. Santana’s Flor d’Luna (Moonflower) was one of those songs, a mesmerizing instrumental composition that radiates warmth, passion, and movement. Whenever I begin a painting, I want to bring the essence of the song to life in visual form and along the way, the painting goes in its own direction and it’s my job to let go of any preconceived vision I have for the painting and take the painting where it naturally wants to go.
Step 1: The Data Map—Capturing Sound Through Structure
In the data map for Flor d’Luna, each green tick mark along the outer rings represents a second of the song. I begin by listening to the song multiple times, each time isolating one instrument, mapping out its role in the song, and assigning it a color and shape. Moving from the outside—in—the gold notations represent the electric guitar, while the brown dots represent the percussion, the black bars represent the piano, the black squiggly marks represent the gospel or hammond organ, the light brown paired ovals represent the maracas, the gold triangles represent the base guitar, the black flowing lines represent the electric strings and the light brown stars close to the center represent the miscellaneous electronic sounds.
Step 2: The Sketch—Finding Movement in the Music
With the song’s blueprint mapped out, I then move to the next phase—sketching. Here, I pull out the dominant patterns from the data, refining them into a cohesive composition. I am looking for a composition that intuitively feels right but that also feels good from a graphic designer’s perspective as I am a hybrid graphic designer / abstract painter.
Step 3: The Painting—Intuition Takes Over
Once the composition feels strong and balanced, I then transfer the sketch onto canvas. This is where my data-driven process ends and I let my intuition take control. People usually ask me if I’m listening to the music while I paint. I do listen to the song once to remind myself of it’s overall energetic signature but I’m not referencing it the whole time. This honestly a very scary part of the process for me because I’m walking a line where I’m trying to make a painting that objectively feels like a visual representation of the song, however, I do need to respect the internal nudge that tells me what the painting wants and which direction to do in.
A Visual Interpretation of Music
Through this synesthetic approach, I’m not just trying to illustrate sound—if I can transform a song into an emotional experience and validate my client’s feelings attached to that song—then it’s a huge win for me.
This time-based abstract artwork is more than a painting—it’s a dynamic, emotionally-connected piece that bridges the gap between music and visual storytelling.
Own a Piece of Music-Inspired Abstract Art
Flor d’Luna is available as a limited edition giclée print, hand-signed and numbered, printed on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308 paper with archival-quality ink. Only 50 prints are available—each one a unique translation of sound into art.
🎵 Interested in commissioning a custom synesthetic artwork based on your favorite song? I’d love to collaborate with you to turn your most meaningful music into a one-of-a-kind painting.
Final Thoughts
Santana’s Flor d’Luna is a song that speaks without words, and it was an enormous honor for the opportunity to bring this song to visual form through my interpretive lens. Whether you’re a Santana fan, an art collector, or a lover of music-inspired paintings, this piece offers a new way to experience the beauty of sound through abstract art.
✨ What song would you love to see turned into a painting? I’d love to hear from you!
