Thank you for the music: Henry Miller paints his favourite records, from Abba to Lionel Richie

Henry Miller is a person whose thirst for the arts knows no bounds. He’s a passionate lover of music (and occasional DJ), an actor who has popped up in “all manner of TV shows and adverts” like Line of Duty and ITV’s Grace, and now an avid painter. The recurring subject of Henry’s painting is his vast record collection, which features recognisable classics from ABBA and Blondie, while also delving into some more obscure, underground musical choices. For Henry, there is no greater “pleasure” in sharing music he loves with others, and his paintings have proven the perfect way for him to do so.

The project saw its beginnings during the Covid-19 pandemic after Henry was forced to isolate due to an existing autoimmune disease, Wegener’s Granulomatosis. “I was self isolating at home in a small box room with my family downstairs,” Henry says. “All I had in there was my record collection and some art stuff.” Before long, Henry picked up one of his records and drew it – Everything But The Girl’s first ever EP, Night & Day. From then on Henry continued to select at random, recreate them and share them online, before joining the Artist Support Pledge on Instagram, where he connected with other artists and found the encouragement he needed to take things further.

Now, there’s a strict formula to the way Henry selects the records he paints; they have to be both visually intriguing and have a specific personal history. “Sometimes there’s an LP I love but the cover is rubbish,” he says. “Lots of wonderful electronic, dance and techno records have rubbish covers or no cover at all.” Some of the records Henry has chosen to paint he’s picked for elements of humour, like Village Peoples 7 inch single of Go West – “iconic, it makes me smile.” Others, he’s chosen for their pleasing design, like a record from Ahl Nana, complete with bright colour, chequered patterns and archive photography.

In terms of the physical process, Henry deems there to be many similarities between his acting and painting. “When I act I’m open to improvisation, and I look for that kind of freedom in my painting,” he says. “My interests in character, gesture and fashion, and attitude are all present in both.” When creating each piece, he works quickly and with “energy”, trying not to get “bogged down inside the image”. And, perhaps most importantly, when painting he’s always listening to the record in question, trying to transmit the essence of the music into the visuals he creates.

Not all of the record paintings have been easy, however, with a few proving trickier than Henry expected. One such piece being Lionel Richie’s legendary Hello cover. A favourite of his mothers, Henry’s always had what he describes as a “soft spot” for the song, and so he wanted to do it justice, but found its words tripping him up. “I’m not really interested in the words but I need them. Early on I spent hours trying to replicate fonts. It kept me awake at night.” Soon, Henry realised he could utilise the sides of the canvas. “As you move around the painting more information is revealed. This developed into writing some of the lyrics around the edge – it brings the song to the painting.”

Primarily, Henry hopes his paintings bring a smile to people’s faces; reminding them of when they last heard the song, or a time and place they associate it with. Yet he also wants to help his audience to discover something new in the covers, and to feel a connection with them they hadn’t yet uncovered, finding something new in the familiar.