Inspired by funk, old school R&B, psychedelic rock, and punk—and what it feels like to listen to that music while tripping balls —O'Meally's paintings are like synesthesia on canvas. He paints what he hears. Blaring horns become bold, frenetic lines atop a neon background; wailing guitars are sweeping ribbons of charcoal.

The first time I ever got stoned , I told my college boyfriend that I finally understood The Beatles . Naturally, he laughed his ass off. Unlike most of us plebes, who get a little high and think we're creative geniuses, Vernon O'Meally turns his psychedelic experiences into luminous, detailed works of art.

VICE caught up with O'Meally at the opening of his solo show This Way to That Way at one of New York's coolest new art spaces, ABXY on the Lower East Side.

O'Meally's paintings are unlike the "art" your stoner roommate might make. They're nuanced, imaginative, and precise. The Atlanta-born artist has an encyclopedic knowledge of classic jams, and he deconstructs his favorite music with the precision of a composer before splicing it back together on canvas.

VICE: What inspires your art?

Vernon O’Meally: Most of my inspiration comes from music—psychedelic rock, a bunch of old school R&B, this and that. Growing up, my dad listened to a lot of old school music. He’s Jamaican and he listened to a lot of reggae and old school slow songs. Still to this day, the saddest of songs don’t get me down; they make me very happy. I just love the groove of it. It’s all about the groove of the music and the journey that it takes me on.

What’s some of your favorite music?

The very first album I listened to was Jefferson Airplane’s Surrealistic Pillow, and it’s just really great. The song “White Rabbit” inspired the Alice in Wonderland television installation in my show. The song kinda goes through Alice’s journey, and it’s just really cool.

Deep Purple is also one of my favorites. Led Zeppelin and them draw a lot of influence from Robert Johnson and the Delta blues, but they kick it up a notch with that heavy metal sound. Other than that: Al Green, The O’Jays’ Back Stabbers, Jimi Hendrix—he’s a big inspiration.

I really love Bad Brains. Before I heard them, my lines connected in a different way, and when I started listening to punk a little more, Bad Brains just made me go crazy on a large scale. My work got bigger as a result of punk. I went out and bought a six yard canvas, posted up, and turned on the music.