Category: Action Painting & Talks

These two paintings were both created live at EPIC Steak in San Francisco, at a double event hosted by Next Legacy. We started at a reception to honor the 50 award winners of the Next Legacy 50 (NL50) upstairs in the Quiver Lounge, then moving down to the beautiful waterfront patio overlooking the Bay Bridge for another reception where Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the First Partner of California, gave an inspiring speech. She is featured in the second painting.

This painting was created live at a corporate reception on a charming terrace in the beautiful and inspiring historic hotel, La Fonda on the Plaza, in magical Santa Fe, New Mexico. I started off with a background I created based on the textures, history and motifs of Santa Fe.

I then depicted the scene and the guests, capturing the buzz, beauty and flow of the event as it unfolded. My evolving artwork was displayed in real time on a large screen for guests to enjoy. I painted on an iPad with an Apple Pencil, using the Procreate app.

Also see the video on Skylark Creative Group’s The Art of AI Instagram Reel.

This painting was created live at a trade show. “The Art of AI” activation includes guest interaction and participation in the creative process through the use of AI. I used an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and the Procreate app. The artwork I created was displayed in real time as it evolved on a high fidelity 20′ x 8′ video wall for guests to enjoy watching the creative process unfold. The dramatic display could be seen from the other side of the trade show hall. Guests were fascinated to watch their individual creative contributions integrated into the artwork.

Thank you Kate and Skylark Creative Group for your collaboration in making this wonderful and engaging mix of AI and fine art!

From Skylark Creative Group’s The Art of AI Instagram Reel description:

Introducing The Art of AI — a one-of-a-kind interactive activation conceived and produced by Skylark Creative Group in collaboration with world-renowned digital artist @JeremyDSutton.

When @datadoghq challenged us to create an experience centered on AI and the human experience, we knew it had to be more than a technology demonstration. It needed to be interactive, thought-provoking, and genuinely memorable for an audience of innovators, engineers, and developers. And let’s be honest—it’s not easy to surprise a room full of people who build the future for a living.

Guests contributed their own creative ideas. AI then served as the collaborative medium, using the guest ideas and input to generate imagery which Jeremy then translated into expressive digital brushstrokes, weaving those individual contributions into a stunning artistic interpretation of New York City—the very city where the experience unfolded.

The vision behind The Art of AI is that the collective human imagination is our most powerful creative resource. AI’s role is not to replace it, but to support and amplify it. By bringing together the ideas of many people and using AI as a collaborative medium, we can create experiences that are richer, more dynamic, and impossible for any one individual—or technology alone—to achieve. That’s where true innovation begins.

Developing original, proprietary activations like this is at the heart of what we do, and watching hundreds of guests engage with the experience—and leave inspired—was the ultimate measure of success.

Pigment print on canvas, 45 in x 30 in

“The Harp Lesson” was created for Jessica and depicts her taking a harp lesson with harpist Janice Ortega. The scene is Jessica’s apartment looking out over the San Francisco City Hall.

I had two art inspirations. One was David Hockney’s 1971 portrait of Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell and their cat. I wanted to make sure Jessica’s cat Peety made an appearance! The second inspiration was ‘The Music Lesson’ by Johannes Vermeer, c.1662 – 1665. Both these paintings have a sense of space and stillness, of inside and outside. Both depict people in interiors with an exterior world seen through a doorway (Hockney), or from light streaming through windows (Vermeer). Both paintings involved relationships between two people.

I created “The Harp Lesson” from direct observation during three live sittings, each lasting about two or three hours, plus I did some work in my studio. The primary paint medium was the iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil and the Procreate app. I also used Corel Painter with a Wacom graphics tablet. The final digital painting was printed at a size of 45 in x 30 in on fine art canvas with pigment inks and mounted in a float frame. It was sized to fit above a doorway facing the same main room I depicted in the painting, where Jessica practices on the harp.

The printed artwork was extended with an Augmented Reality (AR) video showing the time-lapse replay. The AR is viewable in the print using the free AR app HidNFlix (available on the Apple AppStore or on Google Play).

Thank you, Jessica, for commissioning me to make this artwork and for your wonderful creative inspiration! I am so glad it’ll bring you many years of pleasure in your home. Thank you, Janice, for being a wonderful co-subject and participant in this artwork.

Janice’s website: BayAreaHarp.com

I love working on customized artwork projects. Please email me at jeremy@jeremysutton.com if you’d like to discuss commissioning me to create a unique personalized artwork for you!

This painting was created live at the Sideline Soirée, a private event held courtside in the Chase Center, the state-of-the-art sports and entertainment arena in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco. It is the home of the Golden State Warriors and Golden State Valkyries.

I started with a custom background that reflected the evening’s blue, purple and black theme colors and then painted the flow of the event as it unfolded, from the welcome reception; fireside chat and Q&A with Donna Daniels, General Manager, Chase Center, and Sheena Way, Vice President, Content & Programming at Golden State Warriors; the Vybe quartet; and the magnificent dinner.

I used an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and the Procreate app. My artwork was displayed in real time as it unfolded on multiple screens around the stadium, including on the iconic Chase Center LED centerhung — the largest LED structure of its kind in professional basketball. Guests enjoyed seeing the whole process of the artwork developing, from beginning to end.

Big thank you to the Golden State Private Event team and the entire Golden State and Chase Center family! I have fond recollections of seeing the amazing circular structure of the Chase Center emerge as it was being built. It’s truly a one-of-a-kind arena and facility with a wide range of restaurants and shops in the Chase Center’s Thrive City, some with magnificent views over the Bay and the Mission Bay waterfront.

This painting was created live an industry event hosted by the San Francisco Unique Venue Alliance (SFUVA) that was held in The Hibernia, a historic former bank dating back to 1892 (click here to read more about the fascinating history of this building). I used an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and the Procreate app. I created the collage background inspired by the incredible details, surfaces, ornamentations, embellishments and textures of the building.

Click here to bid on this painting in the Silent Auction bidding for a framed 32 inch x 18 inch fine art canvas print of this image.
The bidding closes on Friday, May 15, 2026, at 10:00 PM PDT.

This painting was created live at The Aragon Foundation / DrawBridge Gala at The Art of SF Gallery in San Francisco, an annual fundraiser that supports free expressive arts programs for children and youths in under-resourced communities, and that transforms young lives through music, art and dance education.

In resonance with DrawBridge’s bridge theme, I started my painting with a background of the painting I made for the Golden Gate Bridge’s 75th anniversary. I used an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and the procreate app for the painting.

The gallery, the people, the clothes, the music — all were wonderful and inspiring to paint! And all to help a good cause.

This painting was created live at Nick’s 70th Birthday Celebration Reception & Dinner. It captures the flow of the evening, from the welcome reception with strolling Magician and Mentalist Jay Alexander, through the meal, speeches and cake cutting. Nick’s family and friends are represented in the artwork, plus photo-collaged elements such as the signage for the event, a custom cocktail menu, and one of the gifts that included an “executive summary” of quotes about Nick from former co-workers!

Congratulations to Nick!!

This painting was created live at the “Varonis Society” reception, part of the RSA Conference. This event took place in The Bank at Amador, the magnificent historic 1908 Bank of Italy building located in San Francisco’s Financial District, opposite the Transamerica Pyramid. It is a private club and venue housed in the building where Bank of Italy (later Bank of America) founder A.P. Giannini (nicknamed Amador), would personally greet customers and famously issued loans to immigrants after the 1906 earthquake. You can see in this live painting my rendering of the large colorful portrait of Giannini that hangs on the wall of the space.

I started with creating a custom background (below) especially for this event. The background reflected iconic symbols of San Francisco, together with the customized “Varonis Society” historic trolley car that ferried guests to the event, plus elements and textures drawn from the beautiful venue.

I then painted what I saw — the flow of the event, the guests, the beautiful interior — and captured in digital paint the energy and spirit of the evening. My tools were the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and the Procreate painting app.

This painting was created live at “LOVE THY CITY: A Love Letter To The SF Creative Community”. This event took place in The Foundry SF and was produced by Make It Mariko.

Video by Kelsey Ogden

I used an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and the Procreate app. The iPad screen was projected on a large flat panel display so guests could enjoy watching the painting evolve and develop. I started with a background collage based on views of the City (San Francisco) that I’d taken over the last few weeks preceding the event, plus the event poster. I then painted over and transformed that background into a depiction of the event itself, including the atmospheric interior space, the decor, entertainment and guests. It is always a pleasure to see the joyful surprise on people’s faces when they recognize themselves in the painting! I portrayed Gina Mariko Rosales, the Founder & CEO of Make It Mariko and producer of the event, in the center. Big thanks to Gina and her wonderful team for inviting me to be part of this fabulous event!

Getting started

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie visiting the event

With Gina, Founder and CEO of Make It Mariko

Almost finished