Live Event Painting Examples and other News

The painting used on this CD is one I created that depicts master percussionist, educator, cultural activist, keeper of the Afro-Caribbean flame steeped in Cuban and Puerto Rican folkloric traditions as well as salsa and Latin jazz, one of SFJAZZ’s first four Resident Artistic Directors, visionary bandleader and noted music historian John Santos playing live at the de Young Museum in 2012. This is The John Santos Sextet’s latest CD, Art of the Descarga (you can also purchase the CD from this link), published by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Please read this great Press Release which will give you some interesting background to the album. Many thanks and congratulations to John and his musicians for amazing music, and to Mary and Rick for amazing production, art direction and design! It’s a fabulous CD and I highly recommend it!!

Click on this image to listen to some music from the CD

It’s very interesting for me to read about the background to this album and the concept of descarga: The descarga originated in Cuba as a term for loose jam sessions full of powerful rhythmic interplay and spontaneous group improvisations. That same concept pervades the way I paint and also, as a Lindy Hop swing dancer, very much the way I dance – always a powerful rhythmic interplay with the music and spontaneous improvisation!

Here’s the original painting:

I used Corel Painter, a MacPro and a Wacom Tablet to create this painting. I was performing at the same event at the de Young in 2012, one of their Friday night events, when I took some photos of John Santos in action. His percussion is literally mesmerizing – his rhythms make you want to both watch in awe and move to the groove! I used that inspiration to paint this artwork.

Well, it’s Saturday night….

…and I just got paid
(well, not quite, since it’s
shelter-in-place and sit tight…),
Fool about my money, don’t try to save,
My heart says go go, have a time,
‘Cause it’s Saturday night and I’m feelin’ fine,

I’m gonna rock it up, I’m gonna rip it up,
I’m gonna shake it up, gonna ball it up,
I’m gonna rock it up, and ball tonight.

‘Long about ten I’ll be flying high,
Walk on out unto the sky,
But I don’t care if I spend my dough,
‘Cause tonight I’m gonna be one happy soul…

“Rip It Up” written by Robert Blackwell and John Marascalco. It was first released by Little Richard in June 1956.

RIP (it up) Mr. Little Richard, King (and Soul) of Rock ‘n’ Roll

I started dancing as a teenager to Little Richard’s music. The energy got into my feet and never left! After initially learning “the bop” from my buddy Drew, I would copy the Teddy Boy dance moves at the local rock ‘n’roll dance place, The Royalty, in Southgate, North London (now a Fitness center and Marks & Spencers!)

In the 1990s I went to see Little Richard perform at the Circle Star Theater in San Carlos, just off the 101. The stage rotated slowly throughout the show. At one point Little Richard invited some of the audience to get up on stage and dance! Well, you can guess who jumped up like a shot!! Yes, me:-)

Though many years later the “Rip It Up” tribute on this Saturday night that you see in the video at the top of this page has some of the same moves I stole at the Royalty and danced on stage at the Circle Star!!

(Thank you, Peggy, for the great camera work!:-)

For anyone stuck anywhere, quarantined, in a car, train or plane for a long journey, or just wanting their mind stimulated with something other than news, then I’d highly recommend these absolutely fabulously amazingly fascinating and interesting British (mostly BBC radio) programmes. You can listen to these anywhere anytime via the wonders of the internet! Have fun:-)

Desert Island Discs
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qnmr

 

The Life Scientific
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b015sqc7

 

The Disrupters
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0006kkl

 

The Food Programme
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qnx3

 

In Our Time
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qykl/episodes/player

 

The Archers (my mum’s favourite!!!)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qpgr

 
And while not the BBC, the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures are like TED talks on steriods!
https://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures

Little historical aside: I actually became a physicist as a result of seeing Professor Eric Laithwaite’s talks in 1974.
https://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures/watch/1974/the-engineer-through-the-looking-glass)

This live event painting conveys the excitement, energy and elegance of the inaugural launch and christening celebrations of the magnificent new Regent Seven Seas Cruises ship, the luxurious Seven Seas Splendor, at Port Miami on February 21st, 2020. Congratulations to everyone at Regent and all the staff and crew of the Splendor!

  
Using an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and the Procreate painting app, I created this painting live on board the beautiful ship, capturing the night in a single artwork based on direct observation. You’ll see in the time lapse replay video above that I started as a background with Art Deco inspired textures from the carpets and decor of the Splendor and then depicted scenes in the Constellation Theater and in the Splendor, Meridian and Observation Lounges. I painted a harpist playing in the Atrium and what unfolded on the main stage of the Constellation Theater, including the welcome from Captain Serena Melani, the world’s first woman to helm a new cruise ship at launch; the invocation by Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami; the christening by ship’s Godmother, Christie Brinkley; the bottle-breaking; and a wonderful performance by a fellow Londoner, Seal, which included my painting being displayed on the main stage screen behind him (shown in photo at the top of this page).

After this event my digital painting was shared electronically with the guests.

“Thanks again for your help with our event! ..Absolutely loved your digital interpretation of the night’s festivities.”

You can get a sense of the anticipation leading up to this launch from these articles:
Virtuoso’s ‘Why We Can’t Wait for Regent’s Seven Seas Splendor’
PR Newswire’s ‘Regent Seven Seas Cruises® Announces Christie Brinkley Will Serve As Godmother To Seven Seas Splendor™’

Here are a few more photos from the evening:

Painting Seal

Painting Captain Serena Melani

Painting in the Constellation Theater

Painting in the Observation Lounge

The bow of the Seven Seas Splendor with the Miami skyline in the background

At this event, the Red Slippers 2020 Gala, benefiting the Hope Solutions organization, I painted portraits of guests and depicted the scene as guests dined amongst the amazing collection of historical automobiles at the Blackhawk Museum, Danville, California. I used the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and Procreate app as my medium. My portraits were displayed on a 60″ LED monitor as I painted them. The scenic painting was included in the multi-screen slide show at the end of the dinner.

 
 

 
 
Scene at the dinner
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

I painted this London-themed mural live at the Winter Lights 2020 festival in Canary Wharf, London, using the amazing real time Light Painting Software, Luma Paint, developed by Lichtfaktor (see their cool Luma Paint Tech Demo on YouTube).

  
As you can see in this video, I was literally painting with light! In my hands I held bright colored lights. The movement of these lights was picked by a receptor and the light path, including the color of the light I was moving, was saved as a virtual brush stroke that was then added to a projected image displayed on a concrete wall. (The second view in this video is provided by William Wong who was filming me as I painted.)
  

Finally here is the whole 13 minutes painting process shown at real speed:

The portraits shown here were created at a private holiday party in Stamford, Connecticut. Each couple received digital files of their portraits and the cool replay video, plus an 8×10 framed print to take home.

  

  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
Happy Holidays to the host and guests! Many thanks to Meagan for her help with set up, printing and tech:-)

I created a series of live event digital paintings using the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and Procreate app at the 18th Arab Businessmen and Investors Conference (ABIC 2019) in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain, 12 – 13 November, 2019. The conference theme was 4th Industrial Revolution: Shaping The Future Digital Disruptions for a Better Tomorrow.

  

The first three paintings were created live at the Gala Reception in the Arcapita building on Bahrain Bay, projected on the ceiling of the foyer as I painted.

Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) Celebrates 80 Years
This painting depicts all the former chairmen and the current chairman of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry since its foundation 80 years ago. The original and current location of the Chamber is also depicted.

  
  
Tribute to the Pearling History of Bahrain
You can learn more about the 4,000 year history of pearling in the Bahrain area at this link.
  
  
18th Arab Businessmen and Investors Conference
  
  
The final painting was created live on stage during the final conference session in the Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain, Conference Centre.

  
  

Bahrain – Past and Future
This painting includes the famous Tree of Life, ancient coins, modern architecture and skyline and the hope of the youth, the next generation.

Big thanks to the team at Pico Bahrain for their wonderful work and warm hospitality!

This is the painting I created at the 2019 City of Palo Alto Tree Lighting on Lytton Plaza in downtown Palo Alto, California. I used an iPad Pro 12.9 (3rd Gen), Apple Pencil 2 and the Procreate app. My iPad screen was displayed on a large 80″ LED screen that everyone could enjoy watching. The painting took about one and a half hours and was created from scratch at the event, based on direct observation. Several onlookers commented that this was one of the coolest things they’d seen!

Big thanks to Erin and the City of Palo Alto and everyone who worked behind the scenes at the event!

  
  
Angie Major and I perform to “Opus No. One” at the Veterans Day USO-Style Dance at the Presidio Officers’ Club in San Francisco on November 9th, 2019. This version of “Opus No. One” was performed by Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra. The live painting of Dawn Hampton I refer to that I painted to the same music can be seen in my Happy Feet, Happy Paint video.
  
  

  
The finale featuring all four Angie Dance dancers — Hannah, Sean, Angie and I — dancing to Benny Goodman’s “Sing, Sing, Sing”.
  

  
  
Hannah and Sean dancing to Count Basie’s “Trippin’ on the Q.T.”.
  
  
Huge thanks to Angie for inviting me to dance with her at this event as well as for her great choreography and collaborative creative spirit, to fellow dancers Hannah and Sean, to Mira, Zach, Dan and the rest of the fabulous team at the Presidio Officers’ Club for putting together this and other wonderful dances throughout the year, and to Don Neely’s Royal Society Jazz Orchestra for providing such great live music throughout the evening!