Live Event Painting

I created this painting at “The ART of Cancer Care: An Elekta Evening Event at ASTRO 2025” in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). In this instance ART stands for both Adaptive Radiation Therapy as well as the more conventional meaning of art as in the creative and innovative product of artistry and mastery. The “adaptive” moniker applied to what I was doing as a live event painter, adapting to an ever-changing scene, as well as to the technical meaning of a radiation therapy system that dynamically adapts and responds in real time to movement of the patient during therapy.

Reflecting this, besides capturing the scene, energy and flow of the evening, I also represented in the upper region of the painting the shrinking and elimination of tumors. From left to right four examples are portrayed: liver treatment; a dosage plan (highest dosage in red); tumor response to MR (Magnetic Resonance)-guided ART; and a treatment plan for pancreatic cancer. If you carefully watch the replay video (above) you will see them change with time.

I used an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and the Procreate app. The iPad screen was projected on two large flat panel displays in two locations in the reception area so guests could enjoy watching the painting evolve and develop over the course of the evening.

As a personal aside, my father, Maurice, was a consultant radio (radiation) therapist and Head of Oncology at the North Middlesex Hospital in Edmonton, Enfield, North London. He would have been amazed at the incredible technological advances in his field!

This painting was created live at the POLITICO Top 20 Most Influential Players in California Tech Reception in The View Lounge at the top of the Marriott Marquis in downtown San Francisco. It was sponsored by Fathom. The event also celebrated the launch of POLITICO Pro’s Technology: California Decoded newsletter.

The painting was painted from direct observation during the two hours of the reception using iPad Pro, an Apple Pencil and the app Procreate.

In advance of the event I also created a series of portraits of the Top 20 Most Influential Players in California Tech recognized by Politico for their roles in California technology, innovation and policy. These portraits were shown as a series of framed fine art prints as well as in a looping digital slide show (that included the replay videos for each portrait) on a display screen.

Many thanks to the wonderful people of POLITICO, the staff of The View Lounge and the team of Skylark Creative Group.

Quotes about my live painting at this event:

“It was my favorite event to witness at the View Lounge and that was largely due to your creative contributions.”

“​This town was obsessed with the digital artist and thought it was the most innovative conceptualisation of an event they’ve ever seen put together!!”

“Thank you again for everything! We have only had wildly positive feedback.”

A little aside — as a resident of San Francisco I’d like to share that this venue is a hidden gem. The Marriott Marquis is affectionately known to locals as the “Jukebox” due to the resemblance of The View Lounge windows to a Wurlitzer Jukebox! This SFGate article talks about the history of the hotel. If you haven’t visited The View Lounge I highly recommend it!

This painting, all drawn directly from life on the day, captured the flow of the wedding of Love and Jacob at the beautiful Falkirk Mansion in San Rafael, California. In the painting you’ll see represented the wedding ceremony, the band on the veranda, the first dance and dinner, and the dance party afterwards.

My tools were an iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil and the Procreate app.

Congratulations to Love and Jacob!

This painting, all drawn directly from life at Lilly’s 60th Soiree using an iPad Pro, Apple pencil and the Procreate app, captured the flow of the celebration in the Verdi Club, San Francisco, California. Happy birthday to Lilly!

Acrylic on canvas, 60″ x 48″, 2025

This painting was created from life in my studio. It depicts the scene as pianist Shelley Leong improvised on the piano, hence the title. In the video above you can see me painting as Shelley plays, both improvising in the moment.

This painting is one of the artworks that will be on view in my studio during the upcoming Spring Open Studios exhibition and art sale, April 11 – 13. Please scroll down for details of the Open Studios (location, dates, times), my live demo schedule and some examples of other artworks you’ll be able to see.

SPRING OPEN STUDIOS – PLEASE VISIT! MY STUDIO IS IN THE HISTORIC BEST FOOD MAYONNAISE FACTORY IN THE MISSION DISTRICT OF SAN FRANCISCO. Location – 1890 Bryant St, Studio 306, San Francisco, CA 94110
Dates and times –
Friday, April 11th, 6 – 9pm Reception (Live Digital Painting Demo Performance featuring violinist Anthony Blea 7:30 – 8:30pm)
Saturday, April 12, noon – 6pm (Live Digital Portrait Demo Presentation 3:30 – 4pm)
Sunday, April 13, noon – 6pm (Live Digital Painting Demo 3:30 – 4:30pm)
Besides the live demos and performances I will feature artworks relating to music and dance, plus have available for purchase figure drawings, all drawn from life (see this link for some examples of recent figure drawings).

This painting was created live at Javier’s celebration of the Lunar New Year. The background is based on Javier’s Year of the Snake mat plus two posters that hung at his doorway. The musicians featured in this painting are Tony on piano, David on saxophone and Tim on drums. This artwork was created on an iPad Pro using an Apple Pencil 2 and the Procreate app. The work in progress was displayed on a large flat screen monitor throughout the party for guests to enjoy watching.

I made this painting of Jessica Ashooh playing the cello as a live painting demo at my Spring Open Studios. I used an iPad pro with Apple pencil and the Procreate app.

Thank you, Jessica, for the wonderful collaboration and inspiration, and your participation in this performance! Thank you Ryan for sharing your video and photos.

I painted this digital painting live at Jon’s 50th birthday celebration in the ChinaLive Restaurant, San Francisco. You’ll see in the time lapse progression video, shown above, that I started with a background that included some family photos; then painted the guests dining in the Gold Mountain Lounge; and, finally, guests mingling in the Cold Drinks Bar. I used an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and the Procreate app. The artwork in progress was shown on a large flat panel display in the bar so guests could enjoy watching the painting evolve over time.

Click on the icons above, or on this link, to be taken to the Apple App Store (iOS) to download the free AR app HidNFlix. I use HidNFlix to augment this artwork. You’ll be able to see the embedded video when you view the image (print or on screen) through the scanning mode of the app.

I live painted Jessica Ashooh playing the piano in my studio. This was painted directly from life as Jessica played. I used an iPad Pro with Apple pencil and the Procreate app.

Thank you, Jessica, for your wonderful collaboration and inspiration!

This digital sketch was created live at a fascinating panel discussion titled “To Infinity and Beyond: The Story of Pixar’s Stock Market Debut” that took place at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. I used an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and the Procreate app.

The panelists, from left to right, were:
Paul Noglows, Ex-Hambrecht & Quist; coauthor, forthcoming book on H&Q and Robertson Stephens;
Lawrence Levy, Former CFO, Pixar, author of “To Pixar And Beyond: My Unlikely Journey with Steve Jobs to Make Entertainment History”;
Michael McCaffery, Former President & CEO, Robertson Stephens & Company; and
Cristina Morgan, Former Head of Technology Investment Banking, Hambrecht & Quist.

A recording of this wonderful discussion will be posted on the CHM Blog in the near future. You’ll also find on this blog a tribute to the 2018 CHM Fellow Dame Stephanie Shirley who I had the great pleasure to meet and draw her digital portrait at the Oxford Internet Institute in 2008.

Thank you to the panelists for a fascinating and personal insight into this amazing piece of Silicon Valley history. Thank you to the CHM and their great staff for organizing and hosting this event. The quote in the upper left of my sketch, “Steve was much more interested in getting to the right answer than being right”, was shared by Lawrence about his experiences traveling and working alongside Steve Jobs during the Pixar IPO.