Live Painting Events and Live Art Performances

5 ft x 12 ft live painting for Mack Trucks at corporate event in NYC. Painted to completion in 3 hours.

Painting live at Gnocco Restaurant, East Village, NYC

watercolor portrait on paper, painted live in NYC

Zito painting live on Orchard Street, NYC

Live Acrylic Portrait (20 min)

Zito painting live for Art battles, Madrid

Sister Sparrow and The Dirty Birds, 72″ x 96″ painted live in 2 hours

Zito wins the night with his painting created on stage at Art Battles, Brooklyn Museum

Portrait of sculptor and gallerist Tyrome Tripoli painted live at Gallery Petite in Brooklyn, NY

What a crowd!! Zito won this Art Battle at The Brooklyn Museum

Live Watercolors at Weddings

Portrait of a lady, painted live at Mark Miller Gallery, NYC

Painting live on found objects, Orchard Street, Lower East Side, NYC

Live Watercolor Portrait (10 Min)

Painted live at Mark Miller Gallery, NYC

Art Around the Park, part of HOWL! Festival at Tompkins Square Park, NYC

Acrylic on canvas, painted live for Art Battles at Le Poisson Rouge, NYC

The mask is put on and instantly emerges “Peligroso” – named for slinging paint so hard it splashes on the audience, the MC, and the DJ.

portrait of Oriah, painted live at La Machinista, Barcelona for Art Battles 2011

Painted live with live band, Upstate NY

Painted live at the Stark Residence, Upstate New York

at the Visionary Arts Festival, Asbury Park, NJ

acrylic portrait painted live on crushed metal object

The amazing Matthew Silver, performance artist, painted live at Mark Miller Gallery, NYC

Acrylic on glass, painted live at Mark Miller Gallery, NYC

Acrylic on clipboard, painted live at Mark Miller Gallery, NYC

Dog owner and her best friend, Acrylic on chrome “now” clock

What do you think?

Artist and model working in the studio at the Stone House, East Granby, CT

Painted live at Babel, Bowery Hotel, NYC

Live Acrylic Portrait on sheet music from event (10 min)

Working the nightlife scene for years, Zito slingin paint.

Space Cowboy, Mulberry Street, Nolita

Painted live at la Machinista, Barcelona for Art Battles 2011

Live portraits on found objects for Gallery Bar, NYC

Live Acrylic on Wood (15 min)

There are always the people who make my work easier

Painted live in acrylic on giant Zippo lighter

Zito with Joan Rivers while painting live at best of Westchester NY

Zito working on his largest canvas ever for Art Battles in Barcelona

Zito and fellow Art Battlers take the stage in Spain

Zito and fellow Art Battlers take the stage in Spain

Zito starts on a large-scale canvas with collage and paint for Art Battles, Barcelona

painting live on stage for Art Battles, Spain

Goat painting getting started in Spain

Starting the Goat painting with Art Battles, Barcelona

Machinista Barcelona

The stage after a Live Painting event in Barcelona with Art Battles

Zito with Goat Monster, Barcelona

Zito as Peligroso, painting live at Art Battles, Barcelona

Zito working on his psychobizarre Goat Man with ball of fire in Barcelona

Art Battles, La Machinista, Barcelona

The residue of high octane creativity, La Machinista, Spain

Painted live at La Machinista, Barcelona for Art Battles 2011

It’s non-stop action folks… gets a little messy sometimes.

Acrylic paint on metal film canister

Set up on the street again, LES

Live painting tools, Orchard Street, NYC

painted live at la Machinista, Barcelona for Art Battles 2011

Zito painting on the street in Barcelona in front of Imanart Gallery

Painted live in Italy, 2011

East Village painting portraits in 2004 in the great club created by Fred Rothbell-Mista
Live Painting Events are performances that feature an artist painting in front of a live audience. Whether it’s live portraits, or a large-scale artwork relating to the event or guest of honor, a curious crowd inevitably gathers every time an artist paints live in public, and they get a sneak peek into the creative process involved in bringing paintings to life. Always up for anything, Zito has been painting live on stage internationally and on the streets of New York for years. While many artists prefer their solitude during the development of a piece, Zito thrives in the public eye. Of course, he still maintains a studio and works in private as well, but live painting adds an arsenal of explosive color to the types of commissions he offers. Along with live painting performances and tournaments throughout Spain with Art Battles, he has set up his easel at many private functions, great and small, creating themed canvases and painting portraits. His regular offerings include rapid-fire watercolor and acrylic portraits, large-scale themed canvases, murals, coffee cup portraits, found object portraits, sheet music portraits, and many more variations on live painting and speed painting concepts. There is no limit to the variety of live painting possibilities – whether its one artist or five – to add a vivid splash of color to any afternoon or evening.
For more about Zito’s Live Painting Events check out these videos that show some of the diverse types of live painting performances that are out there in the world.