latest corporate entertainment events
May was a huge month for corporate and charity shows. A stack of shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and regional areas of Australia. She obviously doesn’t know it, but Taylor Swift alone raised over $80k for charities, well, my paintings of her did anyway. At the Real Estate Institute of Australia gala dinner in Hobart, I […]
https://vimeo.com/801823000https://vimeo.com/801827993 Painting a bespoke piece live onstage – an award winner, CEO or VIP is something really special. This is usually one of the 2 or 3 paintings that form part of the show and is generally painted as the finale.
It’s always exciting performing at sporting events. As a big sports fan myself, I get to meet the guys that I watch or have watched on TV. It was fantastic to entertain at the Qld Maroons State of Origin launch this year. I’ll never forget one of my first ever shows for a big finance […]
So just quietly, I’ve had nearly 6 months off work.. Well not COMPLETELY off, I’ve done a few shows here and there, but largely I’ve had some time to relax, renew and rejuvenate. I’ve never taken months off work before, so this was a ‘creative sabbatical’ you could call it. In that time, I’ve launched […]
An A-List crowd descended on the foreshores of the Opera House as TAG Heuer welcomed Chris Hemsworth as the new face and global ambassador of the brand. Jumping up onto stage I painted Chris and revealed the new campaign look in gold glitter. What impressed me is that Chris was a customer of TAG HEUER […]
This photo absolutely blows me away. I’ve done many corporate entertainment shows at Crown Casino (Perth, Melbourne), The Star (Sydney), Jupiters, Hyatt’s, Sofitel’s, all the convention centres in Australia and even Parliament House (Canberra) – but something was VERY special about performing in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra underneath “G for George”. “G for George” […]
I admit it. I’m not used to hanging out with supermodels.. however.. I recently painted the lovely Sarah Murdoch (fashion model, TV host) for the Stroke Foundation gala dinner. Sarah’s family ended up purchasing the painting, whilst she ended up purchasing my John Lennon painting which I opened the show with. Amount raised $22k. Meanwhile, […]
Revealing Award winners, VIPs or honorees is something that fits in perfectly with my shows. Having just travelled back from Abu Dhabi where I announced the “Chef of the Year” (see the video here to see how the reveal worked – it’s really something different), I travelled over to Perth and speed painted two honorees […]
Speed Painter brings luck to golf star Karrie Webb? Haha.. I’d like to think so, but in reality I think Karrie Webb won the Australian Open on shear talent.. Having said that, I painted Karrie at the Womens PGA Australian Open 2014 gala event. It was standing room only as guests watched me paint the […]
Photos from some recent events – maybe you can guess these well known Australians? (answers are at the bottom of the page) Painting 1 : General Peter Cosgrove, former Australian of the Year Painting 2 : Luc Longley, former Chicago Bulls player – one of Australia’s greatest basketballers Painting 3 : Wayne Carrey – one […]
This painting has been getting ALOT of money recently at charity gala events – in fact it’s currently a charity entertainment favourite: it’s a great way to end the show before we go into a live auction. Upcoming Dates: 26-29 June 2013 – Shanghai. Performing at the grand opening of the first Art Inspired shopping […]
Brad has a number of different ‘reveals’ when he is painting. What is a reveal? Brad explains it in this new 2 minute video – ensure you check out Brad’s new Glitter Crystal reveal which includes live footage from recent performances in Asia.
At a recent event, Brad Blaze painted live on stage the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, Mr John Howard. Lauded by George W Bush as Australia’s “man of steel”, Mr Howard is Australia’s second longest serving Prime Minister. When Brad asked the former PM whether he was happy with the painting, Mr Howard responded “You […]
I’ve been lucky enough to share the stage (and paint live on stage!) some of the world’s greatest sports stars. But when the star of your team that you have followed your whole life (The Canterbury Bulldogs!) takes out “Player of the Year” it’s even better. Photo: Brad Blaze and Ben Barba, live at the […]
Earlier this month I painted live at one of NZ’s largest charity nights – the annual Grocery Ball at the Langham in Auckland, organised by S2N Events. My final painting of the night (performed in 5 minutes) was of Mr John Key, the New Zealand Prime Minister, who unfortunately had to cancel his attendance from […]
Since taking out Entertainer of the Year last year at the Australian Event Awards, I’ve had the busiest year ever. But it hasn’t just been the many corporate shows that I do, the charities are knocking as word gets out about some of the prices my artwork has gone for. For charity events inparticular, it […]
You know what.. it’s a small world.. Last month I did a series of corporate shows in Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia.. One of the shows was for Changi Airport – it was their prestigious Airline Awards gala dinner. During one of my audience participation segments I had up on stage a gentlemen from “Scoot” a […]
This painting has been six months in the rehearsal – actually it’s not one painting, it’s two paintings in the one picture. One famous face slowly morphs into another famous face.
I recently had the pleasure of performing at Chinese New Year Celebrations in Melbourne and Perth. During the Perth event I painted Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest – if you follow finance, he is Australia’s Richest Man. I actually did an event for him back in 2007 in Kalgoorlie, Perth so it was great to meet him […]
I’ve been lighting up quite a few faces with fire lately – it’s now a fixture of my corporate show and it’s quite the reveal! Last week I was on Channel 7’s Sunrise, where I lit up host Mark Beretta’s face and here is a video of me last night at the SCG during half […]
“Red Dog” is a classic Aussie movie – I’ve seen it now on the plane twice! So it was great pleasure to meet the lead actor “Koko” in Perth last week. Here is the story from Perth now: RED DOG star Koko the Kelpie has turned his hand (or paw) to modelling, posing for ‘speed […]
Last night I was awarded the Entertainer of the Year at the Australian Event Awards. Thank you for everyone who has supported me, it really is an honour to receive this award. (click on photo twice to download the high resolution photo – courtesy of EventPix). Here is the official press release from the awards: […]
I am delighted to announce that I am a finalist in this years Event Awards in the category of “Entertainer of the Year 2011”. During the industry night of nights gala event later this week the winner will be announced and I’ll also be performing at the dinner. For further information: www.eventawards.com.au Here are some […]
A quick update with some new art from some recent gala SPORTS EVENTS I have entertained at. Maybe you know these now retired sports stars?
Recently I performed at a sell out Boxing luncheon in Perth, Australia (500 pax). IBO cruiserweight champion Danny Green (31 wins/3 losses) from Australia will face former light-heavyweight world champion Antonio “Magic Man” Tarver (28 wins/6 loses) from the USA at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on Wednesday, July 20. I can’t wait. Here are some […]
I’ve been doing so much work abroad, I almost forgot what a beautiful city Sydney is. Luckily I was reminded with a show I did last week for Tourism NSW at the ATE event for Tourism Australia. Kicking off the gala event for 2400 people at Cockatoo Island (a unique island on Sydney harbour) I […]
It’s a great way to end the show – after painting a number of famous celebrities (ie. Elvis, Michael Jackson etc – see my ‘regular’ reportoire for further info), I I try not to give too much away as to whom I am painting and invite the audience to try and guess. Here are some […]
Last night was one of those ‘big events’ that I am performing at more frequently these days (and certainly hope to in the future)… and this was a biggie.. Live at the Crown Palladium, I speed painted my way through massive portraits on canvas of Tiger Woods and Shane Warne. I was set on a […]
I popped in on Leo Sayer’s concert on the weekend at the State Theatre in Sydney and did a 5 minute speed painting of him as a 40th anniversary (in the music industry) present! Leo is fantastic to be around, he truly lights up the stage – we’ve done a few big events together this […]
Last month at the Melbourne Recital Centre, I collaborated with the talented line up of singers Pot Pourri and pianist Stefan Cassomenos at Creative Innovation 2010. As the group sang the Pavarotti classic “Nessun Dorma” to Stefan’s incredible piano skills, I speed painted a Pavarotti in under three minutes. No matter how many times I […]
I recently painted our PM, Julia Gillard on “The Circle” – channel 10. Channel 10 have put it up for auction with all proceeds going to the Smith Family. Click here to go to the auction Here is the video:
Last night I had the pleasure of meeting and speed painting movie star Eric Bana. Eric is the ambassador for Youth off the Streets. So this painting, along with Eric’s autograph went to raising funds for such a good cause.
Last week I performed at a fundraiser for the Honda Foundation and had the pleasure of performing alongside Australia’s greatest jazz musician and television personality James Morrison. James along with his band and singer Emma Pask brought some sweet jazz to life as I painted Marilyn Munroe and Audrey Hepburn. Just under 30 years ago […]
Coming Up in the diary… * Later this month, I’m painting movie star Eric Bana live at a charity event (which will be signed live and auctioned for charity). If you have any music suggestions drop me a line.. * Plenty of corporate shows in each of the states (except Tasmania). * Perth Royal Show […]
The Sydney Swans in conjuction with Citi held a prestigious event at the Hilton. Retiring captain Brett Kirk and retiring coach Paul Roos were both captured on canvas during the show. PHOTO: Brett Kirk signs his painting.
A few video stills from recent events: PHOTO: Kickstarting the annual Mary Kay Cosmetics conference with two speed paintings and four hot dancers (Photo: Mary Kay). The energy in the room was unbelievable. PHOTO: Closing a large pharmaceutical conference with a painting of a business leader. He was surprised to find himself onstage during the […]
Speed Painting from last night’s Labor Party function – performed infront of 400 Labor party parliamentarians, supporters and the deputy Prime Minister.
Well it’s been a busy month with events all over the place. Also busy is the change of leadership for Australia with our new Prime Minister… Julia Gillard For those that have voted in my poll from my previous post, thank you and yes I will be painting the Prime Minister of Australia live and […]
Next month during a government gala dinner event, I will be speed painting ‘live’ Deputy PM, Julia Gillard. After the painting I will call her to the stage and have her sign the artwork. So my question to you is.. what music should I play? Here are some songs that I came up with.. Please […]
Photo from last week’s paper.. That’s the problem with outdoor events.. you can control everything except the weather..
Tickets selling quick, only 40 left! www.nightonthegreen.com Here is an article from today’s paper
During my shows I am painting more and more CEO’s and sporting stars. Here is a photo from a recent Geelong Football Club (AFL) event last weekend down at Skilled Stadium, Geelong. It was painted during the live auction in about 4-5 minutes. Maybe you know who it is?
We all know someone who has suffered from cancer. For me personally, late last year we lost a family member from bowel cancer. I don’t need to explain how traumatising it is. Lifehouse at RPA, the Chris O’Brien Cancer Centre a $300 million new facility will commence capital works this year. In the meantime, “A […]
I am excited to be performing at some public events coming up: PMA Australia 2010 Digital Life Expo/Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre, 4-6 June. I’ll be speed painting during the day and also painting three massive murals over the course of the event exclusively at the Canon stand. Royal Perth Show, 25 Sept – 2 Oct […]
Some photos from a performance I did for 600 sponsors and fans from the Melbourne Storm last week.
I’ve just received two feedback items from shows last month: “Brad Blaze as the night’s entertainer did a fantastic job of wowing the crowd with not only his lightning fast speed painting and magical illusions but his ability to get the crowd involved. The resulting paintings (and crowd participation) were the talk of the night.” […]
The great aspect about my shows, which few (if any!) other entertainment shows can replicate, is something tangible is produced from the performance. Something of value. During the past year, I’ve been donating and encouraging all my corporate clients to auction off my artwork for charity where it is appropriate. It feels great to […]
I haven’t posted any footage from a show in sometime, I’ve just been too busy. Here is some footage from Friday night at the Mortgage Finance Awards. It’s always fun involving audience on stage, in fact they become the stars of the show. You should see how I involve the females in the audience! (well, […]
Last week I did two shows at AIME (Asia-Pacific Incentives Meetings Expo). The first had approximately 300 people in the room and the second had around 700 people in the auditorium audience. Both events went extremely well, the audience interaction was fantastic, the vibe was great and if I may say so, the paintings looked […]
I’ve never performed in Perth, so I’m looking forward to this week where I will be at the Perth Convention Centre performing a show at the 40 under 40 awards. There will be approximately 750 people at this gala dinner, so I’m looking forward to it… The more people in the room I say, the […]
During my shows I often paint iconic people from rockstars to hollywood icons, to sporting heroes. Last month however, I had the pleasure of meeting and painting ‘live’ a man I believe to be a living icon. For a private audience of 60 cricketing greats (including former players Mark Waugh, Glenn McGrath, Ian Healy, Tony […]
I like to keep my promo material up to date – here is the 2010 promo video. Most of the footage is from events in 2009.
It’s been a seriously busy couple of weeks with corporate christmas parties.. After this weekend, I get to put the feet up for a few weeks before performing my first ever corporate show in Thailand in January. Thank you for all your support over the past year. I’ve had my best year ever and I […]
On Friday I performed at the State Theatre opening for the band 1927*. About 2000 fans packed the theatre and along with Mike Goldman** we really excited the crowd. It is difficult to capture the roar of the crowd on video, but here is some amateur footage. * 1927 is one of Australia’s leading band […]
Here is where I am headed until the end of the month. 11 November – National Portrait Gallery for IBM 13 November – Ronald McDonald House Charity Event, Sydney 13 November – Support Act for 1927, State Theatre, Sydney 13 November – National Print Awards, Sydney 14/15 November – Corporate Event, Gabba, Queensland 20 November […]
I’ve just gone through my 3rd pair of speed painting pants this year! They start off black but get so much paint on them they almost become like cardboard.. Depending on the event, I have been wearing a different shirt – with the corporate engagements I think you need to look good, so I have […]
A client who bought one of my Audrey Hepburn speed paintings wanted another painting to hang next to it…
Earlier this month marked the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. I was commissioned for the painting below of Chairman Mao from a fan of my ‘speed painting art’ style in Thailand. And speaking of Thailand, I will be performing a corporate show there in Phuket in January. It will be my first […]
My cartoonist buddy Jason Chatfield is getting some great publicity lately. He is now coming into his own with his cartoon strip Ginger Meggs and he is doing very funny stand up – which really suits his quirky personality. I even noticed on his blog that they are doing a show based around Ginger Meggs! […]
I recently filmed a quick speed painting segment with Unseen TV. Please note that I was interviewed by Logan and not the chk chk boom girl (Claire Werbeloff) from Unseen TV. The fun of live interviews: Brad Blaze “I’ve always done things quickly…” whoops.
Recently I did a show at the Townsville Entertainment Centre for the North Queensland Cowboys (Rugby League Team). I speed painted two of the players in about five minutes – Jonathan Thurston and Matt Bowen which they auctioned for charity. Jonathan Thurston (JT) is arguably the greatest Rugby League player of this generation. Was pretty […]
Recently I did a show in Melbourne at the Grand Hyatt – the theme was 007 James Bond. It was a charity fundraiser for the Burnet Institute. Here is a photo of one of the speed paintings from the night. Everything just ‘clicked’ into place nicely on the night – especially the audience involvement during […]
I’ve been painting a new “Elvis” lately at events. I think it rocks. The old one just doesn’t cut it anymore. Compare this one (below) to my first Elvis that I painted on Australia’s Got Talent (in 2007) and you will see why.
I am happy to announce that I will be the support act for 1927 at the State Theatre, November 13. Back in the late 80’s I remember playing their songs on piano – so I am stoked to be opening for them. For further info on the band: http://www.nineteen27.com/ Tickets go on sale in a […]
Clients who hire me are increasingly auctioning my artwork towards their favourite charity. It’s a win-win situation. Some speed painting auction results from last week: Townsville Entertainment Centre (Cowboys/Broncos gala dinner) raised just under $8k A speed painting of a spine on Saturday night at Tempus 2 winery (Hunter Valley, NSW) raised just under $4k […]
Last weekend I was in Adelaide for a big footy club gala dinner and I painted mainly sporting icons. Here is one of the speed paintings of the legendary Don Bradman from the show. I’m pretty happy with how this one came out – speed painted in about 5 minutes.
A quick update on events coming up… This weekend I am down in Canberra for a Nationals/Liberal Party event.. and on Saturday I am in Melbourne for the Bosom Buddies Ball at the Grand Hyatt (http://www.bosombuddiesball.com/) where I will be giving a Michael Jackson speed painting a try. Apparently this event is near sellout with […]
Last week Sydney radio went digital. Down in Martin Place I helped Mike Goldman (former Big Brother TV host) launch Gorilla Digi ( http://www.gorillasuperdigi.com/) with a huge speed painting of a… gorilla First time I’d actually done a speed painting of a gorilla, let alone any other animal.
I finally have a photo from the Tampines 1 opening in Singapore – this is a speed painting of the actual building after the performance along with the directors of the mall. So let me explain to you the performance (I love creative performances): – 15 hip hop dancers entered the stage all dressed in […]
Last week I did a show for the new Sydney City Marine Launch… approx 300 ppl, approx 10 degrees celcius on stage (brrr…) We couldn’t decide who to paint so instead of speed painting an iconic star, we painted an icon. Sydney Harbour / Opera House.
This is the show everyone was talking about (and watching) at RSVPevent last week: This is just a preview.. I’ll put up some other footage soon!
Finally.. here is the video for those that missed the Morning Show. The show was alot of fun, live TV always is!
I have quite a few people visiting this website from Singapore, so a general notice – I’ll be in Singapore from tomorrow until Sunday. Following a closed gala dinner on Friday night which I will be performing at, I’ll be at the Tampines Mall No. 1 on Saturday and Sunday launching the “Spring to Life” […]
A busy day… considering it is my birthday! Started off on The Morning Show / Channel 7 where I speed painted host Kylie Gylies in four minutes. It’s always a fun challenge doing live television and time flies when you are speed painting and talking at the same time! Us men weren’t meant to do […]
Last Friday was a big charity luncheon at the Hordern Pavillion – 750 people from the Australian Music Industry. Performing on stage were legendary Aussie soloists/bands including Tommy Emmanuel, Radiators, Mental as Anything and Jimmy Barnes. Here is some amateur video of my spot on stage.
On Friday night, I performed at a ‘roast’ for Dr Shepherd, former AMA President. It was a glitsy night with a celebrity mix of social commentators, politicians and doctors. My spot on stage followed an introduction from John Mangos (popular TV newsman), Allan Jones (social commentator and talkback host), Dr Brendan Nelson (former Federal Opposition […]
I’m adding more and more ‘magic’ to my shows where I can these days. As a performer it feels like I’m breaking new ground and I’ve now made half a dozen art / illusions. They will all be combined in a new las-vegas type show that I am putting together. After going to Vegas earlier […]
Here are some video still images from the BMW Z4 launch in Melbourne last weekend. I speed painted my way through 3 different angles of the car – all in under 4 minutes each car and used some theatrics during the show – fire revealed the trademark BMW grill and tyres. Not sure if anyone […]
A quick post. I’ll be performing at the Kenya Aid appeal 13 June 2009. Some info: http://www.kenyaaid.org/ Tickets are selling fast but still available. Prices are $120 per person, or $100 per person when you book a table of ten.
You may have seen the ad on TV – BMW are launching the new Z4 in Melbourne next weekend. I’m delighted to announce that I’ll be part of the launch speed painting the new Z4 in a number of different positions. In fact, the theme of this launch fits into what I do absolutely perfect. […]
Ok.. I’ve finally decided… I’ll be speed painting Lee Kernaghan during the festival.. Australian of the year in 2008, cowboy hat, man you can’t get much more country than him.. I’ll let you know how it goes… Coming up next month, I’m really excited about the Golden Stave Awards. I’ll be speed painting ‘live’.. wait […]
Next week I am travelling up to QLD, headlining the Gympie Show. Here is some text from their website: Each and every year the members and employees of the Gympie District Show Society strive to put on one of the largest regional Shows in Queensland. From all over Australia people come to exhibit and experience […]
Whist in the USA at the Dermatology Convention, I was asked to whip up a speed painting of Einstein. With only a couple of days before I jumped on the plane I only had a couple of attempts and it seemed relatively easy – get it “relatively”. Anyway, I think this speed painting is now […]
Yesterday BRW published their 10 best places to work. Looking through the list I noticed that I’ve had the pleasure with working with 4 out of the 10 companies. Here is some commentary on how I have worked with them in bold Here is the list: THE TOP 10 GREAT PLACES TO WORK: Sorted by: […]
Did 2 shows over the weekend and both went absolutely awesome. Some shows just seem to ‘click’ right into place and this was the weekend.. The first show was up at Hamilton Island and it was a ripper. The second was at a 200 people wedding here in Sydney, where along with my normal show […]
for the weekend… This weekend I’m off to Hamilton Island to perform for a Dunlop dealer conference. Now I’ve just received a photograph of the V8 car they want speed painted during the conference. WHAT A CO-INCIDENCE!! The picture they provided is of Steven ‘Richo’ Richards No. 6 Ford Falcon (sponsored by Orrcon). Last year […]
Whilst I was in the US, Channel 9 showed my appearance on “The Shak”. This video has a funny story to it – alot of paints were warm and started to get gluggy (this was filmed in Brisbane in summer). Anyway, when they actually shot my segment of the show – the blue paint was […]
Last night, RCP hosted a showcase for my speed painting to corporate event producers and speakers bureau’s. People have commented to me that it is one thing to see a video on the internet, but it is a totally different experience to witness the show ‘live’. People are taken back on the speed of the […]
Just returned from the USA where I performed at The American Academy of Dermatolgy 67th Annual Conference in San Francisco. During the 3 day conference I performed 12 shows as I went through my speed painting reportoire inside a specially built “Art of Treatment” theatre inside of the Astellas stand. They have super fast acting […]
Tune into The Shak on Friday (Channel 9, 4pm AEST) where you can see me speed paint Harry Potter and the host Nitro. It was recorded last year up at TCN Brisbane and the Shaksters are a great team and alot of fun. Actually – from the photo on their home page, the painting of […]
If you have ever seen one of my shows you will realise it’s NOT just about the speed paintings. In fact, during my show there is nothing more I enjoy doing than interacting with the audience – whether I have them dancing, singing, answering questions or putting them in other unusual situations. It’s all off […]
I’ve always loved impersonations. In November 2008 I performed at Jupiters Casino at a Leighton Gala Dinner – where the theme was Bond, James Bond. At the function I met a talented impersonator, Chris De Havilland. He made a fantastic MC as Sean Connery. He is now working on a Kevin Rudd impersonation. I did […]
It seems Max Walker is everywhere these days. Max is on nearly every ad break whether he is spruiking insurance or telling people to have a heart check up. What you probably don’t know is that Max is downright one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. During a gig at Hamilton […]
brad blaze on saturday disney
They say “time flies when you are having fun!”. Well, it hasn’t flown, it’s gone like light-speed. I’m in the process of updating the website with videos from TV appearances and corporate shows. 2008 was by far my biggest and busiest ever, so I’m looking forward to 2009! I’m taking it up another level – […]
Yes.. I know.. I have sort of forgotten about this blog…… In the last month I’ve performed in Gold Coast (four times), Adelaide and Melbourne as well as heaps in Sydney. I’m racking up the frequent flyers – Virgin Blue now know me on a first name basis. It’s been great – I’ve performed my […]
I just added a gallery of some recent caricatures that I’ve drawn from trade shows around Australia. Click on the “Caricatures” button from the menu above to view.