Jed Sutter Captures the Urban Landscapes of Boston

Jed Sutter turned to painting rather late in the game. Primarily self-taught, Sutter discovered a passion for composition, value, and hue in his mid 50’s, having not picked up a paintbrush in decades and never shown any of his work before. This fact alone makes his finished products all the more incredible.

Centered around urban landscapes, specifically those found in Boston, Massachusetts, Sutter’s paintings have an uncanny realism to them, and we can’t blame you for mistaking them for photos. “I’ve never tried to make a painting look like a photograph,” wrote Sutter in a piece published on Artsy Shark, “but time and again, when I feel I have finished, the work looks quite realistic.”

As such, inspiration comes easy to Sutter: anyplace from the seaside of his youth to the local, aging trolley cars that rumble behind his house. His references include source photos that either he or his clients have taken, and which he sometimes combines.

His tools of choice? Mainly acrylics, but also gouache and watercolors. “I’ll be drawn to a set of colors or an interesting shape or to a scene I’d like to capture, but one that’s a bit off the bell curve for other artists,” he relayed. Indeed, his creations haven’t gone unnoticed, earning quite a few awards, as well as memberships in the prestigious Copley Society of Art in Boston and the North Shore Arts Association in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Follow his creative journey via Instagram.