Set & Stage Design
Crest Oral B Stage
Designing a bathroom that reflects the equity of the brand but allows fluidity for the performers and great veiwing for the audience, was the challenge of this project. Keeping it modern and modular for travel was another concern. We where able to accomplish all the goals and ended up with a very sucessful set.
Toby
After a magical experience through Toby Christensen's drumming, I painted the five elements from the Dagara Wheel and had them photographed by Mike Schneider who added his computer and photography talents to the elements. I had Photo Lab make large murals of these to hang on the stage for Toby's performances. Gene Jackson brought his magnificent crystals and Barbra Schacht brought parts of trees. Together we created an environment that blended harmoniously with Toby's music. Check out Toby's web site at www.healingdrummer.com.
YWCA Career Women Of Achievement
I was hired to completely redesign the stage for the YWCA event that happens once a year. They wanted a more feminine but professional look that was classy. I incorporated the Y logo into the design element in the back wall with a leaning piece of plexi that was lit from behind. I created a drop shadow of that design onto the floor with inlaid carpet. The podium was also a reflection of the Y design with a floating top. The color palette originally was soft but warm colors with a flattering design of fabric drops on both sides of the stage. Two abstract but powerful woman sculptures stand on both sides of the entrance on stage. In 2005, they changed the logo design and color palette. I continued to use many of the set components, like the columns and the draping and the fabric drops. I changed the back wall and the front of the podium, as well as repainted the female sculptures. I incorporated the new logo design with a 3D curve that goes up the back wall and introduced the new colors of orange. On the floating top of the podium I added a piece of orange plexi to create an empowered look to the center of the stage. The results where powerful but tasteful, and easy on the budget.
I was the designer and stayed with the project to the very end. I over see this event every year and make sure the stage is presented perfectly! It is an honor to work with such wonderful Woman who do such amazing good in the world.
Cincinnati Museum Center Children's Museum
This exhibit was creating environments from around the world. I worked with a very talented scenic artist, Jeff Crowe, to create these places where Children live. It required finding authentic props from the area and making them fit within a space that captured as much of the essence of the village each child lived in. My favorite was making mud bricks with mud and straw for a house. I also was able to find people who where living in Vietnam, to hike all the way up a mountain to purchase a special batik fabric and all the materials to make it, for the exhibit. Everything is authentic! Jeff would play the appropriate music from the area while we worked at night on each village. Embracing various cultures was AWESOME! I thank Rick Snodgrass for hiring us for such a rewarding job!
I helped create the environments, by painting, sculpting and finding the appropriate props that where authentic to each exhibit.
Baldwin
These where sets for a magazine advertisment showing various pianos in cool environments. I used alot of artists paintings and sculptures to keep it "artsy" but not take away from the beauty of the product.
art director, set designer, to completion.
Intel
This was a film for an exhibit for Intel.
I was the art director for Don Regensburger, the Director
Pig Gig
I made a multi artist pig for the Cincinnati Pig Gig. Pigs where placed all over the Cincinnati area after various artists where commissioned to resculpt and paint them. They where later auctioned off to raise money for various charity funds. At one point, while sculpting tuxedo tails on the pig, the fiberglas resin leaked out of the cup and dripped down on my flip flops. Needless to say my feet where stuck to my garage floor. My favorite part was sculpting multiple colors of paint dripping from a paint brush that doubled as a conductors wand out of the hand of the pig.
He was a lot of work but I had fun doing it!
Documentaries & Docudramas
Heartsong
This was a film shot over a period of a year about the life of Dolly Parton. It was mainly shot in the Mountains of Tennessee. I worked with Don Regensburger, the director, and an incredible crew.
We cast a lot of people who lived in the area and they where perfect in every scene. The locations where amazing and we lucked out on weather the majority of the time.

The helicopter shot over a river with canoes was thrilling! Many adventures on this job!
As Art Director, I found the locations for most of the scenes, helped find the talent, and made sure all the props where from the correct period and authentic in every way. I had to find hawks and eagles, and owls and goats, horses with a plow... on and on! I most rewarding job!
"This Is Wyoming"
This was a film about a territorial prison in Laramie Wyoming. There was so much history in this film. Gathering tents for end of tracks towns to organizing a stampeed, to cattle being branded out on the range with a fire and branding iron, was just a few of the things. My favorite was organizing a group of teepees to be put up and softly glowing at the "magic hour" for filming. It looked so peaceful and beautiful!
I did most everything on this job; locations, talent, props, art director.
TV & Commercials
St. Mary's Hospital Commercials
I designed the sets for these commercials and found all the special props for each spot. The large canvas was a picture choosen by the client and painted by me. Two large canvas's were painted in different stages to represent different times of painting for the actor. I LOVED painting large scale, which lead me to getting a bigger studio space so I can continue to paint and sculpt large scale art pieces.
Fifth Third Bank/Paige Davis
Working with Paige was so much fun! She appreciated all the set components and utilized them to her advantage. Each commercial was designed with a specific theme, but all where on an all white background with heavy art directed set pieces.
My role was Art Director and Set Designer.
HBO
Transforming a cabin out in the woods into a magical place was what this job was about! As the art director and set designer, I was able to bring as much sparkle and mystical propping to the set. Bernadette Duncan, the creative writer, encouraged enchantment and fun on the set. It was a delightful, whimsical job with a great cast.
Jonas Brothers \"Breakfast Breaks\"
Designing and art directing the set for the Jonas Brothers and their family was a real treat.  The set was somewhat retro but tasteful and fun and filled with incredible instruments from Gibson.  The director was Michael Killen from Animal Productions, and he was great to work with.  Together we put together a very enjoyable look for a breakfast bar commercial.
Art Director and Set Designer
Sheetz Beatnik Commercials
I worked with a production company called "Animal Spots" on these commercials.  The director, Michael Killen, wanted a 1950's black and white beatnik feel.  It was so much fun putting it all together and really finding period pieces to create the mood and feel from that era.  Every little detail is captured in these spots, right down to the movie screen.  We shot it in Pittsburgh in the warehouse district.  
New World
For Fifth Third Bank, I had the pleasure of being art director and set designer for this beautiful film commercial. Working with Phil Mastman, as the director, made for a very creative collaboration, striving to produce a magnificent period environment from Christopher Columbus days. I included a suit of armour, authentic looking maps created by Mike Schneider, hand painted balloons of the old world, created by Maggie Moschell, that had to pop on set for each take. To get a better view of this beautiful commercial you can go to phil@sandlotpictures.com. He will have it up on his website.
Explorer
I was the set designer and producer on this project. I took a large film studio and turned it into a jungle. By using sculpted screening on the floor, I covered it in moss, with Palm trees popping out all over the studio. We had a real Boa and a Tucan on the set...talk about challenging! At one point, during the filming, the Boa got hot and dropped down from a branch. Off ran the Tucan who ran all over the set. After much excitement, all where returned to there places and a successful film was made.
Chevron
We got to use an old car, that I found from a collector in Florida, we shut down a highway and shot this commercial. The weather was perfect and everything fell into place beautifully! Don Regensburger, the Director, is in the picture with me.
I was the Art Director.
Girls! Can
This was a fun set to design. It was a program for young girls dealing with many challenges in life. It had atleast 18 scripts beautifully written by Linda Spalazzi of Bright Light Visual Communications. She was also the Director. I picked a color palette, and assigned certain colors to each of our four main actresses. The furniture and set components where all white,except they where all outlined in a specific color. Jeff Crowe did an outstanding job on all the detailing.
I was the Set Designer and art Director.
Thriftway Commercial
This commercial involved making the entire area look like a winter wonderland, with snow and icicles. The weather was 65 degrees that day. It was alot of work but so much fun!
I was the Set dresser
Atrium Medical Center
designing and building a set that will look like a new patient room in the new Medical Hospital. It was shot in High Definition and the walls needed to be removable to allow for various camera angles.

I designed the set so that it felt warm and nurturing. I choose art work on the walls that had a soothing effect to it, like paintings and photography of water.
US SHOE

This was a stylized fashion commercial.




set designer, set dresser
John Morrell \"Pimping Out Your Grill\"
This project entailed designing and building "PIMPED OUT" hand pushed racing machines that where all chromed out and could withstand a burning grill while it raced across the top of a roof in downtown Covington, Kentucky. I had two different ones made that raced against each other. One was an old motorcycle that we welded a barrel type grill to. The other was a jogging buggy with a grill nestled into the center. Both flamed up nice and withstood the repeated shooting of video as they ran across the roof top. A lot of work but so much fun!
Designer
Southwest Publishing
What fun this was to actually design and make the set like it was colored in with crayons.
Set Designer
Crest/ P & G
First Commercial shot in High Definition. It was amazing how every detail showed up on the monitor. You had to be very critical of every inch of the set to make sure there where no imperfections. Colors where more intense and there for your selection had to be slightly different than film.

I was the set designer
Beechmont Shopping Mall
This was a Christmas commercial where we had to frost all the windows, fill the train with decorations and gift packages, and make snow fall down from above the train.
art director, set dresser
Fazoli Commercial
Fazoli's Italian Food
This was fun, creating Italy in the studio! Ciao!
set designer and dresser
Cincinnati Bell Commercial
This required changing a little antique shop into a country fruit and vegitable stand. A beautiful day!
Set Design/ Art Director
Zest Commercial
A forced Perspective set! This was very challenging but so much fun to do!
Production Designer/Set designer
Healing Paintings
Five individual elements and Dagara Wheel
These are the five elements from the Dagara wheel... FIRE WATER EARTH MINERAL NATURE Each one was inspired by the Ancestors and painted in a sacred way. The Dagara Wheel was done combining all of the elements and balancing them according to Dagara tradition.
They have been used on stage and as art pieces to represent an individuals elemental gift.

These are all for sale as giclee prints and altar cloth's.
I designed and painted these Elements with water colors and gouache paints. Mike Schneider photographed my paintings and composited them on the computer to make the Dagara Wheel Mandala.
2008 FOOD FOR ART
This years art exhibit, Food As Art" exhibit at The Carnegie, was about Birthdays.  I choose to make lips again this year blowing out the candles on a cupcake.  The candle is lit up and the lips actually have a fan behind the opening so the patrons can feel the wishes blowing out on them.
Healing Paintings
Lip Licking Good
These lips where for an art exhibit at The Carnegie Art Musem, called Food As Art. They are 20\" long and are made from food. The lips are made from mangos, the inside of the mouth is prunes and raisins, the tongue is pink grapefruit, and the teeth is made of egg shells.

These lips got a lot of attention! It was fun to make and fun to watch peoples expressions at the gallery when they would look the lips over.
Architectural Design
Zion

In October of 2004, while working in my studio on a painting of Mother Nature planting a seed , I received a call from Linda Spalazzi of Bright Light Visual Communications. She wanted me to go to a meeting. It seemed that the Pastor of a church had been to a stage production that I had designed for Bright Light. They wanted whoever designed that stage to design their church. And so the journey began.


I met the Pastor of Zion Global Ministries that day and a very spiritual connection was made. I told him we would build him a Tabernacle!