Flower and Garden “Pargo”

This vehicle was used on-stage by performers to spread information about the festival. Parts of the vehicle needed paint and decoration to fit the style of the festival prepared by the Art Director. The bed housed an audio system which needed to be weather resistant and concealed.

Festival of the Holidays – Japan

Festival of the Holidays consisted of over a dozen individual shows and experienced which I procured and maintained hand props and scenic elements. Seen above is our friendly street vendor telling the story of the Daruma head and New Year traditions. 

Festival of the Holidays – Hanukkah

An over-sized driedel taught guests how to play the familiar game while they light the menorah. 

Mariachi Cobre Presents: The Story of Coco

Although I did not create the masterpiece that is our lead puppet Miguel, this was my first hands on experience with puppets. I learned how to maintain, operate and care for this work of art.

Bike Wheel Gyroscopes

I designed and assembled these bike wheel gyroscopes for a live, hands on demonstration as part of the pre-show for a science experiment performance. The wheel would be handed to a guest seated on a swivel stool and spun. the guest would rotate the wheel 90 degrees to its side and the force would rotate the guest in the opposite direction on the stool. The experiment demonstrated for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Two wheels were created in different sizes and weights to accommodate both children and adult volunteers. The design had to reflect the shows style guide and attain strict safety requirements.

The JAMMitors: Food and Wine Theme

A few months out of the year, the JAMMitors turn in their trashcans to show off their cooking skills. First on the menu, drumsticks and JAMM. 

We gutted these stainless steel cooking stoves and outfitted them with the highest quality cookware. The cookware had to take a beating from drum sticks and utensils such as serving spoons and whisks. the JAMMitors would also play on baking racks, sauce pans and serving dishes. Needless to say, the damage done was not covered by the manufactures warranty but we kept plenty in stock.

Holiday Bows

These presents were built and wrapped by a vendor to ease holiday labor on my small shop. We were tasked to find a solution to keep the bows presentable without falling limp. We sewed hundreds of feet of silk ribbon together to form pockets where we slipped a flexible plastic strip into each loop. Once attached these bows lasted all season and withstood the elements. 

Bendir Drums

These Moroccan hand drums were procured and hand decorated. Some were practical props while others were for set dressing seen in the next photo. Each drum was stenciled and the design was applied with a sharpie. Sometimes it is the simplest solutions.

The Mill Stage

The Mill Stage hosts live bands. During a downtime, I was able to refresh all the set dressing on the back wall. I was also asked to build shrouds for fans and speakers to help tie the theme back to the land. The canoe was removed years prior and put in storage. Ambitiously, I pulled it out of storage, cleaned and prepped the surface for a new coat of stain and shellac. As good as it looks, I can not say I am now a Boatwright.

Event Decorating

One favor leads to another, this event required a grass pad for a meet and greet. I was asked to cut and install the grass to the Art Directors specifications. 

Flower and Garden “Pargo” Bed

The bed of the Pargo was raised to house an audio system. I created a garden occupied by faux birds which the performers would frequently interact with to include the guests.

Festival of the Holidays – United Kingdom

Father Christmas sparks joy welcoming children and adults to participate in singing popular Christmas Carols.

Festival of the Holidays – Italy

La Befana – a good which – tells her story about bringing gifts to children on her broomstick. 

Princess Flower Baskets: Rapunzel

I created individual artificial floral arrangements for a selection of familiar princesses at a character dining experience. Each arrangement reflected the princess’s personality and wardrobe. In the selected work above, the Pink Dahlias with the white tips are reminiscent of Rapunzel’s dress, the Sun Flowers reflect the starburst seen throughout the movie and the gold bow representing her iconic hair.

The JAMMitors: Flower and Garden Theme

The JAMMitors are a high-energy percussion group that play on nontraditional instruments. They love to play on trash cans and pickle buckets. In the spring when the flowers are blooming, they love to show off their skills featuring gardening tools. We even built them a mobile drum set made from plastic terracotta pots!

Weight Covers

I was tasked to create custom covers for weights that were in guest areas which secured banners for multiple events. We created 150 covers in multiple colors. They needed to be secured to the weights and easy to install. The covers were designed to withstand rain, wind and sun fading.

Moroccan Market Cart

I provided the set dressing to fill the cart for the performance. The cart was exposed to the elements and was within guest reach for several weeks out of the year. all items needed to be secured to the cart. During the performance, the actress would have a basket including selections from the cart she would use in her song and dance. 

The set dressing included – almond branches, olive branches, roses, oranges, lemons, assorted spice jars, bendier drums, cinnamon, decorative scarves and an olive tray. 

Event Decorating

These bead curtains were bought and installed with flat bottoms. An Art Director asked me to refinish them to replicate the Aurora Borealis.