Creative and Applied Art

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BB Table

This was a commissioned piece I helped create with my good friend Greg Kennedy for his company Gregory Dean Designs in Dallas, Tx. It was for the restaurant concept Bone Daddy’s for their Plano location. There were two 10-foot tables constructed of ¾ inch Plywood bases wrapped by 2-inch angle iron, and filled with 1 inch of loose copper BB’s which were set with clear epoxy.

Bottle Cap Tables

These were constructed once again for Gregory Dean Designs to be installed in Bone Daddy’s restaurants. I cut 42-inch rounds out of MDF and adhered the bottle caps with Liquid Nails. I banded them with pre-cut 1 ¾ inch iron strips. After the piece cured for 24 hours, I then used a sable-colored grout. After the grout dried in 24-36 hours, I poured clear epoxy for the finish. After the epoxy set, I used gun bluing to tint the iron banding. Time consuming, but really fun pieces of furniture.

Cinsay Brand Sign, standing version

This was a commission I received from the media company Cinsay, Inc. I designed and, in partnership with Greg Kennedy, build a free-standing sign that was placed prominently in the entrance to the company’s main office. We used programmable LED’s for illumination and laser-cut the MDF to meet the exact specifications. The sign was supported by aluminum poles that were set in a concrete base encased in wood and anchored to the substructure above the drop ceiling tiles.

Cinsay Brand Sign, wall mount version

Another commission I received from Cinsay, Inc. Again, Greg Kennedy and I constructed this piece out of MDF, hand-cutting and routing the C shape, and spraying the face with custom colored pigment. LED’s are used for illumination.

License Plate Table

Greg Kennedy has been making these license plate tables for Razzoo’s Restaurants for the last 15 years. He passed the process along to me and I’ve personally made at least 6 tables of varying sizes for the company over the years. Collecting the plates is the most difficult element of the process. We screw the plates into a half-inch plywood base and use a router to trim the plates to the shape of the base. Angle iron sides welded up and caulked keep the epoxy from leaking out of the bottom during the final process.

Broken Tile Mosaic Table

This is my personal process. I LOVE making these tables. They are extremely time consuming but so incredibly creative and cathartic for me as an artist to create. The main issue is procuring the raw tiles which is getting more and more difficult since colored tile went out of style in the mid-90’s. I hand-cut the pieces and let the design actually come to me organically, depending upon my mood, the music I’m listening to, and, of course, the color scheme I have to work with. Once the pieces are set and the table banded, I grout with a dark colored grout and then pour the epoxy top. One table can take up to two weeks to complete but the finished piece is awe-inspiring. This piece was installed in the Champagne Room at the Bone Daddy’s location in Plano, Tx.

Broken Tile Mosaic Table 2

Following the same process as above, here is detail of another design in which I incorporated broken pieces of mirror in the center of a sun motif.

Broken Tile Mosaic Table 3

A detail of the MDF as the tiles are first being laid in. Plotting the design is all-important at this phase.

Skulls and Skeleton Table Series

These were again made for Bone Daddy’s and are basically painted plywood bases that I then draw the graphics on. For the Skeleton I used a top hanging projector to get the image I then traced in pencil. I then go back over the lines with black paint pens and hand paint the backgrounds.

Wall Mural, Village Theatre

This design came from a company called Zero 3, the design firm that works with most of the restaurants Gregory Dean Designs caters to. This mural was created to scale by Greg Kennedy and myself with mixed media set on large plywood panels. We imported the panels and then hung them in the space. This is for the upper bar at the Highland Park Village theater space.

Reclining Nude with Guitar – Starry Night Goddess

This was a large format acrylic painting I did for Bone Daddy’s. I wanted to free-form on some of the concepts of the great masters. I used the goddess figure, the starry night concept from Van Gogh, and even a little Spy Vs. Spy for the face of the goddess herself. Fun with acrylics…

Pepper Bar

Again, Greg Kennedy, myself, and about 6 helpers created this pepper bar for a Mexican restaurant in Fort Worth, Tx. Custom finishing the bar top, laying custom cut burlap, and adhering a few thousand beauty Asian peppers was just the beginning. It took more than 7 pours to get the epoxy to the right height. A tremendous feat, but a great looking finished product.

Custom canvas stretchers for Dallas artist Otis Jones

For the past 16 years or so I have made the custom canvas stretchers for Dallas area artist Otis Jones. They are organic constructs made from custom cut layers of plywood that are sanded down for smooth edges. Otis then takes these and has his assistant custom-stretch his canvases for each painting. They come in a variety of sizes and look amazing when completed with the artwork. I am proud to contribute to these very Zen wall-relief pieces of art that are collected all over the world. See his amazing work here

Digital album art for Dallas musician Hunter Sullivan

Dallas-based crooner and songwriter Hunter Sullivan and I have been best friends for most of our lives. He was the vocalist in The Love Remote, the band he and I led in the 90’s. When that project was concluded, he began singing standards and made a name for himself as an entertainer for all seasons. He’s come to me for photography and design work for his branding over the years. This is just two of many projects we’ve done together.