I started my career at 17 years old studying at Columbia College Chicago, where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema Arts and Sciences WITH A FOCUS IN PRODUCTION DESIGN. Having known I wanted to fall into the art department right off the bat, I started working on thesis-level films from my very first semester in school, and ended up designing a thesis film already on my second year, and then again my final year. In my time in school, I was so immersed that all-in-all I art directed, decorated, scenic painted, made props, and built sets for over 50 thesis-level short films in the span of 4 years in the process.
Following school with an already high-level portfolio, a move to Los Angeles lead me to land my first feature film as an Art Director called 'The Descendant' which got me into the Art Directors Guild LOCAL 800(IATSE). Being in LA I worked on all scale productions from lower budget indie films, small and big scale music videos for popular musicians such as Lana Del Rey, Katy Perry, and Beyonce; as well as large experiential art museums and installations for companies like Vice and Elsewhere.
My multidisciplinary journey - along with my experience on many lower budget productions where many hats have to be worn - have lead me to collect a variety of skills from interpersonal and managerial to fabrication skills from woodworking to sewing to acrylic manipulation, etc, along with a vast knowledge of materials, vendors, and how to source the most hard to find coveted hand props and items.
Recently, I have relocated to Belfast NI where I've carried on my work all over the UK and Ireland on productions like Netflix's 'School For Good and Evil' (2022) and Sharon Horgan's 'Bad Sisters' (2022), BBC's 'Showtrial' Season 2 (2024) in the capacity of Set Dec Assistant, Buyer, Prop Maker, Miniature Modeller and Set Painter. Now, over 10 years after starting my journey in the film and TV industry, I have the confidence and experience to take on any scale project in pretty much any role within art department, set dec, or props.
With a passion for old objects and history, I find my expertise comes in useful the most on period pieces and fantastical worlds and intersecting my knowledge of history and design with the characters and themes from a script.
Artist Statement: Independent of medium my work always focuses primarily on the experience of the viewer. Manipulating textures, scale, and colors, my works' main consistent attribute is triggering to all senses. My creations push the viewer into hyper-sensory, whimsical, worlds where unfamiliar and familiar textures and shapes collide in order to fully immerse the audience and put in question the world as we know it. In my personal practice I use these skills and knowledge to create sceneries reminiscent of our own reality intertwined with out of the ordinary elements in order to instigate a feeling of both nostalgia and unfamiliarity at the same time.
If you'd like to commission a project please get in touch below!
GIARTDEPT@GMAIL.COM
Thank you!