It all started with an invitation to a business card exchange. I hadn’t planned to attend, but as a first-time guest, I figured it was worth checking out. Little did I know, that decision would lead to one of the most creative projects I’ve ever tackled. As I mingled and introduced myself to new faces,…

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Restoring the Remington House: A Journey Through History in Helena, Montana In the spring of 2022, I had the privilege of restoring a piece of history in Helena, Montana. The project took me to the Remington House, a grand home on Helena’s Mansion Mile. Although the house isn’t widely documented, the story I was told…

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Frederick, MD In the fall of 2020, I got a call about a new seafood restaurant on Market Street in downtown Frederick. The owners were struggling with a long hallway connecting the front and back dining areas. They wanted something unique, so I suggested an interactive mural—a vibrant underwater shipwreck scene filled with hidden surprises…

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Frederick City’s “First Saturday” is always a highlight, bringing people together with a different theme every month. When I heard the theme for this one was chalk art, I decided to give it a shot. Not just any chalk drawing, though—I wanted to create something big: my first anamorphic art piece. Anamorphic art, if you’ve…

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Selma Mansion In the billiards room of Selma Mansion, we undertook a complete restoration of the plasterwork. All the original plaster was removed down to the lath, and we ensured the lath was securely affixed to the studs. To facilitate access to the ceiling, we constructed a “dance floor” — a scaffold system designed to…

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Selma Farm True craftsmanship isn’t just about the finished product—it’s about the story, the traditions, and the tools that shape it. When we undertook the master bedroom project with a polished lime plaster finish in a rich wine-red hue, the process wasn’t just a technical exercise—it was a deep dive into centuries-old techniques passed down…

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Selma Mansion We started by addressing the failing plaster. After carefully removing the deteriorated material, we applied new layers, beginning with a scratch coat, followed by a white finish coat. One of the most intricate aspects of this restoration was recreating the plaster cornice. Using a template derived from the original design, we installed rails…

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Refinishing the Mahogany Wainscoting The mahogany wainscoting was a centerpiece of the dining room’s character, but its condition told the story of decades of neglect. The blistered lacquer finish trapped years of dust and grime, masking the wood’s beauty. Restoring it was a labor-intensive but incredibly rewarding process. We began by stripping away the old…

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Faux Patina A year after completing work on Selma Mansion’s main house, I received a call from the owners. The pool house, which had been finished along with the main house, was causing some dissatisfaction. The metal roof, initially designed to resemble copper, had turned out to be a dark brown that lacked the vibrant…

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Leesburg, VA ad the incredible honor of being part of the restoration team for Selma Mansion in Leesburg, Virginia. As a fourth-generation decorative painter and finisher, I have worked on some amazing projects in my career, but Selma was something truly special. It’s not every day that you get to breathe new life into a…

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