The CSG team joined with the Leadership of Crossway Christian Church in Nashua, NH to envision a re design of their worship space. These Changes made better use of the space, reduced awkward sight lines, and increased the over all production potential of the space. In the near future they are planning on launching a new campus in the area these changes set them on a course to succeeded in that vision.

I worked with the Crossway team to design a set for the space. We went thru several design revisions and landed on three towers center stage and small set pieces that set under the screens. We were tweaking the design until the very end the creativity was flowing.

We built the towers with a 2X4 frame and finished the bottom and top sections with pergo laminate hard wood flooring. We trimmed the sections with a trim that counseled strip lighting that creates the glow.

The church sits on wooded property so we headed out to the back forty with a chainsaw and cut us down some trees. (I said that in a think Oklahoma accent…) Putting 15′ trees in boxes was more challenging that I expected, but the end product was worth all the work.

I’m excited to see what God has for Crossway in the future!

I was walking past Armani Exchange this weekend and noticed this amazing florescent light sculpture in the window. This is a custom build piece but would be easy to construct. The color is just gel tubes cut in sections. This could be a fun addition to any space.

A couple of months ago I worked with the team at Spring Lake Wesleyan in Spring Lake, MI to build a set for their newly redesigned space you can read about it here. Last week they sent me some photos of the set during service. I love seeing how the stage comes alive during a service. The energy that comes from having people in the shot makes all the difference in the world. A reminder that it really is all about the people.

Spring lake Wesleyan in Spring Lake, MI brought Church Solutions Group in to upgrade their main auditorium. They are a growing church that is going multi-site. This was extensive remodel of the interior space as well as the technology. This transitioned them form a very traditional space with pews to a modern space that focuses peoples attention on the speaker instead of the space it’s self


After talking to the team about their desired use of the space I designed a pipe grid (usually mounted above the stage or studio space) that was mounted vertically on the back wall. They often used truss placed around the stage to mount lighting, large printed images, and other set elements. The grid provided a versatile structure for them to attach elements to.

I sat down with their worship and tech team and talked thru several design options for their set. We landed on a design that would utilize 2 X 4’s pained gray attached with conduit clamps to the grid. We unwashed the structure with 5 PAR56 LED fixtures with diffusion and 8 PAR36 fixtures without diffusion from the floor. We also used three 6” fresnels mounted at the top of the grid washing the structure from straight above. This provided the versatility to go from a polished look to a very raw look.

It was a great experience working with Chip Bos and his team to make this set come alive.

People always ask where I come up with ideas for my projects. My response is always “just from the world around me”. I have always been inspired by everyday objects that we interact with on a daily basis. I remember years ago, I drove by some vines that were growing wild. They had taken the shape of an abstract ballet dancer. I may have been the only one to see it, that is until I showed it to my wife, but it was there. I have stored that idea away in the back of my head and some day it will be part of a project.

If I look back over set designs I have done in the past, most of the inspiration came from just living life. The towers I did were inspired by parking garages in downtown buildings. The conduit set was inspired by the array of power lines in alley ways. The Good Friday set came from the many raw concrete walls around the city. The candles I did for Christmas was just a way to make a candelabra scaled for the room. The INvest set was taken from a photo mobile in the gift shop at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

When I found this quote it really resonated with me. This is how I live my life:

“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic.

Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery – celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from – it’s where you take them to.”" – Jim Jarmusch

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