Commercial Portfolio

Stars Separator Raspberry

Chameleon Paintworks Inc. interprets the stylistic desires of our clientele. We will reduce or enhance the critical mass of any project with creative, strategic applications of plasters, paints, wall coverings, color systems, complete repainting, restorations and historic overhauls in any architectural design style and period.

Dunbar Hotel

Vintage vertical sign with the word 'DUNE' in bold letters.
Scaffolding set up inside a decorated room with wall murals and chandeliers.
A mural of a desert landscape featuring a tall cactus.
Cozy seating area with stone walls and arched windows in a rustic interior.
Mural of a cascading waterfall in a rocky landscape, framed by an arch.
Decorative wall mural depicting a courtyard scene beside a staircase.
Interior of a restaurant with diners and an exit sign above.

I had the pleasure to restore the murals in the legendary Dunbar Hotel in Los Angeles. Developer Tom Safron was responsible for the landmark restoration of this historic African-American property. This was Council Member Jan Perry's final project in District 9 as she left office with great pride, knowing this landmark building will live on in perpetuity. The murals we restored had to be stripped of many top layers of overpaint. It allowed us to discover the original image and colourfully revive it by inpainting.

Start to finish: 1 month

Location: Los Angeles

El Royale

Ornate chandelier hanging from a carved wooden ceiling in a historic room.
Ornate wooden ceiling with a chandelier in a historic corridor.
Ornate arched hallway with intricate ceiling and classical design.
Entrance of El Royale at night with illuminated sign.
Ornate painted ceiling with chandelier in historic building.
A person photographing ornate ceiling details in a historic building.
Intricate wooden ceiling with ornate geometric designs and floral motifs.
Intricately painted vaulted ceiling with geometric and floral designs.

I was invited to create an architectural assessment of the current condition of the ceiling, analyzing the paint, the plaster. Additionally, I was asked to archive and document the techniques to be used to restore the heavily patinated wall and ceiling artworks. Furthermore, I provided timelines, scopes of work and anticipated costs. I also provided substrate data of all the existing materials used. The El Royale Apartments remains to be an architectural wonder of a French rococo and renaissance style, and a historical landmark.

Start to finish: 1 month

Location: Los Angeles

Vision Theater

Intricately painted ceiling with celestial and mythological themes in a grand room.
Interior view of a grand hall with scaffolding and a painted ceiling.
Ornate ceiling mural in a historic building's grand hall.
Colorful, artistic ceiling mural with abstract shapes and warm lighting.
Ceiling mural depicting mythological creatures and natural elements in warm tones.
Colorful abstract mural with geometric shapes and vibrant patterns.
A person in white walks alongside a wall with large shadows and geometric patterns.

The Leimert Theater (now known as the Vision Theater) was built in 1932 and is only of two Art Deco theaters remaining in Los Angeles. My mentor, Anthony Heinsbergen, created this ceiling originally. In the 1990s, the city of L.A. took ownership and I was hired as an architectural consultant to develop color formulas and protocols for restoration and conservation. The project then went out for bid and after most of the ceiling was completed by another contractor, we were then called back by the city and my team and I detailed and finished off all the colored surfaces in the proscenium. This was a very enriching neighborhood historical project which will live on in perpetuity as a very colorful first-class theater for performers.

Start to finish: 10 years

Location: Los Angeles

Biltmore Hotel

Intricately decorated ceiling with ornate patterns and warm lighting.
Ornate circular ceiling light with intricate designs and warm illumination.
Ornate balcony with intricate ironwork and detailed clock on a historic building interior.
Ornate ceiling with chandelier in a grand hall.
Ornate ceiling with intricate frescoes and warm lighting in a grand hall.

I was asked to paint the Anthony Heinsbergen room at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Featured in hundreds of movies and commercials, this 5-star luxury resort hotel is one of the best examples of Beaux Arts architecture. Built in 1923, from the architectural firm Schultze & Weaver. We further worked on inpainting and restoration in damaged areas such as the Crystal Ballroom, the Grand Avenue Bar and the Grand Foyer and entrance. We also were invited up to work on the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara for similar restoration paintwork and plaster work.

Start to finish: Intermittent work over 10 years

Location: Downtown Los Angeles

City Hall

Ornate ceiling with intricate patterns and central light fixture.
Ornate ceiling with decorative beams and hanging chandeliers.
Dimly lit room with a long table and hanging lights.
Ornate ceiling beam with intricate floral and geometric patterns in rich colors.
Intricately designed ceiling with geometric patterns and floral motifs.
Ornate ceiling with intricate patterns and central light fixture.
Ornate ceiling with intricate patterns and central light fixture.
Sunlit arched doorway with intricate ceiling frescoes and patterned window.
Intricate golden floral and geometric patterns on a dark background.
Ornate ceiling with intricate arches and detailed patterns.

I was originally asked to create a proposal to kick off the 299-million dollar Los Angeles City Hall Restoration Project, which was to seismically retrofit the building. The first order of work was to restore the entire ceiling of the Main Street lobby. Originally painted by Anthony Heinsbergen, we were ironically awarded the project with his blessing. That restoration, which included plaster repair, preparation, documentation of lost imagery, applications of gold leaf and so on, went on through the night high up on scaffolding. This project was celebrated by many news outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, Channel 9 News, the Downtown News and many more. The successful completion of this project created an important relationship between our company and Project Restore, a city entity responsible for preserving and keeping City Halls vast amount of decorative paintings in beautiful condition. This ongoing relationship resulted in numerous callbacks to repaint, restore and consult on many areas such as the Mayor's Office, the Mayor's Inner Office, the Press Room, the Sessions Room, the Rotonda hallways and the stair lobbies. I enjoy an ongoing rich pride to be a part of the city's cultural history. I also became part of the LA Conservancy, giving tours to architectural enthusiasts.

Start to finish: Ongoing project for 22 years

Location: Downtown Los Angeles

MTV

Art installation with framed images and screens on a textured wall.
Abstract artwork with textured, blocky shapes in dark and earthy tones.
Expressing the language of color

As MTV's corporate headquarters moved into Santa Monica, they were interested in a complete redesign and rebrand through paint and color. We initially started out with painting and decorating the lobby, walls and ceiling. Along with the architects, Stanley Felderman and Nancy Keatinge—who designed the 17-foot heads in plywood, we took it to another level with paint color, along with a very playful application of gold leaf and marbles. MTV used these two heads for 15 years as their lobby mascot! It was a very enjoyable work experience.

Start to finish: 3 months

Location: Santa Monica

Jonathan Club

Intricate ornamental panels with floral and geometric designs in blue, beige, and gold tones.
Ornate ceiling and chandelier in a historic building's interior.

I was commissioned to analyze, discover, document and archive the colors, the conditions; an assessment of all the decorative painting. I was also asked to discover and identify all of the architectural ornament and stencil patterns. The Jonathan Club could now use this reference manual in perpetuity for any repainting or repairs.

Start to finish: 1 week

Location: Downtown Los Angeles

Logan Theater

Logan Theater
Logan Theater
Logan Theater

At the time, I was an assistant teacher at Rocky Mountain Painting. I was invited by the owner of the company to assist him in applying many variations of decorative painting to this historic theater. Decorative painting treatments included: gold leaf, silver leaf, washing, wall glazing, pounce drawings and much more. This project was certainly a labor of love, scaling a 70-foot scaffolding did not seem to be a problem at the time! We had a great team. It was incredible the amount of finish work our team was able to complete on a daily basis. Nice to know that the now Ellen Eccles Theatre lives on in perpetuity.

Start to finish: 1 month

Location: Logan, Utah

Kitchen Innovation Series

Modern kitchen with pink cabinets and minimalist decor.
Modern kitchen island with decorative vases and sleek appliances.
Modern kitchen with sleek white cabinetry and built-in ovens.
Modern kitchen with vibrant orange mosaic backsplash and matching cabinets.
Modern kitchen with vibrant orange textured cabinets and sleek white countertops.
Modern kitchen with brown cabinetry and white decorative vases.
Minimalist white kitchen island with built-in wine fridge and decorative vases.
Modern kitchen with olive green cabinets and sleek design.
Modern kitchen with green cabinets and a gas stove.
Modern kitchen with sleek blue cabinetry and wooden countertops.
Modern kitchen island with built-in appliances and decorative vases.
Modern kitchen island with patterned cabinetry and decorative vases.
Modern kitchen with dark cabinetry and built-in wine coolers.
Modern kitchen with sleek black and red cabinets and stainless steel appliances.
Modern kitchen with dark wood cabinets and white island countertop.
Modern kitchen with mosaic tile backsplash and island.
Modern kitchen with pink cabinets and a sleek island.
Modern kitchen with bright orange cabinets and sleek design.
Modern kitchen with olive green cabinets and white countertops.
Modern kitchen with dark cabinetry and minimalist decor.
Modern kitchen with mosaic tile backsplash and sleek island.

The Kitchen Innovation Series was a test to the design market to produce 50 textile lacquered samples as an alternative to solid color kitchen cabinetry design. These finishes were originally stenciled onto the kitchen cabinets and finished with 22 coats of lacquer in the same way a Rolls Royce would be painted. These samples remain in our library for future viewing. They were painted beautifully at the Rolls Royce repair body shop Avio Coach Craft.

Start to finish: Ongoing

Location: Santa Monica

Vidiots

Silhouettes of two people on a bicycle against a colorful brick wall.
Two individuals standing near a ladder with colorful attire.
A photographer captures three men posing against a graffiti wall in an urban setting.
Colorful bricks arranged in a gradient pattern on a wall.
Two people dancing joyfully in front of a colorful brick wall.
Person painting colorful tiles on a wall with a ladder nearby.
Turquoise-painted building with a large window displaying various items inside.
Colorful brick wall with a green door and a boarded-up window.
Four friends joyfully jump in front of a colorful brick wall.
Two women in bikinis posing playfully by a colorful brick wall.
Woman in a white hat stands against a colorful brick wall with a playful expression.
Colorful mosaic brick wall with vibrant patterns around a corner window.
Person holding a pug in front of a colorful brick wall.
Woman in bikini adjusting high heel near colorful wall.
Colorful corner building with artistic murals and a sign reading 'Xinti'.
Man posing against a colorful brick wall as a woman in a yellow bikini walks by.
Colorful street art with a green door and a sign reading 'Candy Kingdom'.
A dense star cluster with a color calibration chart on the side.
Two women in bikinis posing outdoors on a sunny day.
Person wearing colorful wig, sunglasses, and white cap outdoors.

Patty and Cathy, owners of Vidiots, asked me to make a real head turning, colorful design mural. We were given creative leeway to do whatever we thought was lively. We used glitter paint, glow in the dark paint, stencils and all kinds of fun application to make the building look like floating confetti. For some time, this was one of the 10 most instagrammed murals in Los Angeles. Fun team, fun job, fun clients!

Start to finish: 2 weeks

Location: Santa Monica