Owens learned the methods and materials of scenic sculpture at companies that made themed environments for stores and theme parks and props for commercials. It started in the first decade of the 2000’s at companies with names like Cinnabar, Nassal, KXI, Exoscope, Scott Freeland Studios, Entech Creative Industries and Treadway. These outfits are part of the “themed entertainment” industry located in central Florida.

Scenic sculpture usually consists of carved foam, coated with plastic of some kind. They often include an internal metal structure. Usually mild steel. Sometimes an aluminum alloy, depending on the application. Most projects were static in that they contained no moving parts. A few contained simple mechanisms and electrical systems designed by Owens, as shown in “Mechanisms” above. Some projects, like motorized floats made at Entech Creative Industries (for Disney, Shanghai), included computer-based sub-systems designed by other contractors.

Each project was different. Please see the footnote at the bottom of each Scenic Sculpture page for details about the team and the role that Owens played.