Murals and Scenic Art
Simonette's work as a professional muralist and a scenic artist for film, television, and theater.
After working for private clients as a mural and decorative painter for many years, Simonette was drafted by the New Orleans Opera Association to paint the set for the LSU Opera's production of Cenerentola. She discovered how much she enjoyed working big, and this passion soon led her to the film industry. Simonette has since created large scale sculptures and props, painted film and theater sets, and done everything in the art department from set dressing to production design. She has worked with the New Orleans Opera, Southern Rep Theater, Fringe Festival, the Shadowbox Theater, Frederick Meade productions, and other local theater companies in New Orleans. She also designs and creates sets for events as co-owner of the Scenic Art and Casting Studio, with her husband, David Whatley, who is a talented plasterer, sculptor, moldmaker, and scenic artist.
She has gone on to do many films as a scenic painter, sculptor, mold maker, and production designer, and has created sets of strange and beautiful environs such as the sea floor, post-apocalyptic cityscapes, period art, architecture, and replicas of classical sculptural elements.