The Artist Inside: LEGO Brick Artist Nathan Sawaya

Just shy of a decade ago Nathan Sawaya, then a practising lawyer in New York, gave it all up to shift to a new career (video): Professional LEGO Artist.  Today his work is in museums and private collections around the world.

I was pleased to meet the artist and his wife (and muse) at his current show at the Forest Lawn Museum in Glendale, CA.  Several of his personal collection of large LEGO pieces are on display until July 21st.  Thanks to the LEGO User Group of Los Angeles (LUGOLA) for setting up the tour.

The LEGO Brick
I think that those who follow this blog know that I am in awe of the LEGO brick's power.  It's an incredible creative medium that also provides a path (for those who want it) to engineering and robotics. 

Want a creative opportunity for your next corporate meeting?  Set a bowl of LEGO bricks on the conference table, within arms reach of each executive in the room, and see what happens.  It shouldn't take long to get those executives snapping bricks together and taking bricks apart as they wait for the meeting to begin.  They will be making cool creations.  The ice, if any, will be broken.  Childhood memories of LEGO play and favorite sets will be evoked.

The Artist's Story
Nathan explains it himself in the video, but I'll tell you what I know.
He studied law at New York University (NYU) -  passed the bar and got a corporate job in New York.  A long-time LEGO fan (from age 5) and an artist at heart, he found his creative outlet in drawing, painting, sculpture at night.  His BrickArtist website helped his LEGO fans to find him, and the commissions he fulfilled for his fans brought him more and more work in a medium he loved.  The LEGO brick.  So much work that long days as a lawyer were followed by long nights as the Brick Artist.  Something had to be done.

I can imagine the decision being made.  Not thrown off "the cliff", but jumping off.  Into the deep hole of the unknown.  Financial security replaced by financial insecurity.  I don't know that I could do it.

So, while some artists will seek Paris, Nashville or Hollywood, Nathan packed his bags for Carlsbad, CA where he worked for 6 months at LEGOLAND, honing his building skills. 

In fact, LUGOLA club member Mariann Asanuma was working in the LEGOLAND Model Shop at the time.  Mariann was the first female Master Builder from the Southern California area, and shares her LEGO passion on her blog, Model Building Secrets.

The rest of the story is that of one exhibition leading to another.  For a while, each seemed as if it would be the last.  Not so, now.

Nathan has permitted his license to practice law to lapse.  If you ask him what he does today, he's a Brick Artist.

The artist had many wonderful, endearing stories to share.  Stories of his childhood, of his first LEGO set, of the people he encounters, of the pallets of LEGO bricks that he buys, of the evolution of his work (video), of the works at the show (video, video), of his studio (video), of his show at the Clinton Library and meeting Bill Clinton (video).  I took much video footage, but every time I pressed stop on my camera (to keep the clips manageable on my little computer) he had another nugget of information.  So, some of the video starts mid-sentence.  For that, I hold up the "amateur videographer" card...

Thanks to the artist's wife and muse, Courtney Simmons, for permission to photograph and post images of his work and videos of his presentation to LUGOLA.

And a thought: I wonder if there is something special that brings the New York Brick Artist to Los Angeles, where he has established a 3000 square foot workspace.  I have my thoughts, but I'll keep them secret for now.

About the Author
Trish Tsoi-A-Sue writes about maker, creative and random topics.  She is currently working to expand her Squigglemom YouTube channel. Subscribe to Channel Squigglemom!