See the video on how I created these paintings.

This is a mixed-media creative art project I’ve been working on throughout October-December 2023. Rather than building any major LEGO models during that time, I’ve instead channeled my creative energy into making LEGO-inspired art using various methods combined. It’s for this reason why I haven’t been active on social media in the latter parts of 2023, since I’ve been doing lots of trial and error to see what sort of paint methods work best. This type of project used a lot of experimentation, but ultimately would have several steps including traditional ink printmaking, acrylic painting, abstract paint pours, and decoupage. The main design – the LEGO minifigure walking/smiling – was created from carving a rubber printing block that uses my LEGO Minifigure Vector Design as a reference. I manually printed dozens of copies of this print and then hand-painted each one with acrylic paint, then cut them each out, and decoupaged them onto the painted wood panels.

The abstract paint backgrounds were achieved through a method called “paint pouring” which consists of mixing paint with large amounts of chemical fluids like glue and varnish, then layering the paints/chemicals into cups, and pouring the colors onto panels to create original abstract concepts. Each design turns out different, and sometimes special effects can be achieved by adding oils to make the paints bubble to make cell patterns.

Aside from swirly paint backgrounds, some of the paintings used a background of papier-mâché made of recycled LEGO instruction manuals and catalogs. I’m still actively working on LEGO builds and videos, but as of now [spring 2024] I’m heavily-focused on mixed artwork that’s inspired by the toy brand, rather than exclusively building projects from the toy itself.

I made about a dozen or so of these paintings on 12”x12” wood panels, and gave a few of them out around Christmas and then discreetly placed the remaining paintings in undisclosed locations in Lancaster County, PA for a guerrilla art project. I didn’t want to vandalize any property by doing graffiti, so instead I’ve concealed these paintings in various spots with the intention that whomever discovers it is free to take photos, feel inspired, or even keep a painting for themselves as a prize. Basically, the signs were graffiti with extra steps: instead of spray-painting my artwork on someone else’s property, I decided to paint my work on a piece of wood, and then place them on the property instead.

Below are some select paintings from the original dozen in the series. Click on the thumbnails to see larger photos:

After creating those aforementioned paintings, I made a few more of the papier-mâché designs and donated them to my old elementary school Price Elementary in Lancaster, PA – my first school which I attended from 1989-1992. Below are the four paintings created specifically for my old school:

After perfecting my techniques with paint pours, throughout the first few months of 2024 I began using different paints and chemicals on larger canvases. These new waves of paintings used a projector to create the same exact basic LEGO minifigure line art and maintain consistency, no matter the size or background of canvas painting.