Lego my Lego!

I have a secret. I love Legos! I pretend I don't when I'm spending hours putting together my son's newest set (he's 5 and not yet capable of following complex direction). In reality, I love creating something out of tons of tiny pieces and I feel so satisfied as I watch him play with my masterpiece. As I put together his measly little 200 piece set this weekend I got to thinking about all the amazing Lego art that is out there. I set off in search of pieces that made me go oooo. I had such a good time finding all of these and this is by no means all there is to see. The first three were created by Nathan Sawaya, genius in all things Lego. The Harpsichord was done by Henry Lim and is a full scale working model with only the strings not made of Legos. Others are fixtures at Lego establishments such as Downtown Disney in Orlando, FL and LegoLand.  Batman and the Death Star were part of Comic-Con 2007.  

Images courtesy of The Art of the Brick

Image courtesy of Henry Lim's Lego Sculptures

Images courtesy of AllEars.Net

Image Courtesy of Hellish Humor

Images courtesy of Great White Snark

Sweet Home Chicago

Wow, the time has come for my first official post. I hardly know where to start! In researching our new company and this blog I have come across so much inspiration that I am just bursting with ideas. I've decided to focus this first post on one of my great loves: Chicago! More specifically, some of the amazing sculptures in and around Chicago. There are so many to choose from I may have to make this a series.

The first sculpture is one of Chicago's newest yet it has quickly become a symbol for this beautiful city. "Cloud Gate" or "the bean" as natives have come to call it was created by artist Anish Kapoor for Chicago's Millennium Park. Made from seamless plates of polished stainless steel, it truly invokes its inspiration: liquid mercury. This work of art takes on a life of its own as it reflects everything including the sky, buildings, and anyone who happens to be standing near it. It can look completely different depending on the time of day or the weather. Definitely a site to behold.

"The Cloud Gate" originally uploaded by Intrepide98

Since this is one of the most interesting and photogenic sculptures in Chicago I couldn't resist adding another of my favorites.

"Cloud Gate 2" originally uploaded by Hoot Owl

This next sculpture is another famous Chicago landmark. I remember climbing it and sliding down it when I was a little girl (and maybe once when I wasn't so little but lets keep that between you and me).  The Picasso Sculpture, untitled so usually just called the Picasso or that big sculpture in Daly Plaza, was commissioned in 1963 and completed in 1967. 

Image by J. Crocker

I've never actually seen the next sculptures in person but every picture I've seen of these three beauties has me impressed. They look like they've been sculpted on an enormous wire system so ivy can grow up the base. This makes them look like they're flying. Three Fairies (I don't know their real name) are in Daphne Garden and were done by Dessa Kirk.

"wings over the city" originally uploaded by stacyjclinton

My last sculpture pick is also the one I know the least about. I'm a sucker for mooses so when I saw this lovely creation I couldn't resist including it. This cool guy is found outside the Tribune Building on Michigan Ave. I know there are a lot of these sculptures around because my parents have a horse and a set of deer near where they live but I haven't been able to find out the sculptor. Points to the first person who can tell me! 

"Moose Sculpture" originally uploaded by martin97uk