Builder Showcase - Brandon Griffith
/
Ever since I discovered the AFOL community (you mean I'm not the only one?) I've been a fan of Brandon's work. His building style is clean and whimsical, and rooted in art and pop culture. His diverse portfolio spans multiple genres and building styles, and bridges the LEGO fan world and the general public. All of his work has a touch of humor ( sometimes more than a touch) and a broad appeal. His STUDS trading cards are a testament to his devotion to the hobby and tireless generosity. He's an excellent artist and a great guy. I'm proud to call him friend and very happy to let you all get to know him a little better.
Tell us a little about yourself, how did you get started in the hobby?
I got started when I was 2 years old. Well, thats when i was introduced to LEGO. I played with it as a child until i was 12. At the age of 17, I started buying Star Wars Lego Sets. This got me back into the hobby. My first MOC was a very simple Star Wars chess set that I built in 2004. I took it to Brickfest 2004 and learned of a whole new world!!! After Brickfest 2004, I started building bigger and cooler things. As I have grown, so has my collection, building skill, and the amount of MOCs. I revisited the idea of a Star Wars chess set years later making a bigger, better version!
What is your earliest LEGO memory?
I am not sure how old i was, but i remember getting one of the 80's LEGO storage cases with some brick. I soon started getting sets every birthday and Christmas for the rest of my life!
What drives you to create?
I love minimalist style pop art.
Would you call yourself a purist (no cutting, painting, knockoff)?
I once was, but as I get older and the more I build, the more i realize these "purist" rules can get a little ridiculous. I appreciate the idea behind them, but If you are striving to make art these rules don't apply in my opinion.
Do you have any favorite parts?
http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=x932px2
Do you have a wish list of parts?
1x1 corner cheese slopes!
Who's your favorite builder(s)?
Arvo Brothers
Do you ever look back on old MOCs and say "if I only…"
There have been a few MOCs that I thought "If i only ...had thought of that first!"
Tell us about your building area.
Chaos. Haha, at the moment it is chaos. My home office doubles as my Lego room. My collection is slowly overtaking the room and needs reorganizing.
Do you listen to music while you build?
Yes, mostly film scores. Ennio Morricone being the composer of choice most of the time.
Do you keep all your MOCs? If so, do you display them?
Most of them. I display what I can but a lot of them are boxed up.
What is your all time favorite LEGO set?
7191 X-Wing Starfighter
If you could pick a single creation of yours for permanent display somewhere notable, what would it be?
It would be my model named "...see your enemy..." a 3d LEGO mosaic of Agent Smith from Matrix Revolutions.
Which of your creations would you say personifies you?
"...see your enemy..." First off, i love The Matrix films. Despite the many opinions people have on the sequels, they truly where groundbreaking films. The Wachowski stepped out of the box of traditional film making and took those traditional concepts to the next level. When I started making "...see your enemy..." I wanted to do the same. Instead of making a traditional flat mosaic with square 1x1 plates, I added 1x1 round cones, plates, and bricks. I mixed translucent elements on top of solid colors creating a broader color pallet. To finish it of, I gave it an embossed feel to ad a 3d effect. In the end, was a piece that represent the style of building that I wanted to achieve and represented the style of builder that i want to become.
