Archive for November, 2010
LEGO Is Freaking Awesome – Jeremy Liland
Welcome to another edition of LEGO is Freaking Awesome, where I interview people about their thoughts and feelings about LEGO. Today, we talk to Jeremy Liland.
Jeremy was born and raised in Calgary, and is 36 years young. he’s a father of two boys (6 and 4 1/2). He’s a interesting character, full of life and the celebration thereof. Jeremy has number of interests and hobbies, but his favorite, by far, is spending time with his kids.
On to the questions.
What was the first Lego set you remember playing with?
Hmmm…. First lego set? Probably just some basic color ones with the big green plates. But I really remember my moon set. I think it was a moon set, it had large thin grey plates, a moon “rover”-car, some men and a lot of grey white and black pieces to build space craft with. Also I had a motor that took batteries, and you could set it up with wheels to pull/push things or attach it to a rope and pulley.
Jeremy is talking about the famous Moon Base Beta set.
Note sure if either of these motors are what Jeremy meant, but they’re pretty cool.
What was the coolest Lego set you remember?
I think the coolest was the two mentioned above. The moon set because it was new and NOT colourful and it was spaceships, nuff said. But, you could do some really cool things with the motor.
How much Lego did you have as a kid?
Quite a bit, I remember having storage issues sometimes. My cousin had a lot more, he had a 6′ circle of denim or something that he kept all his lego in. The edges were laced so when you were done, you just pulled on the laces and picked it all up at once. But if you imagine ( or in your case physically demonstrate it) a 6′ circle piled with lego, not too high but it was a lot.
How much Lego do you have now?
None really and my heart is breaking as I write this. Although my boys have some and we often play with it.
Have you seen any Lego sets recently that made you want to buy them?
Sorta, but it seems like there’s a little less imagination required with some of the sets, the pieces just lend themselves to a certain arrangement and it seems hard to vary. Some, like the Bionicle stuff, doesn’t interest me at all. Maybe I’ll just go buy a giant starter kit and start playing again.
When was the last time you built something with Lego?
Probably within the past week with my sons.
Many thanks to Jeremy for sharing. I suspect he’ll be visiting the LEGO Store soon, if he hasn’t already. Join us again soon for another edition of Lego is Freaking Awesome.
“Eyes” (2010)
Recently, a good friend from high school emailed me to ask if I could make him a mosaic from a picture of his wife. Over the course of a few days, we messaged back and forth, determining the best picture to use, etc. One look at the picture he sent me, and I knew exactly what to do. It was all about the eyes.
I was able to start on the piece straight away, and finished up in due course. There was need for a bit of hurry, as the piece was meant to be a birthday present for the lady in question.
Max was kind enough to add some scale for me.
And I posed with it as well. It’s rare that I build something I can pick up without causing back pain.
As an added bonus, I sent a couple of minifigs to them. I think I captured her better than him, though I’ll leave that up to them and their friends to judge. (Note: Just noticed that her head is on backwards. Oops.)
At one point, I received an email from him telling me to use an alternate email address, and that he was deleting all prior communications, as he was concerned that she would uncover the surprise.
Another added bonus, he was kind enough to send pictures back of the piece hanging in their home. I’m not sure if it’s just my bad luck, or if this is common, but every the owners of every commissioned piece I’ve done in the past have hemmed and hawed, but none have sent me back photos. So yay for them.
It’s getting close to Christmas now. Wanna know what to get that person who has everything? How about a portrait made in LEGO? email me at dave@brickwares.com if you’re interested, but do it soon, or time might run out on us!
“War of the Worlds” on Display at Phoenix Comics 16th
Just a quick note to let people know that the Award winning “War of the Worlds” mosaic is now on display at Phoenix Comics on 16th Ave in Calgary. Stop by and check it out, and pick up some comics while you’re there. The folks at Phoenix are fantastic, friendly and knowledgeable. Whether you’re a newbie or a super-geek, they’ve got something for you!
