Groucho

Yeah, this is gonna be another "back in my day" post. When I was a kid we only had four channels, and on Saturday morning it was our time. We watched classic WB cartoons, Tom & Jerry, Land of the Lost and the usual stuff. But in the afternoon things shifted to film festival time. And while the movie was hit and miss, you could always depend on some Three Stooges or Marx Brothers to be mixed in (as well as Popeye, ugh). So I grew up watching this man and his brothers, maybe not getting the humor as much as a good whack to the head with a hammer, but still enjoying it more than Popeye. This portrait in the style of Powerpig's Brick Sketches is by builder Paddy Bricksplitter, and he totally nailed it.

Alien

Builder and dark artist mihaimariusmihu is back with another hauntingly beautiful MOC. This alien bust looks right out of the sketchbook of H.R. Giger, with disturbingly lovely biomechanical details and flowing forms. It doesn't look so as much build as it does carved, giving it an otherworldly but gorgeous aesthetic.

A Link Between Worlds

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds was the last game I finished on my Nintendo 3DS. It took me forever since I don't get much gaming time, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now I'm waiting not-so-patiently for Breath of the Wild for my new Wii-U (yes, I finally bought one) but in the mean time I'll admire this beautiful studs up mosaic by hd_lego and reminisce about the ability to stick to walls to evade enemies and transition between worlds, what a handy trick.

Coming Soon To A Galaxy Near You

The force is strong with Flickr this morning, due in part to the ImperiumderSteine MOC Olympics., and that make my nerd heart happy. This absolutely brilliant poster from episode IV by builder Gamabomb takes me back to my childhood, where I spent all of the summer of 1978 watching Star Wars practically every day, many times twice a day. And every trip to the theater started with a brief pause to admire this poster hanging outside.

Dancers

Ever since we as a species learned to bang objects together in a rhythmic fashion we've also been dancing. Sometimes we dance for ritual, sometimes for entertainment, but mostly for enjoyment. Builder daveh_design celebrates this most ancient human expression in a series of wonderful and elegant sculptures. Each one is a study in form and motion, with graceful poses and a perfect depiction of weight and balance. 

Chinese Culture

Eastern culture blows my mind sometimes. We like to think we have deep history and culture here in America, and perhaps the indigenous people do, but nothing to compare with the east. People credit the Chinese with the invention of gunpowder and building really long walls, but very often stop right there. How about silk, paper, medicines, the compass? Their contributions to art, music, recreation and literature are often overlooked but we feel it everywhere. Builder Arzlan celebrates these in this magnificent MOC featuring Go, calligraphy, painting and playing Erhu fiddle. I'd also like to point out one other Chinese discovery, one of which I'm particularly fond of, tea. I'm drinking some as I post this.

Binary Sunset

As I begin Star Wars day 2016, this was one of the first images I saw on Flickr. Builder cmaddison was going for a retro stylistic 70's graphic look but isn't sure he succeeded. I can tell you Chris, you totally did. It's got an excellent retro feel and I recognized it instantly. My first reaction was "ohh", then a smile, then John Williams music in my head.

The Golden Tree

This is one of those MOCs that you almost skip over the thumbnail because it simply does not look like it's built out of LEGO. In fact I almost did, then I noticed the background looked studded. I don't know what those parts are, but out-of-the box thinking and some serious building chops by torgugick turned them into a beautiful and compelling relief portrait.

Dave Grohl: Fighter Of Foos

I wish I listened to more Foo Fighters, I could probably make some more witty references (or at least bad puns) about this stunning silhousaic by Grantmasters. It's not that I have anything against them, I'm sure there's some songs I know, I just couldn't name them off the top of my head. I invite you to look at this from a distance, and then get in close, it can be totally appreciated from either and I love that.

The Engineer

JK Brickworks is back with another mind-blowing kinetic sculpture. This is the second in a series by Kristal (the K in JK Brickworks) showing what's going on inside the human mind. The mechanical aspects of this are absolutely wonderful, and Jason explains them quite clearly in the video. It's a fascinating watch, I highly recommend it.

Mountain Of Art

Art has always played a major role in my life, and sharing it and encouraging it is one of the founding principals of BrickNerd. So this enormous brick-built tribute to it by Toltomeja really resonates with me. it depicts the very diverse and interesting history of art, from cave paintings all the way to modern art. Click here for more pics.

Girl With Balloons

Builder Grantmasters shows us how you really can't go wrong when you combine Banksy, LEGO and silhousaic art. This interpretation of 'girl with balloons' (not it's official title, Banksy isn't much on titling his work) would look right at home in any art museum. Or on the wall of my studio for that matter.

Leonardo's Workshop

Nobody would dispute the contributions of Leonardo Da Vinci to the art, science, design and medical worlds, as well as others. The man was an absolute genius and changed the world forever. This MOC by MolochBaal imagines what his workshop might have looked like, and it's how I always imagined it. I love the fact that many of the disciplines Leonardo practiced are present, from war to fine art.

Deadpool Loves You

Builder Powerpig is back with just the thing for those lonely hearts out there, some sarcasm and a chimichanga. It's Deadpool, and he's awfully fond of you. That is if you're not a bad guy, in that case he's gonna open a XL can of whoop ass on you, with love of course.

Love

Here at BrickNerd we like to look back from time to time, especially when we're feelin' the love. It's Valentine's day, and the first thing that popped in my head when thinking of what to post to celebrate it was this sculpture by Bill Ward from 2009, based on Robert Indiana's sculpture from 1970, so we're going deep nostalgia today. Happy Valentine's day everyone, hug someone you love!

Beauty On A Beauty

There's been a long time and somewhat baffling fascination with combining the photography of cars with women. I sort of understand it at a "primal man level" (lowers brow, grunts, shiny car, pretty girl). But in the end the practice does neither subject justice if for no other reason than size discrepancy. Back far enough to see the car, can't see the girl, and vice versa. None of this applies to brick-built silhousaics though, like this latest masterpiece by Bricks Noir.

Spectrum

I like to think of myself as a curator more than some sort of journalist, and it's MOCs like this one from lisqr that make that designation arguable. The flowing curve constructed of stark geometric shapes is in itself a study in contrasts, while the beautiful spectrum of color transitions effortlessly from top to bottom. Absolutely gorgeous.

Rita

Builder Bricks Noir is back with another gorgeous silhousaic. This time it's 1940's sex symbol Rita Hayworth. The contouring, construction and color selections on this piece are perfect and seemingly effortless. It's complex construction that's simple to look at, and as classy as the lady it's portraying.

Room With A View

This interior by Vitreolum is positively oozing with contemporary abstract sensibilities and style. Everywhere you look there's something to love here, from the eye catching windows to the furniture and from the lovely little details to the Mondrian inspired art on the wall. Oh, and there's a half naked lady too.

Lady Sharpe

I must confess I haven't seen Crimson Peak yet. But I'm a huge Del Toro fan and will watch it when it comes to home video. But not seeing the film doesn't diminish my appreciation for this stunning MOC by Deathly Halliwell. It may be grisly, it may be shocking, but it's undeniably beautiful in it's own way.