My folks were runners, so I assumed everyone ran. They had me on the track from a young age, probably shortly after I got my first Lego set at age 5. The fact that we lived just outside Eugene, Oregon, was a bonus.
We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back Alberto Salazar. Running Shoes - Gear Shoes & Gear wins in the early 1980s. I asked to take a picture with him, and I got the photo blown up to put on my bedroom wall, framed.
Once I got into grade school where there were actually track teams, I ran track every year, including during the summer. When I set my first PR, it was in the local paper, although now I couldn’t tell you what it was!
In high school I ran cross country and track. I loved the 200- and 400-meter distances. They were just long enough for me to stride out and take the field.
I was recruited by New York University for track and went to law school there, too. When I was still a lawyer, I’d get boxes delivered to my apartment that were filled with Legos and took commissions to build things.
I’d hide the boxes from girlfriend at the time. I put up a website about Legos and built things like the lions in front of the New York Public Library, life-size sculptures of talk-show hosts, the statue of soldiers raising the flag at Iwo Jima. It’s been a way to make art and history accessible to kids, by using this medium they know and play with.
When my website crashed from so many people using it, I realized I could maybe make a change in my career.
There is nothing more terrifying—but also exciting—than going up to the 42nd floor to tell your boss you are quitting to be a Lego artist.
I’ve been working on a show for DC Comics, which has been really exciting because I wanted to do an art exhibition that incorporated a critical analysis of good versus evil—and what better place than with DC Comics, with all of their superheroes and all of their supervillains.
For lack of time, I wasn’t running when I was a lawyer. Now I run up to five miles daily. If I don’t, my wife comments that I’m not thinking clearly.
When I'm running, my art might be just a little bit better. I use the time to brainstorm.
On a run I was thinking about the engineering challenges of building The Flash. It needed to look like it was running but still stand on its own without toppling over. After a few miles, I realized I could use streak lines coming off of him for support.
When Im running, my art might be just a little bit better. I use the time to brainstorm The Flash as if you’ve caught him just as he’s putting his foot down—his foot is much flatter than a proper runner would have it, but his foot being down helps support him.
What I’ve realized with building runners out of Legos is that you can’t get the best form! You really want your runner striding out, to look like the runner is running. But when you are working with Legos, making sculptures using it, you’re working with a very heavy thing that has to be supported—but there’s also a fragility to it.
Years ago I made a piece called Red Reaching, and people say it looks like the moment when you cross the finish line, with your arms raised. I like to leave it up to the viewer what they see.
I have the imprint of a two-by-four Lego tattooed on the inside of my wrist. It represents my dedication to my art and that so much can be created from a simple plastic brick.
The connection between my life and the art I create is about pushing through obstacles. I gave up a career in law to follow my dream. It’s the same with running and pushing through the wall.
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You can see more of Nathan Sawaya's work at Pacific Science Center in Seattle beginning in May and at artofthebrick.com.
