The Sick Brick: Eric Weber’s Lego Art

Posted in Art, Current Faves, Films, Halloween, Horror, Q&A, Toys and Collectibles, Underground/Cult |

Didn’t you send some artwork to John Waters? What was his response?
Yes. I actually sent him a framed piece I did featuring images from The Honeymoon Killers re-creation. It was small, black and white prints re-enacting the famous scene where Shirley Stoler kills the old lady with the hammer. I’ve always been a huge fan of the film and knew John Waters liked it as well. I sent it to the gallery that represents him in New York as a sort of fluke thing. I thought, “Hey, he might actually like this.” He sent me a very nice, brief postcard saying thanks and that he thought it was a great piece. He also added “Shirley Stoler RIP” which I thought was nice since I’m also a huge fan of hers, as well.

The Honeymoon Killers
Photo © Eric Weber

Has your work been featured in any art shows? Were those rewarding experiences?
So far a few of the pieces have been in two Atlanta art shows. The first was a show I curated and developed in April called “We Are Going to Eat You”, which was a collection of artwork based on (or inspired by) cult movies. I showcased about six framed pieces in that show. A few months later I was asked to include some pieces in a fundraiser for Mint Gallery (the same gallery that exhibited the “Eat You” show). Was it rewarding? Absolutely! It was fun to stand back and watch people look at the pieces and either try to decipher what film it was from or see an actual fan take notice and laugh. I noticed the Creepshow piece got a lot of laughs. That made the whole thing totally worth it.

What films do you want to recreate which you haven’t yet?
I pretty much have a running list of some titles I’d like to do at some point. Prom Night (the original Jamie Lee Curtis version, of course); Lady in a Cage (a really wacko woman-in-peril flick from the early 1960s with Olivia de Havilland as an invalid poetess trapped in her home elevator); and Possession (the one with Isabelle Adjani and her monster/baby/lover!).

Are there any other Lego “tributes” you would like to explore?
Gosh. Never really thought of it. I don’t think I would really use Lego as the medium for anything else besides movie re-enactments. I mean, I think that’s really what makes the joke work so well. I doubt I would ever try to recreate anything else, except, I don’t know. . . maybe tragic female personalities from history. Like Selena or Lizzie Borden.

For more of Eric’s Lego art and other artistic obsessions, please visit his Flickr page at flickr.com/mom_smackley.

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