Paul Hetherington seems on top of the world right now so I reached out to see if he’d be game for an interview. He said ”Hey Lino, that would be amazing! It would be an honor to be interviewed by my favorite interviewer. Now that Barbara Walters is gone we need more decisive journalism to clog up the internet.” With that said, let’s soften the lights and get our decisive journalism on. Sit back, relax- and you might want to mix yourself a good strong Tiki drink for this one.
TBB: (Lino) Thanks for being with us, Paul. Look how handsome you are! Your smile can light up an adult book store. We last interviewed you in 2017 when Kanye and Diddy were topping the charts. Since then, I’ve lost my hair and gained 15 lbs. and, well, Kanye and Diddy are facing their own challenges. How are you holding up?
PH: It’s great to catch up with you Lino you old LUGnut! I’ve been managing fairly well over the past 8 years. The biggest change for me since 2017 is that I have been able to make a living building LEGO models. In 2018, thanks to a big commission from Buffalo Phil’s Pizza & Grille restaurant in the Wisconsin Dells I was able to step back from my long time day job assisting adults with disabilities and transition to making a living creating my art. Buffalo Phil’s commissioned me to build a giant Brick City for their guests to view in their dining room and I have been able to keep the commissions coming in ever since. I also have the privilege to display my creations at BrickUniverse, which is a travelling LEGO show in the USA. I thoroughly enjoy getting to inspire others by sharing my LEGO art and I love meeting fellow AFOLs and LEGO fans that come to the shows. I’ve made many new friends by being able to travel and share my work. I feel very fortunate!.
TBB: Our readers just saw your biggest commission yet, a stunning 152,000 piece SeaSpan Canadian Polar Ice Breaker. Can you tell us any other tidbits that weren’t covered in the recent feature?
PH: I created the Polar Icebreaker model with some help from my old friend Robin Sather who is a Certified LEGO Professional. Robin was able to render the hull shape in a Brick Builder program which was a huge help. From there I built and designed the rest of the model. Two really cool experiences happened as we were in the design phase. We got to tour the Seaspan shipyard in North Vancouver where they had several large ships under varying stages of construction. We learned that ships are constructed in sections called mega blocks. Which of course reminded us of the old branding of a competing brick brand. Imagine making mega blocks with LEGO! These steel mega blocks are actually built upside down so that the workers can more easily access all the pipes and electrical systems that run through the ceilings. It saves workers from having to stand on scaffolding. Luckily I didn’t have to work upside down to create the LEGO version. We also got to use VR technology in a studio to do a virtual walk through of the ship wearing VR googles. This was really helpful in visualizing how the ship would look and gave a tangible sense of scale to the project.
TBB: The West Vancouver Memorial Library seems to hold a special place in your heart. A LEGO copy of the building built by you can be found there. What can you tell us about that and how you decided to build it to display there?
PH: The West Vancouver Memorial Library is just down the street from where I grew up. It is my childhood library and I have many fond memories of visiting there with my Mom and discovering most of my favorite books there. I was approached by Taren, the Arts and Special Events Programmer who was looking for a fun way to celebrate the libraries’ 75th Anniversary. We thought a LEGO model of the library building would be interesting to both adults and kids of all ages. This idea evolved into having me do a presentation on my LEGO art at the model reveal. I also created a mini model kit of the library that the public can buy to commemorate the 75th anniversary. My favorite Easter egg in the library model is the inclusion of a LEGO frog. This is a nod to Taren’s father who was my Grade 10 biology teacher. He had the ominous task to present the class with frogs that we had to dissect. It was a right of passage that thankfully is no longer observed in biology classes in high school.
TBB: From what I understand, that isn’t your only rodeo at the West Vancouver library. Do you currently or in the past have any other LEGO exhibits there?
PH: Yes, the library was where my Bricktacular West Coast Modern Show was hosted in 2023. Through the West Vancouver Art Gallery I was commissioned to build 8 recreations of local west coast modern style homes built by well known architects including Arthur Erickson. I had the privilege of visiting each of the homes to do research in order to replicate each one as closely as possible in brick. I also created several of my own Mid Century Modern styled pieces for the show including Atomic Ranch and Googie. For the first time I also experimented with creating several two dimensional panels out of LEGO. The show was extremely well received and was one of the only WV Art Gallery shows to have the accompanying program sell out. There was also a really cool mini documentary made on the show by Christopher Markowsky that was featured in the Coast Mountain Film Festival. I’m sure this show planted the seed for my 75th Anniversary Library Building model commission.
TBB: You seem to have a lot of commissions. What is it like supporting yourself being a LEGO artist?
PH: Since 2018 I have been able to support myself through the commissions. I think initially the exposure from displaying my creations at BrickUniverse really helped to raise awareness about my work. Then having my own art show, The Bricktacular West Coast Modern Show gave me an even bigger boost locally in Vancouver. Ever since that show I’ve been fully booked with commissions from companies. I think having your own website is also really helpful. It gives you a platform where people can see your work and reach out with their projects. I’m fortunate that my partner in crime, Melissa, has done an amazing job of creating the website paulhetheringtonartist.com as well as keeping it updated with all my projects and adventures. It can be a challenge to turn your hobby into a business. I was hesitant to take that step for many years. Luckily everything has happened at a natural pace so doing commissions doesn’t really feel like work. My biggest challenge now is finding time to create my own artwork in-between all the commissions.
TBB: When most of us go to concerts, we take a few photos, maybe even film a little bit of video. You build massive LEGO creations. I’ve seen your Taylor Swift and KISS conceert creations, can you tell me more about these and others you have done? Do you listen to their music as you build their concert stages?
PH: I am very inspired by music so it seemed like second nature to start building music themed creations. My first large concert stage was my LEGO GAGA, Built This Way Ball. Built in 2013, it won the Best In Show Award at Bricks Cascade that year in Portland. For all my concert stage models I do a lot of research and end up watching endless hours of fan filmed YouTube footage to get different views of the stages. The Taylor Swift Eras Tour was a really fun one to build. It was another commission for Buffalo Phil’s Pizza & Grille. I chose the Lover house as the focal point as it represents the main album cycles from Taylor’s career. Unfortunately I had to send the model off to Wisconsin as soon as it was completed so I didn’t have the opportunity to try and leverage it for tickets to see Taylor at her final Eras Tour shows in Vancouver.
PH: My favorite one so far is my KISS creation. I did rock and roll all night and party everyday as I created it. For that one I built the superhero version of KISS from Marvel comics. This freed me from having to populate a heavy metal audience with minifigs. Because they are superheroes they are levitating over lava because they are the hottest band in the world! My hairstylist is close friends with Mike Reno from Loverboy. Apparently Mike is friends with Gene Simmons so we had him forward pictures of the model to Gene. Sadly I never heard anything back, not even a cease and desist letter.
TBB: You have a bit of a musical background yourself. Weren’t you in a Rockabilly band or something? Tell me about that. Was that like fame and groupies on international tours or was it more like fame and groupies in a musty old garage?
PH: I think it was more like a musty old basement! We never actually rehearsed in a garage. I have played in quite a few bands from heavy metal to punk to funk. Probably the most popular band I was in was a Hillbilly Surf Punk band called the Deadcats. We released several CDs and played a lot of shows back in the 90’s. We were inspired by Elvis, The Cramps, and The Sex Pistols. I hung up my drum sticks when I was in my late 20’s. Being a rock star was lots of fun while it lasted!
PH: I did have a cool experience when I was in Memphis TN for a BrickUniverse show a couple of years ago. I had created an Elvis 68 Comeback Special creation and Graceland reached out and I got to be interviewed on the 24 hour SiriusXM Elvis channel at Graceland. Total dream come true for me. But I thoroughly embarrassed myself as we were in the car museum part of Graceland where Elvis’s vintage cars are and I reached over the barricade to touch one when no one was looking. As soon as I did, alarms went off and two security guards came running in. All this before public hours and I was supposed to be the well behaved guest.
TBB: You’re a true artist. It even says so in your Instagram profile. You know someone’s the real deal when it says artist in the damned title! Besides the LEGO and the music, do you have any other traditional artistic proclivities like drawing, painting or macrame? Any formal art training?
PH: Of course we all know everything we read on the internet is true, so I must be an artist. Which is still a bit surprising to me. I had always identified as a musician since I was 15 and I had never studied art. Looking back, my first real exposure to art that inspired me was from Iron Maiden album covers with all the Derek Riggs art featuring Eddie. In my case it really was LEGO that opened the door to my imagination. As soon as I started to create with LEGO I started to have artistic visions of interesting worlds and scenes that I wanted to build. I was just slow to realize that my mocs were actually starting to transition into art once I started experimenting with my own storylines and unique presentation styles. I also think there has been a shift in public perception of LEGO art over the past 23 years since I started sharing my creations publicly. LEGO is much more accepted as an artistic medium now and I think it will continue to be more accepted. I might also flex a bit and point out that LEGO has featured my Unchain My Heart piece on The Art of Building pages in two LEGO DK books; LEGO, Absolutely Everything You Need To Know, and The Big Book Of LEGO Facts. If LEGO believes I create art that is good enough for me!
TBB: I have an art degree and one of the neat things about going through it was developing your own unique style. Like, we would hang up our pieces on the wall for critique and without a signature, people just knew which pieces were mine, which were somebody else’s even though we were all using more or less the same art medium. LEGO is like that, too. We’re all using the same raw material but LEGO in your hands is different from LEGO in anyone else’s hands. Can you describe the distinct Paul Hetherington LEGO style?
PH: Now that is a Barbara Walters question! I have built so many different styles it can be tricky to describe. I do tend towards a studless finish on most of my creations. So I would say excessive use of tiles is one of my signatures. Using automation to help in the storytelling aspects of my creations is another. My Tiki Madness and Encanto Casa Madrigal pieces are examples of this. I am also known for incorporating a brick built background into many of my pieces which is a style I first developed with my Batman Gotham Theater Showdown piece. I would describe it as a poster style which creates a canvas where I can create a full world around my subject. I also love the challenge of using the organic shaped Bionicle pieces along with system brick to create interesting shapes and textures. Casa Baron, an art nouveau styled townhouse was my first experiment with that style and later Unchain My Heart used lots of metallic Bionicle elements to create a steampunk styled robot.
TBB: I’ve seen you build some great pop culture stuff such as Batman, Scooby Doo, and Doctor Who. What’s your creative process for taking on something like that?
PH: Thanks very much! I usually try to combine three elements in my models to create a complete visual statement about my subject. A graphic design element, an architectural element and a character element, and if I can also tie the title of a song into the creation all the better as a well known song can also help provide a narrative to the visuals. With the Doctor Who piece I wanted to show both the inside and outside of the Tardis at the same time. As well as highlighting the iconic characters that make up the Doctor Who universe. In that one I was also able to incorporate the Union Jack to celebrate that Doctor Who is Britain’s most successful and long running Sci Fi export. Mainly I use as much visual language as I can to showcase the IP.
TBB: Are there any other pop culture icons you’d like to tackle but haven’t already?
PH: Yes, there are so many! My tastes in pop culture are always evolving so for as many classic IP’s that I’d like to explore there are almost as many new ones constantly being created. My biggest satisfaction comes from creating my own worlds as I have with Palace In Wonderland, The Edge of Glory and We Built This City. I can get inspired in so many ways. Sometimes it is a picture that sparks an idea. Sometimes the lyrics of a song can create a visual for me. Even comments or sayings can inspire a whole scene in my imagination. I’m fortunate that I always have ideas but often not enough time to build them all.
TBB: During the Covid lockdown of about 2020 to 2022 or so, people either floundered or flourished. I get a hunch that you were the flourish type. Can you tell me about your creative process during those years?
PH: Covid was tough. Having to put the brakes on when I had good momentum was really difficult as far as travelling and sharing my work in person. The silver lining was having time to catch up on sorting LEGO and time to build what I wanted to build. Since I didn’t have commissions during that period I was free to explore subjects I might not have otherwise. The seeds for my first solo art show were planted during the pandemic. I created several mid century modern pieces including a mini model of a local apartment building in the Miami Modern style nicknamed the “Pink Palace”. These pieces evolved into my Bricktacular West Coast Modern show at the prompting of my friend Douglas Coupland who is a well known Canadian author and artist. He helped me to secure the show through the West Vancouver Art Gallery where I was able to make lots of local contacts. In my case I was able to turn the slowdown into an advantage to re-focus.
(Photo credit for Pink Palace by Blaine Campbell)
TBB: I mostly wanted to concentrate on your creations from 2017 on, but our history goes much further than that. Memories are a little fuzzy now but I think you, Nathan Proudlove and Robin Sather were among the first AFOLs I had met when I was coming out of my dark ages. I moved to the West Coast in 2001 or 2002 and lived in a tiny waterfront cabin on Mercer Island and I recall the three of you visiting there. That’s a strange story in itself. Shortly after moving to the West Coast, I answered an ad in The Stranger (local Seattle area rag) having to do with building LEGO models for public exhibition in museums and such. This rich guy Peter Cyrus had a huge personal LEGO collection. He wrote the ad and about 30 or 40 people showed up at the Pacific Science Center. We were supposed to be headquartered there but, due to some miscommunication snafu, Pacific Science as our headquarters fell through so all the building had to be done at Peter’s not unimpressive house. Probably half the potential builders left the group but the rest of us were given keys to his abode with the consent that we can key in any time to build. Eventually everyone else left the group and I was his sole builder for a couple years at least where I helped build public exhibits for Pacific Science and the Nordic Heritage Museum.
Anyway, this article is not about me, but this is where you, Robin and Nathan come into the picture- or my picture. You were part of Brickville in Vancouver and your group was to acquire Peter’s LEGO collection after his venture disbanded. What do you remember about that? Did Brickville do anything stellar with all that brick?
PH: That was quite a strange and unique episode in our local Pacific Northwest LEGO history. Robin had set most of that up and I was along for the ride. I remember meeting you on Mercer Island and being quite impressed with your pop culture tiki styled paintings. Brickville did end up getting Peter’s LEGO and from my portion lots of it ended up in my earlier creations. I’m sure that Peter would be pleased that much of it went on to be displayed publicly in our LEGO creations which was his main ambition.
TBB: We have no photos from that first encounter so here’s a more recent photo of Paul and me being public nuisances in 2019 at the Maxwell in Seattle.
TBB: You were among my early influences back in the old Brickshelf days. I likely would have gone in an automotive direction anyway but I recall your old Tijuana Taxi. It helped show me that hot rods and show rods can be done really well in LEGO. Do you still dabble in car culture, LEGO or otherwise?
PH: I still love hot rods and car culture! I’ve been actively collecting Hot Wheels since 1995. The Tijuana Taxi is an old Monogram model kit designed by Tom Daniel. I built my LEGO version in 2002 and I remember it being the first creation that I fully tiled to give it a very smooth studless look. It was a turning point for me in my building style as that was a new approach back then. In fact I was so excited by it I emailed pictures to Tom Daniel and he actually responded with positive feedback! I was so star struck by that email that I printed it. I should frame it someday! I’m a big fan of Big Daddy Roth’s work and Rat Fink as well as the art of Robert Williams. I definitely have plans to create more lowbrow art in LEGO. In my opinion it is an underrepresented art form in the LEGO universe.
TBB: You and I have gone to toy shows together buying up Hot Wheels cars with me picking the $4 and $5 ones while you sought out the more exclusive treasures. Have you acquired your Hot Wheels holy grail car(s) yet?
PH: We need to do that again, toy shows are so much fun! I’m a 70’s kiddie so my favorite Hot Wheels are all the ones I had when I was young. Flying Colors Redlines were from my generation and my favorites were the Baja Bruiser, the 56’ Hi-Tail Hauler, and the Neat Streeter which was an old 30’s Ford hot rod. I had a hot pink Alive 55 Chevy Nomad station wagon. It was my favorite and unfortunately it turns out it is quite rare and super hard to find in nice condition. Maybe one day I’ll come across one!
TBB: Whoa! That thing is going for a mint on the interwebs! Good luck getting it. If money and space were no object, what would your top 3-5 must-have vehicles in your garage in real life be?
PH: Number one would be a 57’ Ford Thunderbird, number two would be the Twinmill show car, and number three would be a 66’ Batmobile.
TBB: You have some sweet automotive aspirations! So, before I let you go can we get a glimpse of what the future brings for you? Maybe just a little taste to wet the whistle. You know? Hook a brotha up!
PH: I have several new creations in the works that I’m looking forward to sharing in 2026. My plan is to get out and travel to all my favorite LEGO conventions and hopefully hit a few that I haven’t been to yet. In the meantime I do have some new images to share of a commission I did recently for EA Games. They have a gorgeous campus complex in Burnaby BC and it is where many of their sports themed video games are developed. I got to tour the campus and I spent a month recreating all the buildings including the soccer pitch, basketball court and volleyball court. At the model’s reveal I was invited to give a talk showcasing my LEGO art in EA Games’ main theater to all the software developers which was a real thrill. Creating with LEGO is an adventure that is constantly taking me to places I could never have imagined. I’m super thankful for everyday that I get to share my creativity.
TBB: Dear readers, if you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading. You truly are the exotic concoction that keeps The Brothers Brick flowing. For a deeper dive into all things Paul, be sure to refresh that Tiki drink and check out our Paul Hetherington archives. You won’t be disappointed. Thank you for chatting with us, Paul. As always, you have been a delight to hang out with. I truly feel I have caught a whiff of greatness being in your presence- or that might have been Old Spice. Either way, it’s been an honor! I’m about to break the seal, so any parting words before I drain the lizard?
PH: It has been a pleasure answering your decisively decisive questions, Lino. I hope we can do this again in another 8 years! Maybe by then I’ll have a signature Paul Hetherington Nike shoe to reveal or maybe a clothing deal with Zara to share. At the very least I’ll have Tiki Farm manufacturing my own Paul Hetherington designed Brickbaron Tiki Mugs. Cheers!