Tag Archives: Gayle Spiller

Gayle Spiller’s enchanting LEGO box dioramas [Interview]

Gayle Spiller turns whimsical ideas into inspiring LEGO models packed with detail. Her builds, like the Butterfly Collector, are so dense with imaginative use of parts, you can get lost in them. In 2023, Gayle joined the exclusive group of builders to be featured at the LEGO House Masterpiece Gallery.  In recent months, Gayle has been playing with a new, cozier build format – one that, like minifig habitats, could inspire builders looking to make their own MOCs from their favorite pieces who might be intimidated by larger constructions. We checked in with Gayle to talk about her latest series and life with LEGO since her invitation to Billund.

TBB: First of all, congratulations on being chosen as one of the latest builders invited to display your creations at the Masterpiece Gallery at LEGO House. What was it like to learn that your works would be displayed in Billund? What was it like meeting the other amazing builders and the LEGO team? Has anything changed in your relationship with LEGO building since your works were spotlighted?

Gayle: Thank you. Being asked to exhibit at the Lego Masterpiece Gallery 2023/24 was a complete surprise and I definitely had imposter syndrome.  It was a fantastic experience and I loved meeting the other builders who I had admired online for so long.  It was interesting to learn about their building methods, how for instance Zach produces some of his spectacular pieces in only 3 hours. That was a revelation and definitely inspired me to scale down and create something that would take a weekend to finish rather than some of my larger projects which have taken months.

Click to see more of Gayle’s immersive box dioramas

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Sail towards the kings and queens of the butterfly collectors

What do you get if you cross the hobbies of LEGO, butterfly collecting, and impossible bottles? It might well look something like this creation by Gayle Spiller. It is inspired by a surrealist painting, although I’m reminded of the Jam, which is paraphrased in the title of this post. It’s a superb execution with some unique solutions for the patterns on the butterfly wings. There are croissants, eyes, sausages, pies, and even guitars in there! The ship itself is beautifully sculpted as well, with the exaggerated curves matching the surrealist tone of the piece.

The Winged Ship

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Down the Rabbit Hole with Gayle

Out of all the Disney movies, I think Alice in Wonderland is the one that has inspired LEGO builders the most. The wonderful world created by Lewis Carroll lends itself perfectly to be reimagined with LEGO. Gayle Spiller created the scene where Alice follows the white rabbit down the rabbit hole. Even though the scene takes place in the real world we already get a sneak peek of some of the things Wonderland has to offer. There are a lot of little critters around the rabbit hole. The presence of mushrooms also is a bode for things yet to come. Using frogs for foliage is all the rage as of recently so why not try it in autumn colours. If LEGO can pass frogs for cherry blossom then why not use them for autumn leaves. I am really wishing Gayle turns this into a series of creations because she tackled the first chapter so magnificently that I want more!

Down The Rabbit Hole

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Potions, potions, potions, everywhere you look

Gayle Spiller shows us she knows how to brew a potion or two with her latest LEGO creation. It depicts Dumbledore and Snape in what I guess is Snape’s classroom. And it looks nothing like the LEGO’s latest 76383 Hogwarts Moment: Potion Class set! Gayle used a mix of techniques to portray stained glass windows. For the window on the left she used the 4-way lug wrench. On the window in the middle she used a net. And for the right window she used a combination of whips, bars and window panes. I love the base with the ingots and the columns with the arches. Having the arches stop half way makes this creation feel like just a small detail of something way bigger. The room is filled with all sorts of bottles and flasks and the absolute best little build has to be the bunsen burner using horns for legs. Which famous potions can you spot?

Potions Room

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Hut on the rocks

In an iconic early scene from the first Harry Potter book, poor uncle Vernon finally cracked when a veritable flood of letters came pouring down the chimney. He had the entire family leave the house to try and prevent contact from Hogwarts. However, upon staying in a gloomy hotel, he was shocked to see letters turn up there even. Eventually, he took his whole family to a hut on a small rock on the sea. This creation by gaylespiller, although not entirely “movie-accurate,” really manages to capture the scene perfectly in LEGO. The hut itself is made out of a brown framework built from bricks with a stud on one side. The gaps in this framework are filled in with brick tiles and plates of all sorts, creating an old, crooked, and weathered look.

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Black Family Tree Tapestry

The Black family had a tapestry depicting their family tree. Gayle Spiller managed to recreate the tapestry in LEGO and it is stunning! The magical artwork was made in the 13th century and contains family members from the Middle Ages all the way through to the present. It is located at 12 Grimmauld Place, which means it is currently owned by a certain mister Harry Potter who is not at all pictured on the tapestry. The Black family having been horrifyingly concerned with being purebloods, quite a few of the family members got disowned for various reasons; supporting Muggle rights or being a Squib. Walburga Black, Sirius Black’s mother, is presumably responsible for removing most of the disowned family members.

This incredible brick version really deserves a good zoom in. Gayle used the LEGO flag for the banners where the family members’ names are portrayed, and most of the hats are brick-built using all sorts of parts, from cones, to skirts to the ruff neckpiece. She even managed to include the Black family coat of arms. You can more find closeups on her Instagram.

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Counting sheep til you sleep

Some fans of LEGO are convinced that LEGO Friends animals do not belong in the LEGO universe as they are too cutesy looking. Gayle Spiller proves them all wrong in her creation titled Insomnia.This creation has everything that makes you feel sleepy. You can sway away in her rocking chair made of a regular chair with two flotation rings attached to it. Have a cup of hot milk. Read a bedtime story in one of the books on display. Turn on the radio and play some sweet lullabies. And last but not least you could focus on the wall clock’s ticking noise. And if all of that doesn’t help, you could always start counting sheep.

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