Jessica Burtnick PHOTO

Working in the world of oil and gas by day at Monkeyboy Consulting, and building impressive works of art by night, Wares is the self-proclaimed “Best in Canada” Lego artist.

He has sold pieces to Oscar award-winning composer Michael Giacchino of films including Up, Star Trek, and Lost, and has had work featured at various comic conventions across North America.

“I’ve always been into Lego since I was a kid,” said Wares.

While many Lego enthusiasts eventually lose interest in the hobby during what Wares calls the “dark ages,” Wares was fortunate enough to have his interest sparked again in adulthood.

Six years ago, Wares viewed an Egypt exhibit at the Calgary Science Centre featuring intricate mosaics of King Tut, The Nile, and detailed pyramids, made entirely of Lego.

“I’ve never really thought of myself as a man who plays with Lego… although, I guess I am now,” said Wares.

He’s not just a man with a few Legos either. Wares has thousands of pieces separated by colour in a dozen giant Rubbermaid containers, and is always adding new blocks to the collection.

While typical Lego protocol often involves starting construction at the base of a piece, Wares says that his process is a little more strategic than this. Using the backing of medium-density fibreboard (MDF), Wares constructs his artwork on baseplates before securing them to the board.

“I start out in my basement and then take [my Lego works] to the garage and put them down on the MDF.”

Depending on the intricacy of the design, it can take anywhere from a couple of hours, to four or five hours per baseplate. Once Wares has the different sections completed, he fastens them down to the MDF board to ensure they don’t topple over. It also helps for packing or transporting them.

While travelling with these pieces is one of Wares’ favourite things to do, moving them around can be a nightmare.

“Any jarring or vibrations are the worst enemies of two Lego baseplates that are side by side,” he says.

This doesn’t turn him off of the idea, though. Wares has attended Brick-Con (his favourite Lego convention) and recently went to San Diego for Comic-Con with a huge Superman Lego mosaic.

Having recently received a grant from the government, Wares will be putting on a public exhibit in the spring of 2013, with a date and venue to be determined.

“This will be an opportunity for the public to get involved and add to what I’m building,” said Wares. Another piece he has received funding for is still being kept a secret but will, apparently, be hitting close to home with SAIT.

For more information or to view Wares’ mosaics visit brickwares.com.