Our final LEGO® brick artist is Thaneeya McArdle, who has very generously given us permission to use her artwork to create a LEGO® mosaic. Her sugar skull artwork ‘Inflorescent’ was converted into a 1m2 mosaic by professional brick based model building company, Bright Bricks. Over the course of two gallery Fundays, visitors followed Bright Bricks’ plans to assemble over 16,000 individual single stud LEGO® bricks into the large panel mosaic which now forms part of the Brick by Brick exhibition.
Born in the US, Thaneeya McArdle grew up mainly in Florida. However, Thaneeya enjoys a nomadic lifestyle and has travelled extensively. When creating art, Thaneeya draws on her deep appreciation for the world’s cultures and her admiration for tribal folk art from around the world. Her detailed, brightly coloured pieces draw on a variety of styles and express her curiosity. She is particularly inspired by the eye-catching colour combinations, unique patterns and intricate details of folk art forms such as Rabari Bharat (Indian embroidery), Aboriginal dot painting, Huichol bead painting, Peruvian retablos, Tibetan thangkas and of course Mexican Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) sugar skulls .
Thaneeya sees art as a transformational tool, which offers us the chance to see the world through new eyes, to encounter new ideas, and to open our minds to different ways of seeing, thinking and being. She seeks to create art that is vibrant and eye-catching, full of joy and optimism, with the hope that it has a positive impact on those who see it.
Find out more about Thaneeya McArdle at https://www.thaneeya.com/
Learn more about Bright Bricks at https://bright-bricks.com/
