Today we’re thrilled to showcase a special interview with Azurekingfisher, a talented LEGO artist from Japan whose creations blend geometry, color, and motion into a distinctive aesthetic. Many of these works were recently featured in the Masterpiece Gallery at LEGO House, so prepare for a journey through creativity, form, and artistic philosophy.
Color Choice
Ann: Hello and welcome to BrickNerd! It’s wonderful to explore these remarkable creations with you.
Azurekingfisher: I am very honored to be asked to participate in this interview. Thank you.
Ann: First of all, your sense of color is exceptional. Your “LEGO Flower” piece, for example, practically lets us smell spring in the air. Is your color selection a long, deliberate process, or is it more of an intuitive habit?
Azurekingfisher: I’ve been familiar with LEGO blocks since I was a child, but I started creating in 2013. The “LEGO Flower” that BrickNerd noticed was made in 2014, so it’s a very memorable piece from when I first started creating. At the time, I didn’t have many LEGO parts, so I would disassemble existing sets to build my own. I remember being very excited when I came up with the idea of using the wheels of Cinderella’s carriage as the center of the flower and clipping the tooth parts all around it.
This flower and another flower (Chrysanthemum) were featured in Mike Doyle’s famous book Beautiful LEGO Wild!, and I think that’s when my direction in creating artistic LEGO pieces was solidified.
Ten years later, in 2024, I held a solo exhibition. Over the course of those 10 years, the number of available colors for tooth and clip parts had increased. This time, I rebuilt the “LEGO Flower” with 35 different petal combinations all in different colors. My color choices are intuitive and “whimsical”. The moment I hold the parts in my hands and arrange them, I instinctively choose based on questions like, “Do I like it? Do I dislike it?” or “Is it beautiful? Is it ugly?”
At the time, the transparent orange tooth parts felt just right, so I lined up three of them in the center. If I were to build it now, the color combinations and arrangements might be completely different.
Building Style
Ann: You create incredible patterns—like your “Garden” series—using small LEGO details. How would you describe your personal artistic style, and how did it develop?
Azurekingfisher: The four plates in “Garden of the Four Seasons” are a series of works, each representing a garden in spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
I created these plates using 32×32 stud plates, white turntables, 1×1 round tiles, and 1×2 grill tiles, arranging geometric patterns and decorating them with plant parts. I’ve even received comments like, “The geometric patterns look like lace.”
My paternal grandmother was a Japanese dressmaking instructor and also held a Kimekomi doll instructor’s license. My maternal grandmother loved to knit beautiful shawls out of ultra-fine yarn and give them as gifts. My paternal aunt was good at Western dressmaking and knitting, and would hand-knit sweaters for me every winter. My maternal aunt opened a small French embroidery class and taught people. I myself never had any particular training in handicrafts, but I grew up seeing a variety of high-quality handicrafts, including Western dressmaking, Japanese dressmaking, embroidery, and knitting, so perhaps the patterns and methods of these crafts are naturally embedded in my memory.
Ann: How did that style manifest in your garden MOCs?
Azurekingfisher: The four plates in “Garden of the Four Seasons” are a series of works, each representing a garden in spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
I built “Spring Garden” in February 2018 (left) and “Summer Garden” in July 2019 (right), but I left them alone for a long time because I just couldn’t get a feel for autumn and winter.
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I decided to hold a solo exhibition in 2024, so in the fall of 2023, I took out my “Spring Garden” and “Summer Garden” for the first time in a while and looked at them. Then, at the end of November, I suddenly finished “Autumn Garden” (left), and just two days later, completed “Winter Garden” (right).
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I’m pleased with the result: a harmonious series that can be enjoyed individually or lined up side by side. There’s a gap of more than four years between “Summer Garden” and “Autumn Garden,” but I believe that time was necessary. If I had rushed to make “Autumn” and “Winter,” they probably wouldn’t have turned out well.
Part 37195 (Magenta), used to decorate “Autumn Garden,” was released in 2022, while parts 32607 (Bright Light Blue) and 24866 (Bright Light Yellow), used to decorate “Winter Garden,” were released in 2023. I believe that a piece can be completed when the timing of the image I envision in my mind and the release of the parts are just right.
Geometry as Art
Ann: Many of your MOCs—such as your ‘Spheres’ and ‘Square & Cube’—transform geometry into art. Can you talk about your approach to these works?
Azurekingfisher: The “Spheres” use part 2417 (Plant, Leaves 6×5). These builds are my distinctive builds, which are “not computer-manageable.”
“HALO”
The “Square & Cube” are “computer-manageable,” and I think they’re geometric patterns with a traditional LEGO brick vibe. The process of connecting the arch parts and highly decorative fence parts while changing the stud direction is like a puzzle, and is fun and profound, but since they’re not included in the Masterpiece Gallery exhibit, I’ll skip answering them this time.
Ann: Do you have a philosophy or symbolism guiding your work with shapes like spheres and wreaths?
Azurekingfisher: The “Spheres” and “Wreaths” are my unique, original builds using only part 2417. Using the “flexible” nature of 2417, geometric, three-dimensional structures are constructed using only stud joints, without the use of adhesives. If you understand that a sphere is a regular or semi-regular polyhedron, and wreaths are regular polygons, it becomes easier to see the patterns.
Regular polygons in wreaths: “From triangle to hexadecagon”
The process of discovering these patterns was a continuous process of trial and error. Rather than managing the structure on a computer or calculating it on paper, it was literally born from repeated hand-assembly, demolition, and reassembly.
Of the 14 studs in 2417, which studs have strong joints, and which have weak joints?
The softness (hardness) of the “flexibility” varies depending on the color.
Since 2014, I have been building a number of spheres using a number of different part assembly methods. I have made a series of spheres of different sizes three times so far. My assembly methods have evolved over the years, and the color variations for 2417 have expanded, resulting in gorgeous, precise builds.
2017 Version
2020 Version
2024 Version
LEGO and Origami
Ann: You’ve mentioned an affinity between your LEGO spheres and origami polyhedrons. Can you tell us more about that connection?
Sonobe-style unit origami (from 3 to 60 sheets)
Azurekingfisher: I feel a deep affinity between Sonobe-style origami units, invented in Japan, and the 2417 spheres and wreaths I’ve built. Sonobe-style units are made by creating a single unit with origami, then combining multiple identical units to create various polyhedrons.
By undoing the connections between the units, they return to their individual units.
When I was in elementary school, I was obsessed with Sonobe-style units and made lots of them to play with. The attached image is a nostalgic recreation of those days this summer:
Sonobe-style unit origami is colorful and comes in a variety of shapes. It’s light and stable, so it can even be fashioned into arranged into ”kusudama” .
When I was turning the spheres and wreaths from 2417 into mobile sculptures, I may have unconsciously had the Sonobe-style unit in mind.
Birds and Other Winged Creatures
Ann: Your “LEGO Birds” and other winged creatures are breathtaking. What draws you to this theme?
Azurekingfisher: Thank you. I’ve always been drawn to winged creatures—not just birds. As a child, I loved watching wild birds in the garden and owned a bird field guide. I also adored winged beings in picture books, fairy tales, and myths. Being somewhat frail, I think I longed for the freedom of flight.
When I started my creative work, part 2417 was limited in color, so I combined it with part 2423 (Plant, Leaves 4×3) to create small tabletop birds with tiny wings. The Indian peacocks, swans, and flamingos in the Masterpiece Gallery came from a sudden inspiration in summer 2015: “half-arches (part 6005) look like a bird’s head and neck!” – built in a single week.
A little larger-winged birds like Owl were built in 2018. Their wings are beautiful but fragile—too weak to hang.
In 2019, I created my first mobile bird sculpture, White Bird, built with minimized body weight for suspension. Its wings are made only of part 2417, finding strong, stable connections (no glue). The part 2417 reveals delicate patterns, and flex softly, casting feather-like shadows.
I expanded the wings’ shapes, leading to Kingfisher, Big fire bird, Eagle, Griffin and Pegasus:
Kingfisher
Big Fire Bird
Eagle
Griffin
Pegasus
Ann: You clearly made these with great love, didn’t you?
Azurekingfisher: I love both real and imaginary winged creatures. I’d be delighted if, someday, inspiration strikes and a new winged being is born.
Masterpiece Gallery, LEGO House & Billund
Ann: Your exhibition in the Masterpiece Gallery is an extraordinary achievement. What was that experience like?
Azurekingfisher: Exhibiting in the Masterpiece Gallery was an unexpected honor. When I first received the email in early March, I could hardly believe it. Even a month after setup, it still feels like a dream. Reading the LEGO House website – “this year’s exhibition pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with LEGO bricks” – finally made sense of why I was chosen.
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The 6.5 months from March were intense: display planning, discussions, building, finalizing layouts, shipping, and on-site setup. Both LEGO House and I faced many challenges. To hang mobile sculptures inside the showcase, LEGO House drilled holes in the ceiling and attached a grid net. Hooks allowed micro-adjustments, perfectly aligning seven mobile sculptures as planned. I am deeply grateful for the detailed support from the LEGO House team.
Grid-like net fixed to the top of the showcase
The finished display isn’t a random collection—it’s one cohesive world. On the ground, “Bird sanctuary” with peacocks, swans, and flamingos symbolizes peaceful coexistence. Above, sun, planets, White bird, and Kingfisher mobile sculptures float, representing harmony with the universe. I’m proud to have realized such a conceptual display in the Masterpiece Gallery.
Immediately after setup was completed
My first visit to LEGO House felt strangely familiar and liberating. During AFOL Day, I built a small house in the LEGO pool. Diving into a sea of mixed parts, searching for unknown possibilities, was an irreplaceable experience. Unlike following instructions, this freeform building nurtures creativity. I could’ve played there forever.
A tiny house improvised from brick in the LEGO pool
Billund was green and serene. Brief walks revealed pinecones, acorns, and red berries—autumn deepening. I spotted a building resembling set 345—thrilling! The clear blue sky, crisp air, and tranquility were deeply relaxing.
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I focused solely on setting up my exhibit and didn’t visit LEGOLAND, but it was a fulfilling journey. I hope to return to Billund someday.
Closing Thoughts
Ann: Thank you for sharing your creativity with our readers. We wish you continued success and look forward to your future masterpieces!
Azurekingfisher: Thank you for the opportunity to reflect on my creative journey. My work has always been like gazing up at the sparkling surface from the bottom of a still lake. It was a simple process of simply posting to social media. I never belonged to a LUG . I’ve only attended a few events.
Masterpiece Gallery was a wonderful experience, but I believe that deeper exploration is what suits me best. I am returning to the bottom of the still lake, my creative home.
What else would you like to see built with LEGO leaf elements? Let us know in the comments below.
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