“All children are born artists, the problem is how to remain one once they grow up.” 

-- Pablo Picasso

The macro lenses of Vesa Lehtimaki (Helsinki), Shelly Corbett (Seattle) and Boris Vanrillaer (Stockholm) capture and combine nature and Lego minifigures, creating fanciful landscapes unexpectedly realized in large-scale, fine art photographs. In an age when the majority of photographs are viewed on one's phone, the forgotten joy of seeing large photographs like this -- with grain pulsating, snow sparkling and and thousands of gradations of color -- is a truly visceral experience.

A massive boom in nostalgia-fueled toy photography has caused communities of both amateur and professional photographers to pop up all over Instagram, Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter. Social media has created a bridge across more than 5,000 miles for Vesa(avanaut), Shelly(xxsjc) and Boris(_me_2), enabling them to form the artist's collective Stuck in Plastic. The trio will soon meet in person for the very first time at the opening of their group show on March 5 at the Bryan Ohno Gallery in Seattle. Though their styles vary, they share a common desire to reveal the inner lives and loves of the diminutive Lego minifigure which connects us all -- young and old -- and is set to outnumber the human race by 2019.

Vesa Lehtimäki (Helsinki)     Shelly Corbett (Seattle)    Boris Vanrillaer (Stockholm)