Cecilie Fritzvold
About you
What is your name?
Cecilie Fritzvold
Which country are you from?
Norway
How old are you?
42
About your LEGO passion
How did you get into building with LEGO bricks, especially building your own creations?
I always enjoyed LEGO building as a child, but what got me out of my dark ages as an adult and into MOC-building was during my last year as a student, when a LEGO model replicating the new campus building that was being built appeared outside the cafeteria in the old campus building. It was built by a PhD-student at the same faculty, and it amazed me so much and made me want to start building my own creations. So, once I was done with my degree and got a job, I started buying LEGO bricks again and working on figuring out how to create my own things.
What kind of creations do you love building the most, and why?
I feel that I am pretty versatile in what I build, and I don’t really have a preferred type of creation. I draw inspiration from many things that I find fun and interesting, such as manga/anime shows, video games, historical Japanese style and architecture, my hobby of playing basketball, pop culture references (especially things that are nostalgic to me from my childhood) but also just the world around me.
If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring LEGO builders, what would it be?
We have all started from somewhere. Don’t ever think that you can’t make your own creations, practice makes perfect! Find something that interests you and build it!
How does it feel to have your work exhibited here at LEGO House - Home of the Brick?
I have visited the LEGO House almost every year since it came to be, and so to be invited to display my creations here means a lot to me, after seeing all the amazing creations other fans have displayed here, and being told that what I have built is worthy to be displayed among those other amazing creations!
What’s next for you in your LEGO journey—any upcoming projects or dreams?
Wherever my inspiration takes me! I am not good at planning my builds.
Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website or social media profile that you can share?
My entire portfolio of MOCs is viewable at www.flickr.com/cecilihf (including really early stuff that shows the growth I have gone through as a builder), but my most recent creations are also on www.instagram.com/ceshiirie.
About your LEGO creation(s) on display
Title
Ronin
Can you describe your model and what it represents?
The original idea for this build was to mimic a drawing I found online by using forced perspective techniques, with the ronin and Torii gate in the foreground at the largest scale, a pagoda in the middle area in a smaller scale, and Mt Fuji in the background to create a backdrop for the image.
In the original version that was built only for that one perfect picture, the pagoda was built in only black and white so the only coloured details in the build were the ronin’s clothes, the Torii gate, some red leaves and the red sun, highlighting these parts to create focus. When I adapted the build to be able to display it in person, I rebuilt the pagoda with red and other coloured details to make it a larger focus in the build.
How long did it take you to build?
I first worked on this model for a month trying to get it done for a building contest, but couldn’t finish it for the deadline. Then I let it rest for a while and picked it up again a few months later, spending another 2-3 months to first finish the original vision for the forced perspective picture and then reworking it to adapt it for in-person display.
Approximately how many LEGO elements did you use?
I have no idea how many parts are in this build in total, but just the roof of the pagoda uses more than a thousand small black parts.
Are there any hidden details, Easter eggs, or techniques used that fans should look out for?
The detail that most people have commented on in this build is the shadows cast by the Torii gate and the ronin, if you didn’t notice them at first, look at the grey parts in the snow again!
