NJ artist turns Rubik's Cubes into stunning portraits, including Springsteen, Taylor Swift

Ethan Bruno has seen many twists and turns since becoming an artist. And that’s just to get things started on his masterpieces.

Bruno, 35, makes art out of the popular Rubik’s Cube puzzle from the 1980s.

Each mosaic ranges from 550 to 750 full-sized Rubik’s Cubes, and when the project is complete, it doesn’t look like a puzzle.

It looks like a work of art.

And it’s something that came together during a trip overseas a few years back.

“It really dates back to when I was traveling in 2021, I was in Spain at their version of the Museum of Modern Art,” said Bruno, a Neptune resident who is originally from the White Plains area. “They had one on display, it was a simplified display. I knew how to do the Rubik's Cube, I thought ‘I can do this.’ It took me a year and a half, I kind of let it go, and I thought ‘let me take a stab at it.’

“I had to get a thousand cubes. Searched for suppliers overseas. Went through a few until I was happy with the quality of the product and shipping speed. Finally settled on one, got custom cubes made. Then it’s about the design process, which is all digital. That’s where I start. That is a mixed bag of how long it can take.

“Some designs are fast. Others take me weeks or more.”

It’s not an easy process.

Heck, just doing the puzzle takes about a minute a cube, which sounds incredibly fast, but when you’re doing 500 of them, that’s a long day at the office.

Then it’s about picking the right subject.

While a lover of the arts, Bruno’s first stab at his art was when he created a piece on music producer Skrillex.

Bruno picked him because he’s also a huge fan of his musical work.

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“I used to make music back in the day, 10 years ago, he was a big inspiration. He’s a music producer and carved out his own niche in 2010s. Really cool because it’s all merit-based. Totally based on music. Great for guys breaking into the music industry. So I started with him, and it took me much longer than any of the ones I’m doing now because I had to learn.

“First time, I didn’t have a good system down, it wasn’t my favorite or best work, but I got to the end of it thinking ‘Wow, this is really cool.’ If I can improve speed and workflow and make it easier, I can put a bunch together. Then I did a Taylor Swift one, that was a little bit better, with a much-improved workflow.”

Like anything, the more practice Bruno gets, the better it becomes.

And now his projects are starting to have a Jersey Shore fell to it. He did that to boost recognition and at the same time, pay homage to his home.

The one he put on his social media pages is a great one of the skip, Tony Soprano. Later designs were of Little Steven Van Zandt, and of course, Asbury Park’s favorite son Bruce Springsteen.

That one will be a hot seller.

“I met with an art gallery in Long Branch, and showed him one of my works,” Bruno said. “He said ‘the Springsteen one would go in a second. Someone over the summer will buy it in a heartbeat.’ That’s the thinking of the Stevie Van Zant. I have a design for Stone Pony. It’s more to pay respects to the locals around here, the Shore area, and Jersey in general.

“When I did the Tony Soprano one, once I put that on social media about a week ago, it’s gotten some views. It’s nice to get them because I need people to know about it. But it’s also to honor the Jersey Shore.”

While this isn’t his full-time job yet – he’s worked in the food industry managing restaurants and he’s also worked in marketing and is now very busy with a new baby born five weeks ago – he’s hoping someday his art becomes his career.

His works usually cost between $ 4,500 to $6,500, and his work comes fully framed. He said he’s happy to do custom pieces, and advises the best way to order is through his website.

So far, it’s been nothing but compliments. He said he’s excited to see where this takes him.

“It’s really fun, that’s why I did it, I wanted to see if I liked it and enjoyed it,” Bruno said. “It’s therapeutic, I put on music and step away from electronics, the world for a number of hours at a time while I’m building them.

“I just have to sit down. First you do the Rubik’s Cube, that is the easier part. I can do it in about a minute. It’s not a great accomplishment, some do it in 8 seconds. But that’s the easy part. It’s the designing process. That’s harder, more challenging to figure out. But it’s also a lot of fun.

“It’s not rocket science, but there’s a variety of steps that’s not very clear and visual even if you’re a graphic designer. That’s the fun part, figuring it out. Then when you see it, yeah, it’s great.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean there haven’t been heartbreaks.

After making some of his finest work, after admiring it, if they’re not sold, they’re taken down.

“It is heartbreaking at times, it’s hard,” he said. “I build them, took photos and then it’s deconstruction. It does hurt, but until I have a huge art gallery, it’s hard to keep them all in my house.”

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Neptune NJ: Rubik's Cube artist designs Springsteen, Soprano works