Puzzles

Puzzle: Rock Wall by Craig Joiner

Rock wall, med

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 67.95 cm x 48.10 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Vibrant series, 2015, CWR87 ASST DFC35, 966C, A15055LP, #51692
Artist: Craig Joiner

Puzzle: Beautiful yet non-trivial puzzle, due to very few distinct colours, lots of slight shade variations and repetitive patterns. Easiest places to start are the birch trees that can serve as the vertical guides later and the rock wall with its bright green moss, distinctly grey rocks, and lighter pink leaves in a few crevices. From that point on, it’s a play of shade and light, slow but rewarding assembly. This puzzle is good for contemplation time and can be stretched across multiple evenings.

Puzzle: New Sun Harbour by Dominic Davison

New Sun Harbour, med
Size: 750 pieces
Dimensions: 67.94 cm x 48.10 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Reflections series, 2015, CxC29 ASST DFD77, 966B, A10055LP, #50572
Artist: Dominic Davison

Puzzle: Beautiful view of a harbour, with colourful reflections, sky in sunset colours, birds, boats, and a cozy cafe table with a green umbrella, a vase of flowers and a glass of wine.

Easiest places to start are the sky and its boundary with the buildings, the green umbrella, the blue and turquoise boats, reflections on the water, and the table. Buildings, boats, flowers, chairs, and the rest of the image falls into place afterwards. A wonderfully beautiful and relaxing puzzle.

Save

Puzzle: Riverside, California, U.S.A.

Riverside, California, medSize: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 51.12 cm x 66.52 cm
Producer: MB Puzzle, Hasbro Canada, 2009, 17077C-43969
Photographer: Larry Ulrich

Puzzle: A colourful gazebo in a California park, with bright white steps, red pillars, orange roof and ornate decoration. Beautiful and peaceful puzzle to assemble, challenging enough to take a bit more time.

Good places to start are the orange striped roof and its border with the sky, the red pillars, the grass and the paths at the bottom, as well as the white steps and fence, and the red dome of the tower in the background. The more challenging parts are the sky, the greenery, and the brown tower and tree trunk regions.

Save

Puzzle: Lanterman’s Mill by Joseph Burgess

Lanterman's Mill, med

Size: 750 pieces
Dimensions: 67.94 cm x 48.10 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Reflections series, 2015, CxC26 ASST DFD77, 966B, A31124LP, #50572
Artist: Joseph Burgess

Puzzle: Another puzzle from the Reflections series, this one depicts a peaceful landscape with a mill, flowing water, a covered bridge, and flower gardens. Serene and easy-to-assemble, it makes for a relaxing activity.

Good places to start are the mill building, its border with the sky, the flowing water, the bridge, and red and purple flowers. The ledge over which the waterfall flows as well as the tree trunks on the right can provide a horizontal and vertical guides respectively. The remaining colours are distinct and the areas small, so the rest of the pieces easily fall into place.

Save

Puzzle: Carnival Moon by Aimee Stewart

Carnival Moon, med

Size: 750 pieces
Dimensions: 67.94 cm x 48.10 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Reflections series, 2015, CxC28 ASST DFD77, 966B, A11055LP, #50572
Artist: Aimee Stewart

Puzzle: Beautiful, vibrant puzzle of a street during a carnival – an uplifting and festive image. The variety of bright, well-separated colours and distinct gradients, in combination with easily-manageable 750 well-fitting pieces makes this puzzle a breeze to assemble. Good places to start are the pillar at the left and the woman standing by it, the moon, sky and tower near it, the bridge, the boat, and the water. Red and pink dresses are distinct, as are the balustrades, steps, and the lights under the bridge. The rest of the pieces fall into place easily.

Save

Puzzle: The Dreaming Tree

 The Dreaming Tree, med

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 67.95 cm x 48.1 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Fantastic Visions series, 2014, No. 50939ABN, A 12113 PP
Artist: Aimee Stewart
Original: artwork

Puzzle: With its wonderful fantasy imagery and subtle colour variation, this is one of my favourite puzzles, so much so that it decorates the wall above my work desk. Reminiscent of Elven trees from Middle Earth’s Lothlórien, Vallenwood trees from Dragonlance, and Ygdrassil tree ships from the Hyperion Cantos, its winding steps, dwellings, and terraces are a calming, inspiring sight.

The puzzle is not trivial, due to gradual colour changes and a variety of small elements. A good place to start is the yellow-orange region in the medium right, the dresses of figures ascending the staircase, the lit windows and the staircase, which can then serve as a near-vertical guide, splitting the picture into two regions. After that, darker green left side can be tackled, followed by red areas of tree bark, black bottom areas, and regions at the top of the tree. Good lighting is a bonus with this puzzle, but the beauty and detail in each region is worth extra effort.

Puzzle: Dancing Girl by Derjen

Derjen - Dancing girl 1, md

Size: 192 pieces
Dimensions: 9 cm x 9 cm x 13.8 cm
Producer: Pintoo, Q1040, #48861
Artist: Derjen

Puzzle: “Showpiece Lantern: A jigsaw worthy of display.
– Snug interlocking allows the puzzle to be displayed without glue.
– Puzzle stands on its own.
– Pieces are easy to move, and do not fall apart when picked up.
– Puzzle is made of durable, water proof plastic material.

Product name: Showpiece Lantern
Materials: PS
This puzzle contains > 160 pieces, > 32 hinge pieces, > 1 cover, > 1 stand
Use three AAA batteries for Lantern stand (purchase separately)
Designed in Taiwan.” [Puzzle box]

Notes: The imagery for this puzzle does look beautiful, and I had fun assembling all four sides of the lantern, together with my son. However, putting them together into a 3D shape has proven somewhat awkward. The small plastic pieces easily snap out of place and the completed shape does not have proper right angles. The lantern comes with a square black base and a square black top cover, both having grooves to presumably fit the lantern sides into them. In reality, due to an outward bend of every side, the lantern crumbles into pieces during attempts to fit the base or the cover on. I have been able to fit it into one or the other but not both. Still, even without the base, the assembled puzzle looks beautiful.

Derjen - Dancing girl 4, med Derjen - Dancing girl 3, med Derjen - Dancing girl 2, med Derjen - Dancing girl, med

Save

Puzzle: Song of the Southwest, Artifacts from the Hartman Collection

Song of the Southwest, Artifacts from the Hartman Collection, med
Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 50.80 cm x 50.80 cm
Producer: Springbok, Hallmark, PZL2206

Puzzle: Beautiful, earthy colours showcasing unique artifacts — I loved this puzzle so much, it is now decorating our guest room wall. With a variety of textures and colours, it was a pleasure to put together.

Since there are so many areas of pattern, good areas to start are the only few solid colour patches of the wall, the green plants, and the red of the carpet. After that, turquoise jewellery pieces, the icon, and different bowls can be assembled separately. It’s fun to bring them together afterwards, and fill in the gaps with the carpet patterns.

Puzzle: Brown and Hopkins General Store, Chepachet, RI

Brown and Hopkins General Store, Chepachet, RI, med
Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 35.24 cm x 50.48 cm
Producer: Milton Bradley (MB) Puzzle, Croxley series, 1995, 4611-3

Puzzle: First puzzle assembled in our new place — after all the moving and organizing, it was nice to get lost in the antique feel of this cozy store. The pieces fit together well, the puzzle is small enough to be simple to do, while a bit of challenge is being added by small repetitive detail of the merchandise shelves.

A good place to start is the wheel and the wooden bottom part of the display. The counter top separates the picture into top and bottom parts and provides a straight line guide around which the puzzle can be build. The colourful dishes with candy, the black boxes under the counter, the bench and the floor are good to tackle next. Then all that remains is to play with the tiny cans on shelves.

Puzzle: Riomaggiore

Riomaggiore, med

Size: 750 pieces
Dimensions: 48.10 cm x 68 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Windows to the World series, 2008, No.50580, 8006528 FO
Photographer: John and Debora Scanlan

Puzzle: Beautiful puzzle, lots of small detail adding to the challenge, but larger areas of gradient colours and the manageable size of 750 pieces make the assembly easier. Great places to start are the sky, the dark of the water, and the green hill bordering the sky. Bottom right region of uniform beige, the colourful stripes of the boats, and the ridged area near the water, in the bottom right quarter, as well as the close-up of a green plant at the bottom right, can be tackled next.

Larger buildings such as the orange/red one in the middle of the picture, yellow one next to it, and the white one ending the row of boats can be done next. From that point, it’s a bit more challenging, but vertical guides of completed buildings can help place the rest. Lovely imagery and fun to assemble.

Notes: Riomaggiore is a village in the province of La Spezia, situated in a small valley in the Liguria region of Italy. The village, dating from the early thirteenth century, is known for its historic character and its wine, produced by the town’s vineyards. [Wiki]

Riomaggiore is the most southern village of the Cinque Terre (“The Five Lands”), a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. Cinque Terre is comprised of five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Over the centuries, people have carefully built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea. Part of its charm is the lack of visible corporate development. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach them from the outside. [Wiki]

Save

Save

Puzzle: Colony of Sea Anemones

Colony of Sea Anemones, med

Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 48.26 cm x 30.02 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Vibrant series, 2014, No.51410ABN, A04034 LP
Photographer: Oliver Hoffman

Puzzle: Small, but not trivial due to small repetitive patterns and areas of colour, this puzzle is a pleasure to tackle, thanks to well-fitting Sure-Lox pieces. Good places to start are the bright red centres of the anemones, and the purples at the top. The rest is a matter of fiddling with bright yellow petals and darker background areas.

Puzzle: Country Christmas

 Country Christmas, med

Size:  1000 pieces
Dimensions: 76.2 cm x 61 cm
Producer: Springbok, Hallmark, 2004, 1JIG10501

Puzzle: A beautiful, fairy-tale style puzzle depicting a cozy house, snugly wrapped in snow, surrounded by festive evergreens. This puzzle was a very calming one to assemble. Good places to start are the brown walls and white roof of the house, the lit-up windows and the staircase, the boundary with the sky, and the red and yellow decorated trees. The darker green trees can be next, followed by the snow-outlined tree in the top right and the snow at the bottom. The sky can come last.

Puzzle: Nautilus Shell

Nautilus Shell, med
Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 30.02 cm x 48.26 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Vibrant series, 2014, No. 51410ABN, A 04034 LP
Photographer: Mircea Bezerghanu
Original: photo

Puzzle: From the same series as the Passion Flower puzzle, this lovely shell was a pleasure to put together. Not completely trivial due to repeating patterns, but with enough colour variation and clear outlines to easily guide the assembly. Good places to start are the red, purple and pink regions, dark spiral outline, followed by darker brown, pale blue, and bright yellow areas. The rest falls into place easily.

Puzzle: Passion Flower

Passion Flower, med

Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 30.02 cm x 48.26 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Vibrant series, 2014, No. 51410ABN, A 04034 LP
Photographer: Johnnyraff

Puzzle: Lovely puzzle to make — not extremely difficult, but not completely trivial either. The bright colours and clear boundaries split the image into several logical areas, and repetitive elements add challenge. An easy place to start is the three-pronged purple stigma(?) on the left, along with the green background, as well as the flower centre with two yellow circles split by a dark purple dotted border. Next the purple, the white, and the blue circles made by the petal colours can be tackled.

Puzzle: Provence

Provence, med

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 67.95 cm x 48.10 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Vibrant series, 2014, No.51420ACN, A12054LP

Puzzle: This puzzle does not have a title or specify where exactly this place is. If you know, please do share.

Another one from the Vibrant series, this is a well-done puzzle with beautiful imagery. It combines bright colours and subtle shades, clear borders and soft transition, as well as a variety of textures to convey the feel of stone of the building, metal of the lantern, sky, bright flowers, sharp branches, prickly succulents, and soft grass. The differences in colour and texture make the assembly simpler.

Good starting points are the sky bordering the trees and the roof, the lantern light, the window shutters, red flowers, darker building wall, yellow grass bordering on green trees, the blue patch in the distance, and the succulents on the left. The trees, succulents, and wall borders provide vertical guides, whereas the balcony floor, grass-tree boundary and grass-pavement boundary act as horizontal guides.

Puzzle: Painted elephants

Painted Elephants, med

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 48.10 cm x 67.95 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Exotics series, 2014, No.50935CN, A20054 PP
Photographer: David Evison

Puzzle: Bright and lovely puzzle, from the same series as Tropical Flowers, this one takes a bit more time to assemble, due to subtle textures and colour transitions. The borders are a logical place to start, followed by the red cloth, the yellow and green elephant head in the lower left, the patches of sky bordering on other objects, and the elephant paint patterns. The trees and grass of the lower right picture are also distinct enough to be easily assembled. The remaining regions take a little more time and attention.

Save

Save

Wings, by Josephine Wall

Josephine Wall - Wings, med

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 73 cm x 48.57 cm
Producer: The Canadian Group, Sure-Lox, 2011, #50403-2, tin box
Artist: Josephine Wall

Puzzle: “High above the clouds, an angel rides her precious steed, accompanied by her entourage of butterflies. Carried by a winged unicorn whose powerful wings contain a heavenly kingdom, where a host of angels play their morning glory instruments, she holds tightly onto his flowing mane. As he flies the tips of his wings create new galaxies. ” [Josephine Wall site]

Yet another Josephine Wall puzzle, detailed and intricate as always. Lots of subtle shades and distinct textures. This is a puzzle to do over the course of several evenings, at a leisurely pace. Good places to start are the unicorn’s head outlined against the background, and the top borders of the wings. The bright green and yellow areas, the figures under the wing, the butterflies, the ripples of the dress, and the starry-textured top right corner are distinct as well. With the Sure-Lox pieces, the puzzle assembles well.

Puzzle: Best Friends, by P. Govezensky

Govezensky, Best Friends, med

Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 48.26 cm x 35.56 cm
Producer: The Canadian Group, Sure-Lox, Celebration of Women series, 2008, #44296-3
Artist: Patricia Govezensky – “For me painting is a means through which I find expression of life’s joy and fulfillment, and I believe art, more than merely being a means of expression itself, also serves as a medium to help us to make peace with our lives through positive and enthusiastic sentiments and regard for the brighter aspects of our existence, escaping form protest, cynicism and selfishness.”

Patricia Govezensky was born in Tel Aviv in 1961 and was raised in Jaffa, a picturesque quarter known for being the site of the oldest port in the world. Patricia, a sensitive artist, brings to her canvas the immortal effeminate women, combining her tender touch & simplicity with magic moments of beauty in delicate domain. [Puzzle box]

Puzzle: From the same series as Ladies Night and Apple Picking, this vibrant puzzle is a pleasure to do — it only took me a leisurely two hours from start to finish. The borders between neighbouring colours are well-defined and the textures are distinct in different parts of the image, so the assembly is a breeze.

Havasu Falls/Pool in the Grand Canyon, Havasupai Indian Reservation

Waterfall C4848-22, med
Size: 750 pieces
Dimensions: 43.81 cm x 58.42 cm
Photographer: William Neill
Producer: Hasbro, 1999, C4848-22
Original: photo

Puzzle: This puzzle does not have a title or specify where this place is. If you know, please do share. A big thank-you to Jamie who has commented with the location and the original image.

“Deep below the Grand Canyon’s rim is Havasu Falls. I was still wet from swimming when I photographed this tranquil pool in the shade of evening. The cool colors of the moss and the travertine minerals in the water make a soothing contrast to this red rock canyon.” [Commercial Fine Art site]

Beautiful, zen scene of water flowing and pooling in rock basins. Waterfalls are one of my favourite subjects to assemble. The number of pieces is perfect to unfold the subtle reflections and colour changes. The horizontal guides of the rocks and the vertical guide provided by the large waterfall divide the picture into smaller areas. The vertical streams of water, the green pools, the white water flowing, the green and orange of the rock wall are all distinct enough to keep the assembly flowing.