Tag Archives: puzzle

Puzzle: White Dove by Kim Wiggins

Kim Wiggins - White Dove, med

Size:  500 pieces
Dimensions: 48.26 cm x 35.56 cm
Producer: Sure-Lox, The Canadian Group, 2009, #44888PAL
Artist: Kim Wiggins – Growing up in Southern New Mexico, Kim Wiggins began his art career sculpting miniatures of the wildlife around him. In 1989, Wiggins deliberately leapt from an impressionist style to the dynamic, dramatic expressionist style for which he is known today, populating his canvases with ribbons of color, bulbous clouds, anthropomorphic mountains, sinewy trees and distorted houses. [Puzzle box]

Painting: http://www.greenwichworkshop.com/details/default.asp?p=2455&a=264&t=4&page=1&detailtype=artist

Notes: The Mission San Xavier del Bac, built circa 1783 south of Tucson, Arizona, is affectionately called “The White Dove of the Desert.” This most famous of the missions founded by Father Eusebio Francisco Kino still ministers to the Papago Indians. Wiggins says, “I tried to capture the spirit of the mission by representing Father Kino passing a dove to a Papago Indian boy. The dove represents the peaceful nature of this tribe. Storm clouds swirl above as a reminder of the struggles these gentle people faced. Not only did they battle nature, but the mission became their only refuge against the constant attacks by the fierce Apache Indians. The mission, home to statues draped in real clothing and brightly painted carvings, is open to the public every day as well as those on pilgrimage.” [Greenwich Workshop site]

Puzzle: Portofino Coast by James Coleman

James Coleman - Portofino Coast, med

Size:  750 pieces
Dimensions: 59.7 cm x 39.4 cm
Producer: Sure-Lox
Artist: James Coleman
Painting: http://www.progressiveart.com/coleman/coleman_portofino_coast.shtml

Notes: Portofino is an Italian fishing village, and upmarket resort famous for its picturesque harbour and historical association with celebrity visitors. It is a comune located in the province of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town is crowded round its small harbour, is closely associated with Paraggi Beach, which is a few minutes up the coast. According to Pliny the Elder, Portofino was founded by the Romans and named Portus Delphini, or Port of the Dolphin, because of the large number of dolphins that inhabited the Tigullian Gulf. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Molly Malone, Dublin

Molly Malone, Dublin, med

Size:  550 pieces
Dimensions: 60.5 cm x 46 cm

Notes: I brought this puzzle with me from Ireland in 2008. I do not have a record of the producer of this puzzle as I do not have the box anymore. A clarification is welcome – if you have any clue as to the details regarding this puzzle, I would much appreciate that information.

Molly Malone: “Molly Malone” (also known as “Cockles and Mussels” or “In Dublin’s Fair City”) is a popular song, set in Dublin, Ireland, which has become the unofficial anthem of Dublin City. The Molly Malone statue in Grafton Street was unveiled by then Lord Mayor of Dublin, Alderman Ben Briscoe during the 1988 Dublin Millennium celebrations, declaring 13 June as Molly Malone Day.

In Dublin’s fair city,
Where the girls are so pretty,
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,
As she wheeled her wheel-barrow,
Through streets broad and narrow,
Crying, “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!”
“Alive, alive, oh,
Alive, alive, oh”,
Crying “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh”.

She was a fishmonger,
But sure ’twas no wonder,
For so were her father and mother before,
And they each wheeled their barrow,
Through streets broad and narrow,
Crying, “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!”
(chorus)

She died of a fever,
And no one could save her,
And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone.
Now her ghost wheels her barrow,
Through streets broad and narrow,
Crying, “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!”
(chorus)

[Wiki]

Puzzle: House of Parliament, Ottawa, Canada

House of Parliament, Ottawa, Canada, med

Size:  500 pieces
Dimensions: 43.5cm x 27cm

Notes: I do not have a record of the producer of this puzzle as I do not have the box anymore. A clarification is welcome – if you have any clue as to the details regarding this puzzle, I would much appreciate that information.

Canadian Parliament: The Parliament of Canada (French: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and organization. The governor general summons and appoints each of the 105 members of the upper house on the advice of the Prime Minister of Canada, while the 308 members of the lower house are directly elected by eligible voters in the Canadian populace, with each Member of Parliament representing a single electoral district, commonly referred to as a riding.

By constitutional convention, the House of Commons is the dominant branch of parliament, the Senate and Crown rarely opposing its will. The Senate thus reviews legislation from a less partisan standpoint, and the monarch and viceroy provide the necessary Royal Assent to make bills into law and summon, prorogue, and dissolve parliament in order to call an election, as well as reading the Throne Speech. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Steam Engine

Steam Engine, med

Size: 750 pieces
Dimensions: 59.69 cm x 39.37 cm
Producer:  The Canadian Group, Sure-Lox, All Aboard series, 2012, #40562-2
Artist: Ron Niebrugge

Puzzle: I found it easiest to start from the water and the clear line between the water and the rocks to define a horizontal guide. From that point on, the railroad, the black locomotive, the carriages, and various green and rocky regions are equally logical to do, since not many of them provide an easily-delineated coloured region. This puzzle benefits from good lighting.

Steam Engine: A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.

Using boiling water to produce mechanical motion goes back about 2,000 years, but early devices were not practical. Since the late 1700s steam engines have become a major source of mechanical power. The first applications were removing water from mines. In 1781 Watt patented a steam engines that produced continuous rotative motion. Steam engines could also be applied to vehicles such as traction engines and the railway locomotives which are commonly just called steam engines ouside America. The stationary steam engine was an important component of the Industrial Revolution, overcoming the limitations imposed by shortage of sites suitable for water mill and allowing factories to locate where water power was unavailable. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Steam Locomotive

Steam Locomotive, med

Size: 750 pieces
Dimensions: 59.69 cm x 39.37 cm
Producer:  The Canadian Group, Sure-Lox, All Aboard series, 2012, #40562-3
Artist: Barrie Neil

Puzzle: The blue of the sky and the mountains are an easy starting point, followed by the black-and-red locomotive, the SW sign, and the repetitive-window carriages of the train, and the bottom branching of the rails with white regions. Green and beige slopes on the left are logical stand-alone regions, and the rest of the mountain, grassy right-bottom corner, and rails and wheels can be filled out afterwards. Overall a pleasant puzzle not requiring much effort.

Locomotive: A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine. Both fuel and water supplies are carried with the locomotive, either on the locomotive itself or in wagons pulled behind.

Steam locomotives were first developed in Britain and dominated railway transportation until the middle of the 20th century. From the early 1900s they were gradually superseded by electric and diesel locomotives. [Wiki]


Puzzle: Yosemite Falls in Sierra Nevada Park in California, USA

Yosemite Falls in Sierra Nevada Park, California, USA, med

Size:  500 pieces
Dimensions: 45.5 cm x 39.5 cm

Notes: I do not have a record of the producer of this puzzle as I do not have the box anymore. A clarification is welcome – if you have any clue as to the details regarding this puzzle, I would much appreciate that information.

Yosemite Falls: Yosemite Falls is the highest measured waterfall in North America. Located in Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada of California, it is a major attraction in the park, especially in late spring when the water flow is at its peak.

At the base of falls was located the main village of the native people of Yosemite Valley – Ahwahneechee people.

The Ahwahneechee people called the waterfall “Cholock” (“the fall”) and believed that the plunge pool at its base was inhabited by the spirits of several witches, called the Poloti. An Ahwaneechee folktale describes a woman going to fetch a pail of water from the pool, and drawing it out full of snakes. Later that night, after the woman had trespassed into their territory, the spirits caused the woman’s house to be sucked into the pool by a powerful wind, taking the woman and her newborn baby with it. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Perseverance by Thomas Kinkade


Size: 750 pieces
Dimensions: 60.96cm x 60.96cm
Producer: Ceaco, No.2943-6
Artist: Thomas Kinkade
Puzzle: This puzzle was a pleasure to do: the sunlit clouds and the boat are the logical starting points, as is the horizon. The foam on the waves separates the puzzle into several smaller regions, easy to complete. The waves just below the horizon are parallel to it, making that part of the puzzle trivial to complete.

Perseverance: Perseverance is the individual’s tendency to behave without being reinforced into the motivation purposes. In psychology, perseverance is related to a non-cognitive trait. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Ladies Night by Patricia Govezensky


Size: 500 pieces, 1 piece missing
Dimensions: 48.26cm x 35.56cm
Producer: Sure-Lox, The Canadian Group, Celebration of Women series, #44296-4, 2008
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: With so many distinct bright regions, this puzzle is trivial to do and is a pleasure for the eye.

Ladies Night: A ladies’ night is a promotional event, often at a bar or nightclub, where female patrons pay less than male patrons for the cover charge or drinks. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Fenced Flower Garden


Size: 550 pieces
Dimensions: 33cm x 48.3cm
Producer: RoseArt, 1997, No. 99999RA
Puzzle: Not a trivial puzzle due to the shape and fit of the pieces, but not significantly difficult as it is only 550 pieces. The most logical part to tackle first is the fence, providing vertical and horizontal guidelines to the variety of small flower patches behind it. Once the fence is done, yellow flowers and orange lillies are the easiest to complete. The bottom right purple batch of flowers and the fuchsia one above are equally good to take on next, and the few remaining green pieces can then easily be placed.

Fence: A fence is a freestanding structure designed to restrict or prevent movement across a boundary. Fences are generally distinguished from walls by the lightness of their construction and their purpose. Walls are usually barriers made from solid brick or concrete, blocking vision as well as passage, while fences are used more frequently to provide visual sectioning of spaces. [Wiki]

Puzzle: First frost


Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 45.72cm x 59.69cm
Producer: Springbok, by Hallmark, PZL4458
Puzzle: The most logical starting point is the stem of the branch that has a distinct colour and splits the puzzle into two regions giving a central guideline. The purple leaf regions followed by the dark green ones and the light-blue and white ones are the next areas to attack. Black and dark purple patches , and out-of-focus branches are distinct enough as well. The remainder is somewhat uniform white and blue, completing the outside small branches.

Frost: Frost is the solid deposition of water vapor from saturated air. It is formed when solid surfaces are cooled to below the dew point of the adjacent air as well as below the freezing point of water. Frost crystals’ size differs depending on time and water vapour available. Frost is also usually translucent in appearance. There are many types of frost, such as radiation and window frost. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Symphony in Red by Nava Grunfeld


Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 51.12cm x 66.52cm
Producer: Hasbro, MB Puzzles, Big Ben, Artist Series, Nava Grunfeld, 2008
Puzzle: This puzzle is not trivial, but not significantly difficult either. Large blue dish with white spirals and smaller blue dish give a good outline to the top half of the puzzle. Lemons can be filled in afterwards, as well as the lilac-coloured flowers. From that point on, green, yellow, orange, red, and brown patches are equally challenging: I ended up finishing with the tulips, but perhaps a reversal might have been easier.

Artist: Artist Nava Grunfeld was born in Sweden and grew up in Israel, where she began to closely observe nature. She is known for her bold watercolor paintings of still life objects, fruit and flowers. Her technique of layering multiple veils of transparent color onto each painting brings a luminous quality to her work. Like a stained glass window, the white of the paper acts as the light source that glows through the colors. [Puzzle box]

Puzzle: Columbia River Gorge


Size: 500 pieces, 1 missing
Dimensions: 35.24cm x 50.48cm
Producer: MB Puzzle, Croxley series, 1996, #4611-14
Puzzle: The waterfall and the tree are the logical places to start, followed by highlighted grass and leaves, the flowers, and finally by branch and leaf regions. Pleasant and not trivial.

Gorge: A canyon, or gorge, is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon.

Canyons are much more common in arid areas than in wet areas because physical weathering has a greater effect in arid zones. The wind and water from the river combine to erode and cut away less resistant materials such as shales. The freezing and expansion of water also serves to help form canyons. Water seeps into cracks between the rocks and freezes, pushing the rocks apart and eventually causing large chunks to break off the canyon walls, in a process known as frost wedging. Canyon walls are often formed of resistant sandstones or granite. Submarine canyons form underwater, generally at the mouths of rivers. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Iris (1889) by Vincent van Gogh (Dutch 1853-1890)


Size: 63 pieces
Dimensions: 13cm x 18cm
Producer: Product Art Inc., Toronto, Mini-Puzzle series, No.113
Puzzle: Very small puzzle that can easily be done in 10 minutes. Pleasant lines, green leaves and the purple of the flower fall into place, and the rest is simple.

Iris: Iris is a genus of 260–300 species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Wild flowers & summer wine


Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 73cm x 48.57cm
Producer: Sure-Lox, The Canadian Group, Canvas Collection series, 2011, #44716-1
Artist: Stephen Darbishire/Rosenstiel

Puzzle: There are multiple regions of the puzzle that can be done independently: fruit, cheeses, yellow/green grass, blue cloudy patch of sky, wooden table parts, bottom of the window, and the chair cushion. From that point on, the window frame, the bright tablecloth top and plates, the lilac of the mountains, and the dark blue/purple of the tablecloth can be completed. The tree branches,  the white of the sky, the remaining bouquet, and the dark curtain and bottom left corner remain. Very pleasant and calming puzzle to do, due to a variety of patterns, vivid colours, and serene imagery.

Wild flower: A wild flower is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant probably is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is in any way different from the way it appears in the wild as a native plant, even if it is growing where it would not naturally.

Puzzle: Pie baking day by Janet Kruskamp


Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 45.26cm x 35.56cm
Producer: Sure-Lox, The Canadian Group, Country Kitchen series, 2011, #42225-3
Artist: Janet Kruskamp

Puzzle: The orange curtains and the checkered parts are an easy place to start. Flowers on the window sill, apples, edge of the green table, sky, and tree can follow. The pipe, door frame, garden, and beige cupboard can be finished next, leaving the cans, dishes, and a few other small areas to complete. Very pleasant and staightforward puzzle. It also includes a shortbread cookies recipe and a red puzzle piece cookie cutter.

Baking: In ancient history, the first evidence of baking occurred when humans took wild grass grains, soaked them in water, and mixed everything together, mashing it into a kind of broth-like paste. The paste was cooked by pouring it onto a flat, hot rock, resulting in a bread-like substance. Later, this paste was roasted on hot embers, which made bread-making easier, as it could now be made anytime fire was created.

In ancient history, the first evidence of baking occurred when humans took wild grass grains, soaked them in water, and mixed everything together, mashing it into a kind of broth-like paste. The paste was cooked by pouring it onto a flat, hot rock, resulting in a bread-like substance. Later, this paste was roasted on hot embers, which made bread-making easier, as it could now be made anytime fire was created. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Blue Stove by Janet Kruskamp


Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 45.26cm x 35.56cm
Producer: Sure-Lox, The Canadian Group, Country Kitchen series, 2011, #42225-1
Artist: Janet Kruskamp

Puzzle: I have started this one with the blue regions: the door, the stove, the rug, and the chair. Window frame, white flowers in the vase, red apples, bowl on the table, the vase, the plaque on the stove, and the garden path are smaller self-contained regions. The flower garden and the light part of the floor easily fall into place, and the brown under the vase and all around and on the stove are the more subtle parts left over. Not a hard puzzle to do, it helps to have natural light at the end. The puzzle includes a shortbread cookies recipe and a red puzzle piece cookie cutter.

Stove: The Old English word stofa meant any individual enclosed space, such as a room, and ‘stove’ is still occasionally used in that sense, as in ‘stoved in’. Until well into the 19th century ‘stove’ was used to mean a single heated room, so that Joseph Bank’s assertion that he ‘placed his most precious plants in the stove’ or Rene Descarte’s observation that he got ‘his greatest philosophical inspiration while sitting inside a stove’ are not as odd as they first seem.

In its earliest attestation, cooking was done by roasting meat and tubers in an open fire. Pottery and other cooking vessels may be placed directly on an open fire, but setting the vessel on a support, as simple as a base of three stones, resulted in a stove. The three-stone stove is still widely used around the world. In some areas it developed into a U-shaped dried mud or brick enclosure with the opening in the front for fuel and air, sometimes with a second smaller hole at the rear. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Canning Day by Janet Kruskamp


Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 45.26cm x 35.56cm
Producer: Sure-Lox, The Canadian Group, Country Kitchen series, 2011, #42225-2
Artist: Janet Kruskamp

Puzzle: A logical starting point are the checkered curtains, followed by the yellow batches of colour and the stove. Floor boards, white table, garden path and flowers, the patches of sky, and the vegetables make stand-alone regions that are easy to put together. Door frame and window frame logically fall into place. The rug, corn, and places under the stove follow, to leave only the cupboards and a few dark areas. Easy and fast puzzle to do. It also includes a shortbread cookies recipe and a red puzzle piece cookie cutter.

Canning: Canning is a method of preserving food in which the food contents are processed and sealed in an airtight container. Canning provides a typical shelf life ranging from one to five years, although under specific circumstances a freeze-dried canned product, such as canned, dried lentils, can last as long as 30 years in an edible state. In 1795 the French military offered a cash prize of 12,000 francs for a new method to preserve food. Nicolas Appert suggested canning and the process was first proven in 1806 in test with the French navy and the prize awarded in 1809 or 1810. The packaging prevents microorganisms from entering and proliferating inside.

To prevent the food from being spoiled before and during containment, a number of methods are used: pasteurisation, boiling (and other applications of high temperature over a period of time), refrigeration, freezing, drying, vacuum treatment, antimicrobial agents that are natural to the recipe of the foods being preserved, a sufficient dose of ionizing radiation, submersion in a strong saline solution, acid, base, osmotically extreme (for example very sugary) or other microbially-challenging environments. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Milllies Kitchen


Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 73cm x 48.57cm
Producer: Sure-Lox, The Canadian Group, Canvas Collection series, 2011, #44716-5
Artist: H. Hargrove

Puzzle: A rather detailed puzzle with many small regions of colour. White sink and plate, garlic and the orange objects behind it are probably the easiest place to start. The metal watering can, the light fixture, and the dark yellow/orange on the top shelf and the book in the lower left are several groups of colour that are easy to do. The tree and the red of the shed outside, followed by the window sill, leaves mostly dark regions to complete the puzzle. I found it quite an engaging one.

Asparagus: Asparagus has been used as a vegetable and medicine, owing to its delicate flavour, diuretic properties, and more. It is pictured as an offering on an Egyptian frieze dating to 3000 BC. Still in ancient times, it was known in Syria and in Spain. Greeks and Romans ate it fresh when in season and dried the vegetable for use in winter; Romans would even freeze it high in the Alps, for the Feast of Epicurus. Emperor Augustus reserved the “Asparagus Fleet” for hauling the vegetable, and coined the expression “faster than cooking asparagus” for quick action. A recipe for cooking asparagus in the oldest surviving book of recipes, Apicius’s third-century AD De re coquinaria, Book III. [Wiki]