Thomas Jefferson’s Houses

Thomas Jefferson's Houses
Size:  500 pieces
Dimensions: 48 cm x 36 cm
Manufacturer: TCG, #58805-23
Author: Alamy
Puzzle: Vibrant, uplifting puzzle with blue skies, green trees, bright flowers, and a stately manor reflecting in a pond. Pleasure to assemble.

I liked starting with the red path around the pond, to separate the building and the grounds from their reflection. Building on that horizontal guide, the lawn and the gardens can be assembled. The sky and its boundary with the building, the building itself, as well as its reflection in the water can come next. The remaining area with trees and their reflection will follow.

This puzzle came as part of a package of five 500-piece puzzles.

Portugal Azores Islands

Portugal Azores Islands
Size:  500 pieces
Dimensions: 48 cm x 36 cm
Manufacturer: TCG, #58805-23
Author: Günter Gräfenhain
Puzzle: Windmills always seem somewhat magical to me – an image from a quiet pastoral fantasy, drowning in luscious flowers, with bottomless blue skies. This puzzle is quite simple due to clear transitions and small number of pieces. I loved letting my mind wander in in its clouds and fields.

There are many good places to start: the bright red of the mills and the white nets of the blades, the boundaries between green and deep blue, the horizon, the mountains and the clouds against the sky. Hydrangeas are probably the most challenging part, but if you’ve filled in everything else, including the black shadows at the bottom, they soon fall into place.

This puzzle came as part of a package of five 500-piece puzzles.

Puzzle: Lakeside Porch, by Julian Askins

Julian Asking - Lakeside Porch, med

Size: 300 pieces
Dimensions: 73 cm x 48.57 cm
Producer
: The Canadian Group, Sure-Lox, 2008, #70310-7
Artist: Julian Askins has gained renown for his brilliantly-colored works that capture the light, beauty, architecture, and nature of the Mediterranean, Caribbean and coastal North America. His artwork often features peaceful outdoor verandas, harbors, seascapes, and terraces that evoke a mood of joyful solitude. [Park West Gallery site]

Puzzle: A lovely painting, this puzzle was very simple given the size and number of the pieces. With the pieces flowing into place, it made for a zen evening. I have started with the sea, the window and the wall, the sunny blankets and cushions, the tablecloth, and the wicker chairs. The flowers followed and the rest of the picture filled in with little effort.