Tag Archives: painting

Puzzle: Apple Picking by Betty Wittwe

Betty Wittwe - Apple Picking, med

Size:  1000 pieces
Dimensions: 73 cm x 48.57 cm
Artist: Betty Wittwe – Born in Metz, France in 1959, Wittwe graduated from the School of Beaux Arts and majored in Plastic Arts in 1979. Her strong inclination for performing art has influenced her first canvases featuring musical and dance performances, circus …

Although Wittwe is still adept at painting musicians scenes and ballerinas, she also developed great skills for subjects such as landscapes, garden views, interior scenes,… Inspired by the peaceful atmosphere of her farmhouse in Provence, she uses spontaneous brushwork. Light is provided by the choice of her bright and vivid colors.

She masters her technique and focuses her effects on expressing emotions. Her vivid colors and strong brush work give life and vitality to her paintings. She gives us the possibility to dream and to escape. Recipient of best of show place awards in Paris French Fine Art Exhibition, her reputation crossed the Atlantic in 1997 when she started to exhibit at a major Madison Avenue gallery in New York and Beverly Hills. [Pejman Gallery site]

Producer: Sure-Lox, The Canadian Group, Celebration of Women series,  2009, #40888PAL

Notes: This series celebrates all women with bright colorful images of days gone by, sweet memories and priceless friendships. Our featured artists capture great moments of women – mothers, sisters, daughters and friends. It celebrates the qualities they possess – their graces, inner strength, love, forgiveness, endurance and constant perseverance. [Puzzle box]

Puzzle: The bright colours of women’s dresses and the dark of the tree trunks are logical regions to begin assembly. After that, the sky, the building near horizon, and the apple box are distinct areas. The rest of the puzzle consists of a blend of green, blue, and yellow colours, presenting a bit more of a challenge.

Puzzle: Sonata by Firelight, by Judy Gibson

Judy Gibson - Sonata by Firelight, medSize:  550 pieces, 3 missing, see another copy acquired in 2016 with all pieces present
Dimensions: 46 cm x 61 cm
Producer: Master Pieces, #60105
Artist: Judy Gibson: Animals find their natural habitat in the artwork of Judy Gibson, whether depicted in soulful portraits, snuggled in cozy home settings, perched on snow-laden branches or engaged in spirited competition. Born in Paris, Texas, Gibson draws much of her inspiration from her deep love and respect for animals. In her teens, she painted portraits of prize bulls and horses for area ranchers, and still loves painting symbols of the Southwest. She works in oils, and also enjoys the spontaneity of watercolors. Gibson’s heartwarming art has adorned tapestries, jigsaw puzzles, wallpaper, computer screen-savers and numerous other products. [Art.com]
Painting: http://imgc.artprintimages.com/images/art-print/judy-gibson-sonata-by-firelight_i-G-10-1010-UUYW000Z.jpg

Puzzle: Good regions to start are the white cat, the music sheets, the flower bouquet with the ivy, and the shawl, and the candle holder. The orange separator of the piano lid isolates the top left corner. Flames for the candles and the fireplace are easy to locate, as well as the bust and the wine glass. The keys of the piano, the rug near the fireplace, and the curtain can follow, and the rest of the pieces are trivial to place. Easy and pleasant puzzle to do.

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: 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: 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: Da Vinci’s World


Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 48cm x 68cm
Producer: Educa, Art Collection series, 13050
Artist: Leonardo Da Vinci
Notes: Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. His genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal. Leonardo has often been described as the archetype of the Renaissance Man, a man of “unquenchable curiosity” and “feverishly inventive imagination”.

According to art historian Helen Gardner, the scope and depth of his interests were without precedent and “his mind and personality seem to us superhuman, the man himself mysterious and remote”. Marco Rosci states that while there is much speculation about Leonardo, his vision of the world is essentially logical rather than mysterious, and that the empirical methods he employed were unusual for his time. [Wiki]

Puzzle: European Montage by Jim Zuckerman

European Montage, med
Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 73cm x 48.5cm
Producer: Sure-Lox
Artist: Jim Zuckerman
Notes: Photomontage is the process and result of making a composite photograph by cutting and joining a number of other photographs. The composite picture was sometimes photographed so that the final image is converted back into a seamless photographic print. A similar method, although one that does not use film, is realized today through image-editing software. [Wiki]

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Puzzle: Fairy Dance


Size: 550 pieces
Dimensions: 60.96cm x 45.72cm
Producer:  Ceaco, Meiklejohn Graphics, 2003, #2333-14

Notes: The folklores of the British Isles contain a wealth of fairy lore, including the idea from which fairy rings take their name: the phenomena result from the dancing of fairies. In 19th-century Wales, fairies were almost invariably described as dancing in a group when encountered, and in Scotland and Wales in the late 20th century, stories about fairy rings were still common; some Welsh even claimed to have joined a fairy dance. Victorian folklorists regarded fairies and witches as related, based in part on the idea that both were believed to dance in circles. These revels are particularly associated with moonlit nights, the rings only becoming visible to mortals the following morning. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Peacock Daze by Josephine Wall


Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 33.02cm x 48.26cm
Producer:  Mega Brands America, 2008, #50884
Artist: Josephine Wall

Notes:  Deep in the heart of a rose filled garden, overpowered by an intoxicating perfume, a maiden is transported into a world of daydreams. As she drifts into a trance like state, she imagines herself adorned with peacocks and exotic flowers. She enjoys her fleeting moments of escapism. [Josephine Wall’s site]

Puzzle: Heart and Soul by Josephine Wall


Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 33.02cm x 48.26cm
Producer:  Mega Brands America, 2008, #50884
Artist: Josephine Wall

Notes:  The butterfly maiden looks inquiringly up at the heavens, soul-searching as she watches the clouds form layer upon layer of strange and wonderful lands.Beneath her multicoloured, gossamer headdress beats the heart of a lion offering strength to the gentle souls in flight.A swirl of flowers forming a garland around the “Queen of the Jungle”, gradually blends into sea and stars.This transitional plane is the meeting place between the butterfly’s ethereal and gentle world and the lion’s proud and powerful domain. The outcome of this meeting is a perfect blend for life. [Josephine Wall’s site]

Puzzle: Iris – Keeper of the Rainbow by Josephine Wall


Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 33.02cm x 48.26cm
Producer:  Mega Brands America, 2008, #50884
Artist: Josephine Wall

Notes:  Throughout the ages, the rainbow has been the symbol of hope, a promise of better things to come. The ancient Greeks personified the rainbow as the goddess Iris, the favourite handmaiden and messenger of Hera, the queen of the heavenly court of Olympus. Carried by her shimmering wings, Iris travels so swiftly that mortals can see only the trail of her rainbow-coloured passage across the sky. [Josephine Wall’s site]

Puzzle: My Lady Unicorn by Josephine Wall


Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 33.02cm x 48.26cm
Producer:  Mega Brands America, 2008, #50884
Artist: Josephine Wall

Notes:  All Unicorns are special creatures with magical powers beyond our imagination, but on a distant world lives a species called ladycorns! These beautiful and mysterious beings are able to communicate either by voice or with an array of musical sounds created by a harp like growth on their forehead. Their world is one of tranquillity and peace where nature is revered and the balance of the universe is maintained. [Josephine Wall’s site]

Song of Vidal by Kim Wiggins


Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 48.26cm x 35.56cm
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]
Producer: The Canadian Group, Sure-Lox
Notes: “Discovering the joys of life is the Song of the Valle Vidal. If you were the scarecrow, would you see yourself as little more than an empty shirt on a set of cross-members? Or would you see yourself as guardian of one of the most beautiful places on earth, New Mexico’s Valle Vidal? We have the choice to be stewards of those around us by breathing life into them.The birds on the scarecrow sing a symphony of the inner beauty found in each of us. The flowers are life springing up around us as we reach out to others. In knowing your purpose in life, you really do come to life.”  [Greenwich Workshop site]

Puzzle: Raising the Dragon by Myles Pinkney

Size: 550 pieces
Dimensions: 61cm x 46cm
Artist: Myles Pinkney
Producer: Ceaco, Glow in the Dark series, 2004
Notes: Looking at a Myles Pinkney painting is like seeing an entire movie in a single frame. First the image catches your eye, then you notice additional nuances as you travel around- and within- each painting. It’s not unusual for someone to have a print for years, and then to suddenly see some new detail that had somehow previously escaped their detection.

Myles Pinkney’s paintings also depict a larger universe. The shape of it becomes more apparent with each new painting you see. Twisted logic, incredible detail, and a quirky sense of humor all combine to create a world of infinite impossibilities into which the viewer is drawn again and again. [Reno Goodale, Biography on the Myles Pinkney site]

Puzzle: River of Time by Michael Matherly

Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 45.72 x 60.96
Producer: Karmin International, 2007, The art of Michael Matherly
Artist: Michael Matherly
Notes:  The works of artist-painter Michael Ross Matherly are collected throughout the world. An Indiana native, he lives on his farm with his wife Debbie and his son Tyler, where they raise horses and enjoy trail riding along the river. They also enjoy camping on the island of their pond along with fishing. Michael’s main sources of inspiration are from the vast beauty around us that God has created.

As a young boy, Michael showed outstanding talent. The achievements he holds are evidence of his love for and dedication to his art. With a multitude of interests, he works in acrylic, always striving to call forth a freshness in his works. He spends a great deal of time researching his subjects. That is obviously reflected in the details of his paintings.

Michael is one-quarter Cherokee/Shawnee and is very proud of his american indian heritage. He is concerned about the future of our planet and its environment. He hopes that in some way his art might allow the viewer to have greater respect and a deeper appreciation for nature and all living things that are upon our Mother Earth. [Puzzle box]

Puzzle: Sisters of the Red Chamber by Caroline Young

Size: 750 pieces
Dimensions: 61cm x 46cm
Producer: Ceaco, 2002, #2934-6
Artist: Caroline Young
Painting: Photo
Notes: This puzzle was a pleasure to do – with its vibrant colours, flowing lines, and moonlit night mystique.

As the evening moon glistens in the distant sky above, beautiful Cardinal Spring prepares to
become the new Imperial consort to the great Emperor of China. Her younger sister, Quest Spring, lovingly attends to her every need, knowing in her heart that the time shared will soon be but a cherished memory. (From the Chinese literary classic, “Dream of the Red Chamber”) [Puzzle box]

Puzzle: Still life with fruit and flowers by Jan Van Os, Dutch

Size: 500+ pieces
Dimensions: 89.5cm x 71.5cm
Producer: Battle Road Press
Artist: Jan Van Os, Dutch (1744-1808)
Painting: Oil on canvas, Gift of Mrs. John Harris Clay, 92.13, The J.B. Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky, ISBN 0-934967-76-8
Notes: Jan Van Os was born in the small Dutch town of Middleharnis in 1744, but spent most of his life in The Hague, Holland, where he studied with the painter Aart Schoumann. Although Van Os occasionally painted marine subjects, he built his reputation on still-life paintings like the one in the Speed’s collection. He frequently exhibited at the Society of Artists in England and sold many of his paintings to members of the English and French aristocracy. Scholars today credit Van Os with perpetuating the Dutch flower-painting tradition and the style of the leading still-life artist, Jan van Huysum (1682-1749), into the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

Still Life with Fruit and Flowers is characteristic of Van Os’s large, abundant still-lifes. In it, he depicted a variety of colorful and occasionally exotic plants and fruits in a sculpted terra-cotta vase placed on a marble ledge. Van Os employed two different techniques to render the textures of the various objects. He applied wet paint on a web underlayer and blended the colors to create the subtle variations in tone in the landscape. For the fruit, insects and water drops, however, Van Os painted over a dry underlayer to depict their crisp edges and details.

Like many Dutch artists, Van Os relied on traditional metaphors or symbols to convey meaning in his paintings. In Still Life with Flowers, Van Os contrasted images which suggested the sinful, material world with objects related to the spiritual realm of God. The cat, for example, was often associated with witches, and therefore was commonly thought of as evil or lustful. The mouse was considered an earthbound animal that relied on the material world for survival. Shown eating, as it is here, the mouse also symbolized gluttony. Other objects in the painting that allude to sin are the peaches, emblems of physical pleasure, and the melon, once thought of as a luxurious unhealthy fruit. In contrast to these negative images are objects which serve as reminders of God. The butterfly and dragonfly, for example, symbolize the resurrected soul. The three-part shape of the iris is like the three-part nature of the Trinity. The grapes and the small red currants refer to the wine of the Eucharist or Communion, and thereby symbolize the blood of Christ.

Van Os’s detailed studies of fruit and flowers in lush landscape settings made his paintings immensely popular among collectors during his lifetime, as well as among museums and collectors today.

The J.B. Art Speed Museum was founded by Hattie Bishop Speed as a memorial to her husband, James Breckinridge Speed. Since opening its doors in 1927, the J.B. Speed Art Museum has become Kentucky’s largest and most comprehensive public art collection with works by such masters as Rembrandt, Rubens, Tiepolo, Monet and Picsasso. The Museum’s permanent collection consists of over 8,000 works of art spanning 6,000 years of history from Antiquity to the present day. [Puzzle box]

Puzzle: Girl before a Mirror by Pablo Picasso

Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 64cm x 51.25cm
Producer: The Museum of Modern Art, New York, #9042
Painting: Girl before a Mirror, 1932
Artist: Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso, known as Pablo Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973), was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century, he is widely known for co-founding the Cubist movement, the invention of constructed sculpture, the co-invention of collage, and for the wide variety of styles that he helped develop and explore. [Wiki]
Notes: 

Girl Before a Mirror shows Picasso’s young mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter, one of his favorite subjects in the early 1930s. Her white-haloed profile, rendered in a smooth lavender pink, appears serene. But it merges with a more roughly painted, frontal view of her face—a crescent, like the moon, yet intensely yellow, like the sun, and “made up” with a gilding of rouge, lipstick, and green eye-shadow. Perhaps the painting suggests both Walter’s day-self and her night-self, both her tranquillity and her vitality, but also the transition from an innocent girl to a worldly woman aware of her own sexuality.

It is also a complex variant on the traditional Vanity—the image of a woman confronting her mortality in a mirror, which reflects her as a death’s head. On the right, the mirror reflection suggests a supernatural x-ray of the girl’s soul, her future, her fate. Her face is darkened, her eyes are round and hollow, and her intensely feminine body is twisted and contorted. She seems older and more anxious. The girl reaches out to the reflection, as if trying to unite her different “selves.” The diamond-patterned wallpaper recalls the costume of the Harlequin, the comic character from the commedia dell’arte with whom Picasso often identified himself—here a silent witness to the girl’s psychic and physical transformations. [The Museum of Modern Art, MOMA Highlights]