About my ratings

Perhaps because of my day job, I'm a tough rater. Everything 3/5 and above I consider worth the time and money. If I purchase on Etsy or a similar platform and the puzzle is as expected, I will give a top rating on the platform because of how seller ratings work, but here "as expected" is probably a 3/5 in most cases.

Thursday, May 31, 2018

John Singer Sargent, Paul Helleu Sketching with His Wife

546 pieces, Heirloom Puzzles.  A new hand-cutter for me! These are small and well-formed pieces in two dimensions, but a noticeable amount of the time the cut wasn't straight up and down so that the pieces would only interlock if you put them together the right way; switch which was up and which down and there'd be no fit.  I liked the challenge in assembling the picture--the colors were subtle--but could have done with more up-and-down cutting.  4/5



Paul Signac, The Port of Saint-Tropez

Liberty, 533 pieces.  I think paintings with slow color shifts make ideal wood puzzles.  The puzzle guides assembly but also provides a way to see how color is used in the painting.  3/5

some of the more notable whimsies



A ship (upside down)


dedicated helper putting in the last piece


Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Matt Lyon, Monastery

460 pieces, Artifact.  I really enjoy irregular edges, and this had some nice tricks up its sleeve, especially at the top.  The cutting wasn't as crisp as with other Artifacts, unfortunately, making for a few sticky pieces, so it gets only 4/5.



Yellow-Red-Blue, Wassily Kandinsky

Mr. Gogo, 360 pieces. Another beautifully colored and cut puzzle--this one was nice because of the different areas of color that shaded into one another.  5/5



Friday, May 25, 2018

Paris Air France

Liberty, 483 pieces.  I've resisted many of the travel posters, because of the lettering, but actually these have been quite fun to do.  4/5

closeup on some Francophile whimsies



Van Gogh, Bridge in the Rain

Artifact, 267 pieces.  Nice picture, with some nautical multipiece whimsies--dragon and octopus most notable.  3/5





Thursday, May 24, 2018

APAK Studio, Harmonious Kingdom

Artifact, 434 pieces. As with many Artifacts, the fun here is the interaction of the whimsies with the picture. Lots of animal parents & babies, touching or near one another.  4/5

Animal whimsies, some upside down for greater clarity--note doe with the hold cut out for her fawn, ditto with the giraffe




Rosemary Lowndes, Le Bistro de la Gare

Puzzlewood, 322 pieces. Mostly interlocking--very nice, as usual.  4/5




Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Vanity Fair, Feb. 1924

Liberty, 421 pieces.  Nice aquatic themed whimsies n this one. 4/5



Ride the Wave, Treat puzzle

Stave, 190 pieces.  Lovely picture and lovely interpretation--the best thing about these Treats is the way they interact with the underlying art.  8/10.



Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Evegeny Kuznetsov, Open the Window

400 pieces, Puzzlewood.  Love the cutter, as always, but a little too much push-fit for my taste.  Lovely complicated colors made especially challenging by the push-fit/color line cutting.  4/5




Have a Ball, Betsy Brown

Stave two-sword teaser, 65 pieces.  A nice little puzzle; I wasn't even able to put it entirely together until I'd built the frame! 6/10 Stave scale (in other words, delightful but not the peak Stave experience).



Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Red Maple

53 pieces, MGC Puzzles.  Beautifully cut, though much smaller than the previous one!  Wonderful irregular edges. 5/5




Tomasz Pietrzyk, Clocks

148 pieces, Artifact.  Double-sided, which is cool, but I wasn't feeling it for some reason.  Whimsies were neat in that some faced one side and others the other side!  3/5