Home > Spring 2011 Staff Picks

Spring 2011 Staff Picks

It’s puzzle mania at the Pomegranate headquarters! It all started when someone set out Christopher Marley’s Beautiful Beetles 300-piece puzzle (JK004) in our lunchroom, and it wasn’t long before we graduated to our more challenging 1,000-piece puzzles, like Norman Rockwell’s The Connoisseur (AA651). Now staff members always have a jigsaw puzzle in process. In January, we also published our first four block puzzles.

With all the recent puzzle excitement, we asked our staff to recommend their favorite Pomegranate puzzle or one they hope to complete soon:

As a big fan of Chuck Close, I've tried the Chuck Close block puzzle (PB003), and it is wonderfully challenging. The assortment contains six of his fascinating self-portraits painted over nearly thirty years. —Susan, production

Jackson Pollock’s Convergence (AA558): Not that I would ever attempt it, but a friend who is a puzzle maniac said it is the best puzzle he's ever done and I believe him. My grandsons and I prefer PomegranateKids 300-piece puzzles, and the next one on our list is Kathy DeZarn Beynette’s Lions (JK010). —Ronni, design

Robert Bissell’s The Kiss (JK002): I plan on buying this for Easter Sunday to keep the teenagers busy while the adults are chatting around the dinner table. Puzzles are great for family holiday gatherings. I bought Charley Harper’s Biodiversity in the Burbs (JK006) for Christmas, and the kids (9–17 years old) loved working on it! —Helena, customer service

Frank Lloyd Wright's Pencils (AA253): Pencils have so much character, even without a canvas. —Marshall, design

I have so many favorites, I don’t know where to start! Looking through our titles, I have to mention B. Kliban’s PoolCat (JK001). It reminds me of the time my family went boating and we discovered our cat, Rocky, hiding on our boat. At the time, we were on the middle of the lake. Once he realized where he was, he wasn't relaxed like the cat in this jigsaw puzzle! —Monica, production

After our long rainy season, Beth Van Hoesen's Bouquet with Iris (AA620) looks really appealing: a welcome reminder of spring. I also love the colors in Van Gogh's Irises (AA331) and Tiffany's Butterfly Window (AA316). How to choose? —Pat, editorial

I really enjoyed taking part in putting together Charley Harper’s Glacier Bay, Alaska (AA639). There are so many little details in the puzzle, with animals and creatures popping out from all sides! —Tina, customer service

Thomas Cole’s The Course of Empire: Consummation (AA667): The detail on this painting is just amazing to me, and I can’t wait to try and put it together. I cannot imagine how cool it would be to see the real thing in person. —Darius, sales

Thomas Cole’s The Course of Empire: Consummation (AA667) is definitely my favorite. The colors are fun and uplifting, and the picture is happy. I need to stay happy when I am doing a puzzle. Admittedly, it is an image I don’t understand. I am not sure if my attraction to this image is a result of my hedonic nature, but I have to say I like the pink and gold a lot. —Gina, design

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Imperial Hotel Peacock Carpet (AA674) is a beautiful design and looks really fun to put together with all the different colors and shapes. —Karma, customer service

David Sheskin's Jungle Beasts (JK003): Speckled parrots, purple elephants, and Kool-Aid colored fish . . . what’s not to like?! I've a kiddos birthday party to attend next week, and I'm pretty sure this puzzle will be attending! —Stephanie, design

I can’t seem to get away from our puzzles! Last weekend I finished Carl Larsson’s Crayfishing (AA409), which depicts an idyllic scene of his family beside a pond, or perhaps a slow-moving river. The painting takes one back to what I like to think of as a simpler time. Besides, Larsson is one of my all-time favorite artists. I just love his use of color. —Judy, editorial

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Close’s portraits in person a number of times and the detail in his work is a lesson in patience! This Chuck Close puzzle (AA673) requires a lot of patience too, but what a joy to examine all the little squares up close (no pun indented!). —Stephanie, production

There are so many that I love. But the next two I will probably purchase as gifts will be Charles Russell’s In Without Knocking (AA621) for my brother-in-law, who always has a puzzle going and is a huge fan of the Old West. The other will be Giovanni Paolo Panini’s Interior of St. Peter’s, Rome (AA640) for my brother, James F. Lorigan, who is the director of an art school and an artist. He visited Rome many years ago and has never forgotten St. Peter’s. —Ellen, customer service

I like the Arcimboldo block puzzle (PB002), because the artwork is fascinating and really challenging to piece together if you don’t look at the finished pictures first. —Pamela, customer service

I can't wait to work on Alexis Rockman’s Biosphere: Hydrographers Canyon (AA663), because Rockman's painting is so unusual. It is a view to the bottom of a deep undersea canyon—which resembles an interstellar galaxy—through the translucent bodies of many otherworldly sea creatures. —Rachel, editorial

I’m knocked out by Alexis Rockman’s Biosphere: Hydrographers Canyon (AA663), because it reminds me of the great psychedelic art we used to enjoy about forty years ago. But with its solid basis in science and environmental studies—and the marvelous artwork—this painting is as contemporary as can be. —Paul, shipping

Sierra Club’s Sea Otter (SC0405) is a delight! It's a fun image. It makes me wanna go for a swim. And maybe enjoy a cool beverage. Can I mention that it's uncomfortably warm where I'm sitting at the moment? And also that the word "Otter" makes me think of the film Animal House? All that packed into a 300-piece puzzle . . . well done, Pomegranate! —Matthew, editorial


Our current lunchroom challenge: Maxfield Parrish Jigsaw Puzzle (AA314)