It requires a different strategy. Gone is the idea of building the frame and filling in the middle. The edge is black, all the way round, with the barest of subtle variations. Only one side can be built with any confidence.
This jigsaw was intended as a treat once the last uni assignment had been submitted. It’s no treat.
Granted, the image still intrigues me. But its one of those puzzles where the pieces don’t stay connected. A casual brush of the sleeve will dislodge them, and when I try to reposition a section I create fault lines that strain and buckle the surface.
In response, I think about giving up. I wish I could say it’s an uncommon reaction. However, pragmatic problem solving requires that it must be one of the options on the table, if for no other reason than to say “how do I not end up there!”
The answer … to work one row at a time. That’s a first for me.
Others might spread all the pieces out. That would make it easier, and quicker.
I rummage, repeatedly, through a pile of similarly coloured shapes, which is not as silly as it seems. This is actually a great way to improve visual acuity. My ability to see detail (or more to the point, my brain’s ability to process the detail that it sees), improves with each piece.
Eventually, inevitably, enough pieces are placed that the remaining can be spread out and sorted. The pace quickens.
The puzzle
This is an Art Gallery of NSW promotional puzzle. A opportunity for visitors (including we of the online variety) to take home a piece of memorabilia; which makes the quality a bit disappointing as my experience with gallery and museum shops has always been so tip-top.
The image is called “Sydney Bridge”. The artist was Margaret Preston, and it dates from about 1932.
