The Jigsaw Gallery

Gale Pitt’s ‘The Tornado’ is essentially a montage of everyday objects and animals (food, furniture, frogs and so on) on a background of peaceful countryside. Only when you see the cows and sheep panicking, running for their lives, and the people who have been spared from the tornado’s greedy mouth, do you realise that it may not be merely an exercise in painting pretty pictures: what is shown here has really happened to real people and real animals. The contrast between art and reality merely adds to the horror.

Fortunately, no jigsaw pieces had disappeared — either due to human or to tornado influence — from this excellent secondhand bargain.

No need to worry about catching MRSA in the hospital depicted in Jan van Haasteren’s ‘Get well soon!’ The dangers here are incompetence, extreme disorganization and, perhaps, just a touch of madness. Nowhere else (except maybe in a Carry On film) will you see ripsaw-wielding surgeons chasing their patients round the hospital. One white-coated doctor makes a lunge for his patient, who is cowering under a waiting-room table. Nearby, in the main reception area, a hospital bed has collided with a wheelchair; a dog and a cat, both with bandages, are running amok. Get well soon? Hey, I feel better already. Honest, I do. In fact, I think I’ll give this casualty department a miss and head right on home.

Most people, whether they are religious or not, know the story of Noah and his ark. The story of a global flood, in fact, goes back thousands of years, long before most of today’s religions were born.

Christian artist, Tom duBois, brings the Flood story to life in ‘The Invitation’. Its vivid realism makes it an instant classic. Noah stands calmly watching the gathering crowd of animals. Presumably, he is the one issuing the invitation; but wait — high among the trees, where the sky can just be seen, is a face, either of God or one of His angel messengers. So that’s who is doing the inviting. Not that this is an invitation anyone could refuse, really, given the amount of water that’s coming. Turn this invite down and you’d better find yourself a good pair of wellies — and maybe a raft, too — and soon!

Perhaps, though, there’s a third option. The one face that’s looking out directly at us might also be issuing an invitation. Trouble is, that face just happens to belong to a tiger. And, since I don’t fancy becoming a tiger’s breakfast right now, this is one invitation I might just pass on, if it’s all the same to you.

This Ravensburger puzzle, with high-quality (though slightly loose-fitting) pieces, is a montage inspired by adverts from the 1960s, showing the modern conveniences that every would-be domestic diva dreams of: washing machines, vacuum cleaners, household cleaning products and more efficient steam irons. All the women are depicted with big happy grins, as if making the perfect apple pie is the closest they will ever get to heaven on Earth.

Eureka Lake Studio — founded by former Disney designers, Kim Minichiella and Kate Ward Thacker, in 2002 — created this, and other Ravensburger puzzles. The green and red diamond patterned border was really tricky to put together because, at first glance, every piece looked exactly the same. But once Shana had done the edge, I must say I really enjoyed this puzzle and would recommend it to anyone who loves a nice bit of nostalgia.