Distant Mountains

Distant Mountains by Bob Ross – Thunder Bay Press – 96 pieces

This is the first puzzle from my Happy Little Jigsaw Puzzle Book full of Bob Ross images that I bought in November of last year. At only 96 pieces this was a bit more difficult than I imagined it would be, but I still love the look of it and am pleased as punch that there are still so many more to do.

As I said in my first post about the puzzle books that my daughter and I found, the pieces are extremely thin – almost like cardstock – but the fit is exceptional. It has to be in order for them to stay in the book properly. Even though this puzzle was removed from the book to assemble, it still took a bit of effort to put it back in so that it would stay there without falling out. It’s back in place and the book can even be stood upright and the puzzle remains in place without danger of it coming out. Very cool!

The quality other than the thin cardboard was excellent. The image reproduction is GORGEOUS, there are a good variety of shapes and the fit is wonderful. I’m so glad my daughter and I found these books, and am really looking forward to assembling the remaining 17 puzzles. (Plus the nine images in the Game of Thrones book also come together to form a large map of the country/areas in which the show takes place🗺)

This is the page this puzzle comes from, the image is from Season 14, episode 1. Even though the show was on the air for only eleven years, there are 31 “seasons” of The Joy of Painting. He made 403 episodes of his show, that’s amazing!

I also learned from a little research that he created three versions of each painting. The first one was done before the show and was used as a template to paint the one he made on air. The second was painted live during the show, and the third he painted after the show was taped to add more details for use in his instructional books. All of the paintings were either donated to various public broadcasting stations, the Smithsonian Institution, or kept by Bob. With 403 episodes, that’s a lot of painting!

On the page opposite each puzzle is a little blurb about Bob Ross; his philosophy of painting, his life, and his thoughts about nature, etc. His works of art aren’t images I would normally choose for puzzling, but at less than 100 pieces they’re beautiful little one coffee puzzles that make me smile – happy little clouds and all!

Review: Fall: Joy of Puzzles with Bob Ross

This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.

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Fall: The Joy of Puzzles with Bob Ross – Wellspring – 500 pieces

I’m not usually one for landscape puzzles, but this one looks serene and calming, Fall: (The Joy of Puzzles with Bob Ross), it’s quite a lovely image. And the fact that it’s Bob Ross is an added bonus – just thinking about his show makes me smile. “We don’t make mistakes, we just have happy accidents” 🙂

This was a fun assembly that I took on immediately after a more challenging puzzle, it was the perfect palate cleanser. I needed something fun and a little bit simpler – this was absolutely the right puzzle at the right time.

I was glad to be able to try out the new Bob Ross puzzles from Wellspring. I’m not sure if they’re an offshoot of Sunsout, or if they’re just manufactured at the same place; the box is the same size and shape of a Sunsout with the number stamped on the bottom and the slip of paper inside from Sunsout Customer Service. The quality seems about the same as a Sunsout puzzle, but the puzzle is grid cut instead of random. The chipboard is nice and thick and the fit seems the same as well – good quality overall. If you’re a fan of his artwork there are 4 puzzles in this series, one for each season; click the link above to see the ones currently available at Puzzle Warehouse.

I definitely recommend this puzzle. It went together quickly but wasn’t too easy, and was a nice change of subject matter for me. Landscape puzzles aren’t normally what I would choose, but I see the draw. As usual when I review a puzzle I try to look through other puzzles of that genre, and as usual I’ve added more puzzles to the wishlist. Check out a beautiful and VERY interesting Pomegranate puzzle called Enassamishhinjijweian. No, I did not fall asleep face first onto my keyboard – that’s really the name! I provided a link so no one else has to struggle to spell that. 😉

I guess I have to rethink my preferences, apparently I do like landscapes.

Details:

  • Title:                  Fall: The Joy of Puzzles with Bob Ross
  • Artist:                Bob Ross
  • Brand:               Wellspring
  • Piece count:     500 pieces
  • Size:                  Approx. 18 x 24 in. (46 x 61 cm)
  • Purchased:      n/a

Quality:

  • Board:               Very good
  • Cutting:             Good
  • Image:               Very good
  • Box:                   Average
  • Fit:                     Very good, a bit tight
  • Puzzle Dust:     Small amount
  • Piece cut:          Grid cut
  • Piece shapes:   Good variety
  • Finish:               Slightly shiny finish, lays flat

Overall Rating:      Very good, recommended

 

I received this product at no cost to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.