Thanks, Bill, for this particularly interesting essay. I must admit that it hadn't occurred to me that there would be such lovely cutout areas featured in today's puzzles, though I've seen that sort of thing in other forms of art; for example, brooches.
Personally, I like "Songbirds" even better than the earlier "Lovebirds," partly because the more oval shape of the finished puzzle appeals to me, plus the fact that the colours in "Songbirds" strike me as more dramatic, though both are surely excellent puzzles. I also appreciated the interesting sketching and species-selection history and comments about a "current understanding of what love is, and what healthy relationships (romantic or platonic) and communities look like."
This is a subsequent addition to the comment I just posted, Bill. That one escaped from me before I thought I'd hit "Post." In any case, the extra bit I wanted to report was that I'd gotten a chuckle out of your feeling that you had fallen for a "trick" when you noticed two puzzle pieces were identical.
I am still not inclined to assemble puzzles "blind" to the provided pictures. That plan of action doesn't attract me, though I freely admit that you seem to notice all sorts of details because you often do that.
Billy, I still haven’t jumped down the rabbit hole of puzzles. And I haven’t contacted Paul about borrowing one of yours. I do enjoy reading your posts and feel myself, maybe, giving in. Stitching is still my cup of tea.
Thanks, Bill, for this particularly interesting essay. I must admit that it hadn't occurred to me that there would be such lovely cutout areas featured in today's puzzles, though I've seen that sort of thing in other forms of art; for example, brooches.
Personally, I like "Songbirds" even better than the earlier "Lovebirds," partly because the more oval shape of the finished puzzle appeals to me, plus the fact that the colours in "Songbirds" strike me as more dramatic, though both are surely excellent puzzles. I also appreciated the interesting sketching and species-selection history and comments about a "current understanding of what love is, and what healthy relationships (romantic or platonic) and communities look like."
This is a subsequent addition to the comment I just posted, Bill. That one escaped from me before I thought I'd hit "Post." In any case, the extra bit I wanted to report was that I'd gotten a chuckle out of your feeling that you had fallen for a "trick" when you noticed two puzzle pieces were identical.
I am still not inclined to assemble puzzles "blind" to the provided pictures. That plan of action doesn't attract me, though I freely admit that you seem to notice all sorts of details because you often do that.
Cheers!
Billy, I still haven’t jumped down the rabbit hole of puzzles. And I haven’t contacted Paul about borrowing one of yours. I do enjoy reading your posts and feel myself, maybe, giving in. Stitching is still my cup of tea.