Puzzle 16 - Mother and Infant By Custom Puzzle Craft

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Puzzle #16 - Mother and Infant
© 1996 Gary R. Johnson, Print #53 of 450
NOT FOR SALE

This is my second "Swirl Curl" cutting style puzzle. I did a bit of line cutting within the facial regions to help preserve the integrity of the painting and to make the puzzle more interesting.

Significant milestones

• My largest puzzle to-date
• The most number of pieces to-date
• Further exploration of the "Swirl Curl" cutting style.

Problems

• A couple of the curls are on the narrow side.

Discussion

A week after cutting this puzzle, I decided I had to come to grips with what was bothering me about it. I've concluded that it has to do with variations in my cutting style as it dynamically evolved as I worked on the puzzle. After all, the puzzle was just the second "Swirl Curl" cutting style puzzle I did. In the lower center a bit to the left, there is some very "busy" cutting (lots of cuts in close proximity) while other areas (upper right section of the dark area in the upper left of the puzzles) the lines are sparser. Puzzle 17 has a much more uniform cut which helps define the "look" of a puzzle. This puzzle is significant in that it helped formalize the "Swirl Curl" cutting pattern I started in the previous puzzle - Puzzle 15. As I write this I'm halfway through cutting #18, which is an attempt at cutting a more consistent "Swirl Curl" style while maintaining diversity within the style.

In the lower left center there is a piece suggesting the exploration a more complex style