Puzzle Passion

Art by Patrick Boyer
- Canadian Nationals 2025 -
Ravensburger | 1000 pieces | 2025
A surreal collage featuring a central woman

This intricate, surreal artwork centers on the face of a serene woman with long, flowing hair. Her head serves as the base for a sprawling, dense collage that reaches toward the top of the frame. The entire composition is packed with an eclectic mix of elements, including domestic dogs, exotic birds like parrots and toucans, a giraffe, a zebra, and various butterflies. Interspersed among the wildlife are vibrant floral blooms, musical instruments like a violin and brass horn, and tropical fruits like bananas and a large pear.

The artwork follows a maximalist, collage-like composition where every corner is filled with detail. There is a sense of organized chaos, with the woman's calm expression providing a focal point at the bottom center. The scale is intentionally disjointed; animals and objects shift in size to fit the organic, arching shape created by the foliage and hair. The background is a soft, muted wash that allows the brightly colored foreground elements to pop.

The colour palette is exceptionally rich and diverse, spanning the full spectrum of the rainbow. Deep reds, vivid oranges, lush greens, and royal blues dominate the natural elements, balanced by the softer, more flesh-toned hues of the woman's face and shoulders. The painting style appears to be a digital or fine art composite, blending painterly brushstrokes with sharp, crisp edges that give the piece a dreamlike, imaginative quality.

A whimsical collage illustration featuring a central woman

This highly detailed, surrealist collage illustration features a serene, stylized woman's face at the center, serving as the anchor for an expansive, dreamlike display. Her hair is replaced by a vast, chaotic arrangement of flora and fauna that reaches toward the top corners of the image. The composition is dense and layered, with no empty space, creating a sense of a lush, magical tapestry where human form and the natural world are inextricably linked.

Surrounding the central portrait is a vibrant menagerie of creatures including a zebra, a monkey, various colorful parrots, a lion, and domestic pets like a dog and cat. These are woven together with large, tropical blooms, exotic plants, and musical elements like a violin. The color palette is incredibly rich and saturated, utilizing deep greens, fiery oranges, bright pinks, and brilliant blues to create a high-energy, multifaceted atmosphere that feels both artistic and whimsical.

The artwork uses a collage style that blends different textures and illustrative techniques, giving it a playful, almost kaleidoscopic quality. The lighting is soft and even, highlighting the intricate details of the overlapping animals and flowers without harsh shadows. The overall mood is one of abundance and wonder, drawing the viewer's eye across a multitude of small, hidden elements tucked into the central figure's magnificent, overflowing hair.

A surreal collage featuring a central woman
A whimsical collage illustration featuring a central woman
🐼 Animal 🧦 Collection 💬 Drawing 🌺 Flower 🧩 Hobby 🎨 Painting
Rectangular Landscape | | Ribbon/Grid cut | Cardboard
#animals #birds #buildings #Colorful #Flowers #MusicalInstruments #Nature #portrait #Collage #violin #fantastical #Woman
Manufacturer ID: 12 001 642 7 | Barcode: 4005555016427
❤️0   ✅1   📝1   ⭐5.0 (1)   🤔3.0 (1)
this puzzle is one that was used in the 2025 Canadian Nationals Speed Puzzling Contest - team event. A 4 person team from Comlachie, Ontario won the team event in a time of 1:08:54. Hats off to them! This was not an easy puzzle by any means - very busy with a lot of detail - animals, birds, insects, flowers, puzzle pieces, sea creatures, musical instruments, buildings, people, etc. It took 2 of us working on it over a 2 day period to complete. Other than the lady - bottom centre - there aren't any real focal points to work on. We basically put sections together by colour and placed them where we thought they went then built around those.
by Brenda Dobson 2026-03-08
Submitted 2026-06-13
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