While her hands pore over the oddly shaped, tessellated pieces, a picture formed by interlocking these pictures, slowly emerges. Sitting alongside an open window, the light streaming in, she daubs at a finished puzzle with a sponge dipped in adhesive.
Nanda Wijesekera believes that doing a jigsaw is a labour of love and challenge, while providing a welcome respite from the stress of daily living. ‘Piece by piece – still going on’ is her second exhibition of jigsaw puzzle pictures and showcases 70 assorted jigsaws from cascading flowers, Powderham Castle, the Eiffel Tower to Buckingham Palace, windmills, cityscapes and beautiful landscapes.
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| Nanda daubs a finished
puzzle |
“It is very therapeutic,” smiles Nanda, explaining that while she used to do jigsaw puzzles as a child, the habit developed later only after she was housebound. After sight in one eye deteriorated, and she was compelled to give up costume-making and sewing, it was assembling the interlocking pieces of puzzles and forming pictures piece by piece which helped her pass the time.
The centre of attraction at the exhibition will undoubtedly be the puzzle of the original “A New Map of the Entire World 1611” by the famous Dutch cartographer Pieter van den Keere. Counted as one of the most beautiful and best preserved maps of the early 17th century, the jigsaw of the map contains 9120 pieces and is considered to be one of the largest commercially produced puzzles in the business.
The puzzle, gifted to Nanda by her son and daughter-in-law, measures 1.97 x 1.26 metres and is virtually the same size as the map. Using adhesive and strips of cloth to paste down the puzzle and a rolling pin to press the fabric down evenly, Nanda worked diligently until the figures, illustrations and intricate details the map was famed for, began to emerge and was finally finished.
Another display at the exhibition is a double-sided jigsaw – with pictures on both sides. What makes the puzzle challenging is that, the mirror picture on the reverse side is at a different angle, making it harder to assemble. Photomosaics, another innovation is a collection of thousands of miniature photographs combined to make one awe-inspiring picture. While the primary image appears to be a picture in itself, closer examination will reveal that in fact, the pieces individually, are made up of minute images.
Enthusiasts can finish a partially completed jigsaw puzzle, while puzzles bearing scenes from Asterix comic books, anime cartoons, well loved Walt Disney cartoons (some contributed by her grandson) will also be displayed to encourage young children to try their hand at jigsaw puzzles. A 3D puzzle of the planet earth will also be on display.
“You have to work out a system,” advises Nanda, who works upto five-six hours a day,adding that while some puzzles can be worked inwards from the frame, others require a different approach, depending on the picture and design.
Nanda explains that the feeling of satisfaction upon completion of a puzzle is certainly hard to beat. “Sometimes just one piece makes all the difference.”
‘Piece by piece – still going’ will be held at the Gandhara Gallery, 28, Stratford Avenue, Colombo 6 on February 20 and 21 from 10 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. |
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