Jigsaw puzzles are a great way to learn about color. They won't teach you color theory, per se, but they can help teach you to see what colors really are in the things you are looking at.

For the studio artist attempting realistic color treatments, photographs are a big help. Photographs are stable; the light does not change as the sun moves, so the colors and shapes are always the same. We can stare at a photo for hours, carefully picking through all its secrets. But some people aren't really helped by photos alone. Sometimes the sheer number of colors in nature overwhelms us and makes it difficult to choose those most likely to give us the effects we desire. Also, because of the symbolic, mnemonic way that we are initially taught about colors as children (apples are red, leaves are green, bees are yellow and black, etc.), it is very difficult for some of us to break our conditioning and see not just green grass, but real grass which might in fact have very little green in it all. When we are confused, or when we can't break down conditioning that has outlived its purpose and which has become more of a hindrance than a help, it's time to shake things up and see if we can't find new ways of looking at the same material. And this is where jigsaw puzzles come in.

Below are thumbnails of some photos I've taken recently, one of which you may recognize from the splash page. These really are very simple images. But if you click on one of them, a new window will open (courtesy of JigZone) in which you will have the opportunity to solve a jigsaw puzzle based on the image you have selected, and as you work the puzzle you have chosen, hopefully you will make some discoveries about the subtleties of natural color.

Now that my camera is fixed (courtesy of my fabulous boyfriend Erik), I will try to add new and more challenging images regularly. For now, though, I hope you enjoy these. Meanwhile, if you have an image you've been trying to work from for awhile with little success, I recommend opening your own account with JigZone, uploading the image, and messing around with it as a jigsaw puzzle. You might find it very revealing.

Have fun, and do let me know whether you find this useful.

Bee on Echinacea	Picotee Dahlia	Sweet Pea Blossoms
Treasure at my Feet	Wet Leaf	Light Through Leaves
Decorated Road	Leaf Carpet	Cracks

Images and words on this page are the creation and property of Sara (copyright © 2001, 2002; all rights reserved). Photographs supplied for use only as directed. Reprint by written permission only.
NOTE: Sara assumes no responsibility for any addiction to solving online jigsaw puzzles which may result from exposure to this page or to the JigZone website. Please use both responsibly.