Charley Harper: Isle Royale 1000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle

Charley Harper (American, 1922–2007) Isle Royale National Park, Michigan, 1979 Charley Harper delighted legions of art and animal lovers the world over with his posters for the National Park Service, including Isle Royale National Park, Michigan. The park, established in 1940, spans a large wilderness island and more than 450 smaller islands in Lake Superior. It’s home to wolves, moose, and a wide variety of birds, a few of which Harper has perched amid the birches in this poster. The artworks for his park posters—massive, requiring a year each to paint—showcase Harper’s skill in depicting entire ecosystems by using simple shapes and patterns, and vivid colors. Reproduced for this 1,000-piece puzzle, this one exhibits an almost abstract approach.

Charley Harper

Midcentury modernist Charley Harper (American, 1922–2007) portrayed the natural world with heart and humor. In vivid colors and simple shapes, his cardinals, ladybugs, and clever critters have become icons of wildlife art. His illustrations were published in magazines and books, notably Ford Times and The Giant Golden Book of Biology. A longtime conservationist, Harper created posters for more than 50 nature- and conservation-oriented organizations. His US National Park Service posters—massive, requiring a year each to paint—showcase delightful depictions of entire ecosystems in a style he defined as “minimal realism.” In his adopted hometown of Cincinnati, his public works are the legacy of an artist truly beguiled by the wild, one whose art was a quiet catalyst for ecological action.