Charley Harper: Secret Sanctuary 500-piece Jigsaw Puzzle

Charley Harper (American, 1922–2007) Shaker Lakes Regional Nature Center A lifelong artist and conservationist, Charley Harper expressed his deep appreciation of nature through his design, forming the groundbreaking “minimal realism” that would become his artistic hallmark. The image featured for this 500-piece puzzle comes from a 1991 poster for the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes in Cleveland, Ohio, created in celebration of the area’s wildlife and the center’s many years of “serendipity in the suburbs.”

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.