Something Brand New

I’ve always got a project going on, you know. Whether it’s fashion illustration prints, holiday note cards, graphic t-shirts or writing books. And of course there’s WINONA, INC. Creating things is what I do and when I get excited about a project, I want to share it with the people who I think might like it too. If you’re reading this, I guess that’s you.😀

I started doing jigsaw puzzles while we were in the throes of the pandemic. Fall of 2020. I hadn’t worked on one since spending time with my mother, the jigsaw puzzle queen. She always had a puzzle going on the dining room table and when I’d visit we’d sit, talk, smoke cigarettes and work on it. That’s been over twenty years ago now.

So one afternoon in the midst of the lockdown I ran out for more tp and Lysol spray and spotted a stack of puzzles while in line at the CVS. I bought one and just like that, I fell in love with them all over again. It’s like every time you find a piece of the puzzle that fits, it’s a tiny victory. You’ve got a 500 piece puzzle? That’s 500 tiny victories! And it feels good.

Working on puzzles in between creating WINONA, INC. episodes gave me the time and space to clear my head out completely. It fit so well into my work/play routine and after putting together my third or fourth one, I started envisioning my own illustrations as potential puzzles. And that’s when I felt my mother smile down on me.

I selected three pieces of art I’d done for other projects, did a little tweaking, and sent them to a puzzle manufacturer. And guess what? She loved them! Within days we were signing a contract to license two of the three artworks as puzzles for her company SUNSOUT. And finally they’re here! My small contributions to the world of jigsaw puzzles are finally available to order. I will reveal them, and where to purchase, tomorrow. Stay tuned!