During this global pandemic, many people are finding ways to occupy their time and jigsaw puzzles are one way to cope with our current situation. Jigsaw puzzles have been long used to ease stress, improve work performance, support brain health, and provide solo and group entertainment. I believe this is why people are so attracted to them right now including myself. I decided to use some of my time to try something different, but within the same realm of my art practice. I wanted to try an unwarranted approach on collaboration.
Alexander Chen is an internationally acclaimed artist that creates city scenes and landmarks. His work has been collected by many. He is also an official artist of the US Olympic Team and now some of his works are mass produced into puzzles.
I wanted to produce a New York landscape since it is closely associated with the Covid-19 outbreak in the United States. So I searched for and purchased the first puzzle I could find from a person I met using one of the social media platforms. It was well worn, but still had some life to it which is why I decide to use it for this exploration.
Alexander Chen’s work is bold, vivid, and busy. I decided to try and mute his brilliant color palette, mask his intent, and introduce a slightly darker perspective. I believe I can push this concept further and will be doing so in the weeks to come.
Currently, I have fifteen completed puzzles in various sizes and imagery to work from, and I plan on making a total of nineteen. I will be sharing more soon.
Mark Bueno Studio 