Puzzle Description

Grandad's Workshop, a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle by Michael Herring is one of his last illustrations before he passed away suddenly in 2010 at the age of 66. The puzzle measures 68 x 49 cms when compelete. The Gibsons jigsaw puzzle catalogue has always had pictures by Michael who was a most gifted painter. His main themes revolved around simple pleasures being enjoyed by everyday people. Michael also had a keen technical eye and therefore paintings of trucks, cars and farm equipment from an earlier, less hurried era, were always faithfully rendered.

It would be hard to imagine a more lovely scene than the picture Michael painted for Grandad's Workshop (G6061). Grandad has just finished building a doll's house for his granddaughter who is obviously ecstatic and examining every room and it's tiny furniture for faithfulness to detail. What is the mystique of dollhouses? The young girl can hardly contain herself while Grandad, filled with evident pride, enjoys his granddaughter's excitement.You would be right in in assuming he has never derived such pleasure from his craft as he is at this moment in seeing the young girl's delight.

Today's dollhouses trace their history back about four hundred years to the baby house display cases of Europe, which showed idealized interiors. Smaller dollhouses with more realistic exteriors appeared in Europe in the 18th century. Early dollhouses were all handmade, but following the Industrial Revolution and World War II, they were increasingly mass-produced and became more standardized and affordable. Dollhouses can range from simple boxes stacked together used as rooms for play, up to multimillion-dollar structures displayed in museums. Dollhouses can still be found in hobby stores. The problem is that hobby stores are no longer as evident due to most hobbies such as model kits for cars and model train sets not holding the allure they once did. It appears the hobby trade has fallen victim the computer and its variations. The dollhouse and all its constituent parts would mean a significant investment for the vendor which is probably the last thing a storekeeper is willing to do. Just imagine all the possible cutlery and dinnerware. And then there’s the furniture. If you have a craving to get into the hobby, I suggest going to a convention of like minded individuals. There you will find a vast array of dollhouses and their contents. But be prepared for sticker shock. The prices can be astronomical.

Given the workshop's ordered clutter and its complement of tools and materials it would be fair to say this is not Grandad's first foray into the field of hobby construction. It appears from the sign on the table that Grandad is also a keen fisherman. Grandad probably has not been busier now that he's retired!

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