Montverde Cloud Forest Preserve, Costa Rica, 1999 Charley Harper (American, 1922–2007) designed more than fifty posters for various natural areas, parks, and conservation organizations, each celebrating a special part of our natural world in the unmistakable and vibrant style Harper called “minimal realism." Montverde promotes the beautiful Montverde Cloud Forest Preserve in Costa Rica, home to an astonishing array of flora and fauna, including the sacred quetzal (depicted in the centre of the poster) and the world's largest number of orchids. Some ninety migratory bird species stop there. Harper developed his unique style while a student at the Art Academy of Cincinnati and the Art Students League in New York City. His distinctive use of simple geometric shapes, patterns, and vivid colours succinctly captured the essence of each creature he portrayed. Thoughtfully conceived and engagingly intricate, our 1, 000-piece jigsaw puzzles combine superb colour reproduction, stunning and unusual images, and sturdy construction to delight generations of novice and veteran puzzle workers.
Charley Harper was an American illustrator who worked from his studio in the woods near Cincinnati, Ohio, until his death in 2007, at the age of eighty-four. He is beloved for his delightful, graphic, and often-humorous illustrations of nature, animals, insects, and people alike. Charley liked to say that when he paints a bird, he doesn't count all the feathers in the wings he just counts the wings. Minimal realism, he called it, and his unique and precise style continue to resonate and inspire his admirers.
