Raven Puzzles

Just over four years ago, jigsaw puzzle Master, Jay Hollis, and I met and thus Raven Puzzles was born. Admirers of each other’s work, we created a collaboration that annually offers one hand-cut, limited-edition wooden jigsaw puzzle, as fine as any to be found…anywhere.

Jay is an acclaimed Master of the challenging art of museum-quality jigsaw puzzle making. Notably, he cuts every single piece by hand, making each puzzle an exquisite one-of-a-kind treasure.

Our initial offering, a limited-edition, approximately 500-piece, 14 x 21 inch wooden jigsaw puzzle featuring my photograph, Thorofare, sold out in under three hours when first announced in November, 2020. A year later, our Passage puzzle sold out in two and a half days.

And now we offer our gorgeous and particularly challenging The Source in a limited edition of ten, approximately 400-piece, hand cut, beautifully packaged puzzles for $1750.

In keeping with the long-honored tradition established by old-time Master puzzle makers, you will not initially receive an image of this puzzle to help guide you through its assembly. What you will receive, however, is an original 11 x 17 inch print of The Source, printed and signed by Peter….once you have completed the puzzle!

Because we believe puzzles should be fun, Jay cuts whimsies - locally relevant figures - into each of our puzzles. If you have ever cruised the coast of Maine, you will quickly recognize some of this puzzle’s whimsie shapes.

If you order in time for holiday giving, you will swiftly receive (gratis) a small, hand cut, wooden tree ornament of our Raven logo to put under the tree. This clever little piece will give the recipient a taste of the approximate 400 pieces they will later be puzzling with while Jay creates the edition of The Source puzzles at the rate of about one per month.

Raven Puzzles are rare and unique gems in a world of mass-production. They are made to be enjoyed for many generations, and are true heirlooms. As such, we collaborated with a Portland-based museum box maker to create an exceptional linen-covered box that adds to the overall statement of this one-of-a-kind beauty, lovingly and masterfully produced almost entirely in Maine.

And, as yet another tribute to our shared love for Maine, my lifelong friend, Jamie Wyeth, allowed us to base our raven logo on his brilliant watercolor, Raven Pair, beautifully debossed on the cover of our box.

Immodestly, jigsaw puzzles just do not come any finer than this!

If you are interested, and for further details and particulars, including those about personalizing your puzzle, shipping, lead-times and the availability of puzzles with other of my images……

More Information & Details

Orders for all Raven puzzles will be honored strictly in order of contacting us.

Raven Puzzles are constructed from the very finest materials available, with Peter’s images exquisitely printed directly onto 1/4" thick furniture grade mahogany plywood using a proprietary process. The backside of the puzzle is almost as important to us as the image itself; the mahogany veneer receives three coats of imported tung oil, with extensive sanding and steel-wooling between coats. The final coat is hand buffed to a luxurious, furniture-grade finish. 

Jay cuts each individual jigsaw puzzle piece free-hand, and the fine cuts he is able to achieve are attributable to his scroll saw blades, machined as fine as a single horse tail hair! We actually include in your puzzle package one of the blades that Jay used to cut your very own puzzle.

No two jigsaw puzzle pieces are ever the same and in Jay’s hands, they all take on their own fanciful shapes and forms, each piece a vital component to the whole.

Each puzzle contains our two special signature pieces (a Portuguese Water Dog and a raven) respectively hand signed and dated by Jay and Peter, plus an additional piece with the edition number of your own puzzle.

Jay & his crew inspect every puzzle piece for flaws or defects. They assemble the puzzles in their workshop to ensure that all the pieces fit properly, and that the puzzle is 100% complete before it heads your way. Prior to shipping, the puzzle is disassembled and the pieces are placed in our gorgeous box.

 Shipping

Raven Puzzles are shipped by USPS, UPS or Federal Express. We charge $55.00 per puzzle for shipping & handling within the United States. If you require overseas or overnight delivery, please contact us for a quote. All puzzles are shipped fully insured. 

Leadtime

You are purchasing a totally unique, one-of-a-kind custom-made wooden jigsaw puzzle that takes three to four weeks to cut. Again, all orders will be fulfilled in the order they are received. If you need something special to “put under the tree,” please let us know and we will send you the hand cut, wooden tree ornament of our Raven logo to build the level of expectation!

Personalizing

Would you like to include names, dates, or other distinguishing elements in your puzzle? Let us know, and this can usually be arranged, at an additional expense. 

 Other Ralston Images

If another of Peter’s photographs seriously appeals to you as a puzzle, please let us know and we will consider producing that for you. In such a case, you would receive puzzle #1/10.