This is the first review I’ve posted of an Art & Fable puzzle, though it’s by far not the first A&F puzzle I’ve completed. If I had to describe Art & Fable puzzles in a single word, it would be “exquisite.” And that’s not their outliers; “exquisite” is their standard.
If you’re a puzzle person and not familiar with Art & Fable, you should be. The physical production of their puzzles is incomparable. The pieces come together so seamlessly you might forget this is a puzzle once it’s complete. The colors are exquisite — you can tell that the folks behind Art & Fable make it a priority to ensure the puzzles are worthy of the fantastic art they use. A&F can take a person from “I might like doing puzzles” to “I’m a complete addict” in one sitting.
One of the characteristics I rave over with Art & Fable is the extremely low fit ambiguity. If two pieces seem to fit together, they most likely belong together. If a piece seems to join to two others, it absolutely belongs there. No other puzzle line I’ve encountered is as consistently brilliant in this area as Art & Fable. (Just pause the video at a point where the puzzle is mostly complete — you can see the perfection in those rows and columns.)
“Summit at Iris Glen” is no exception to their high standards. It’s a wonderful scene of doggo druids gathered to discuss what are clearly mystical matters — I’m inclined to think they’re discussing strategy at a war council, though one of my puzzle partners believes it’s more of an administrative session to make sure everyone’s auguries agree on the coming season’s crops and weather. I love it.
The art makes this one challenging in a “good challenge” kind of way. The way the colors blend together in both dogs and scenery can be a little daunting but totally worth sticking with, as the finished image is so lovely. Like most of Art & Fable’s choices, Julie Bell’s painting is so nice that I actually held off working the puzzle long enough to research the artist a bit and check out her other amazing work. And I was pleasantly surprised to find she’s married to another of my long-time favorite artists, who I won’t name since this blog is about Ms. Bell. Suffice to say this is one immensely talented couple.
If you’re an avid puzzle, definitely pick this one up. Even an experienced constructor will take some time on “Summit at Iris Glen,” and it’ll be well worth it, whether it’s your first Art & Fable offering or fifteenth. I almost regret having taken it apart to do my video of it, but that’s actually okay — I’ll enjoy putting it together again.
(Note: unlike my other reviews, the link above is NOT an Amazon affiliate link. I don’t have any sort of referral relationship with Art & Fable; I’m just a Raving Fan of their work and I’ll happily point anyone else to their products.)
The music in this one is “Messages On The Window” by Emily Rubye, licensed through epidemicsound.com.
If you’re enjoying these stop motions, visit our Etsy store for more creative stuff.