Bucket & Spade - by Kevin Walsh

1000 Piece Puzzles - 685mm x 490mm

Box Dimensions - 305mm x 305mm x 50mm



Kevin Walsh was born in Casterford in the heart of the former industrial West Riging of Yorkshire and is proud to hail from the town which produced the world-famous sculptor Henry Moore.

The Bucket and Spade 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle is in keeping with the overall Gibsons theme of puzzles relating to a nostalgic period of essentially British activities in this case, holidaymaking at the seaside. Many puzzle hobbyists will remember the ice cream van and it's chimes which still exist today although not seen as often as they once were. The art of sandcastle building and crab hunting still go on but are more likely nowadays to occur on the southern Spanish coast. This hand coloured 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle image has faithfully captured a more modest holiday outing where the donkey ride was a highlight.
The jigsaw puzzle captures the full seaside atmosphere with floating seagulls, straining kites and small sailboats in the distance chasing the brisk sea breeze. The more adventurous seaside holiday makers might even be tempted to set off on a hike to conquer the nearby cliffs.

Kevin Walsh, a favourite Gibsons jigsaw puzzle designer, studied illustration at the Wakefield College of Art and developed an early reputation for his aircraft paintings. He became a member of the Guild of Aviation Artists.

Kevin has twelve different jigsaw puzzles in the Gibsons catalogue from 1000 Piece Puzzles through to 500 piece jigsaw puzzles. His puzzle themes range in time from the very recent past back to the Victorian era with his always popular puzzle of the Victorian Skaters, a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle which is a mainstay of the Gibsons puzzle catalogue. In the latter years of his career, he has become increasingly known for a much wider variety of subjects, including landscapes, hunting scenes, transport, and city life in bygone days.

Kevin travels many miles to research his paintings and spends countless hours sketching to capture technical and historical detail accurately. Leading publishers in Britain and overseas have commissioned his work for greeting cards, collectors' plates, biscuit tins, jigsaw prints and calendars.

Original oils by Kevin Walsh can be seen at the Headrow Gallery, Leeds, and at the William Sission Gallery in Helmsley, New York.