A Long Night - by Ralph McDonald Set of two 500 Piece Puzzles - 485mm x 345mm Box Dimensions - 410mm x 290mm x 50mm This is a box set of two Gibsons jigsaw puzzles. Each jigsaw puzzle has 500 Pièces. Gibsons have developed two images to increase their expanding Christmas puzzle selection which is proving to be a seasonal mainstay. In the first 500 piece jigsaw puzzle Santa Claus is mapping out the evening's route with his trusty elves looking on preparing his sack of toys. Santa is improbably going to visit the entire globe determining who has been good and who has been bad and who deserves Christmas presents. Evening is approaching and Santa's list is almost complete as he makes final checks of addresses. In the second 500 piece Gibsons jigsaw puzzle Santa is resting after a hard night's sleigh ride. It is well into the early morning hours but Santa is able to maintain his good cheer thinking about the childrens' joy when they soon open their Christmas gifts. The presents have all been delivered and Santa sits quietly by the fireside with his faithful dog, Bonzo. The cat, Slurpy, rests by the fireside enjoying the Christmas atmosphere. R.J. McDonald is one of America?s most highly respected wildlife artists. For over twenty-five years his paintings and prints have been enthusiastically collected by knowledgeable art collectors. After graduating from the Harris School of Art, McDonald worked for several years as a successful illustrator and free-lance commercial artist. Later he decided to leave the security of commercial art and become a full time painter of wildlife and outdoor subjects. His wildlife art career received a substantial boost when the Governor of Tennessee commissioned him to paint the official portrait of the sTête's bird, the Mockingbird. Over the years Ralph, as his friends call him, has made numerous contributions to conservation groups. Among these groups are: Ducks Unlimited, Game Conservation International, Deer Unlimited and The National Wild Turkey Federation. In 1981 Ducks Unlimited named him its' National Artist of the Year and the sale of his prints at D.U. auctions have raised millions of dollars for that organization. This year Ducks Unlimited and the National Wild Turkey Federation each selected a McDonald painting to publish as a print for their national fund raising projects. McDonald's work is included in prestigious art collections throughout the United STêtes. Among his credits are: The recipient of Ducks Unlimited Palette and Chisel award; He is listed in WHO'S WHO IN WILDLIFE ART; He has been artist of the Year for The Southeastern Wildlife Exposition (1988), The World Wildlife Exposition (1990), and The Southern Wildlife Exposition (1993). Through the years he has created the designs for several sTêtes' duck stamps. In 1994 he was commissioned to design the Kentucky and Tennessee duck stamps. Although he has been painting uplifting Christmas scenes prior to inclusion in the Gibsons catalogue he has only recently been included in the Gibsons jigsaw puzzle catalogue and is sure to be widely appreciated by jigsaw puzzle hobbyists.
