As an illustrator and surface designer, I’m constantly seeking new ways to bring my love for Canadian landscapes to life through meaningful product collaborations. Today, I’m thrilled to share my latest milestone: my first puzzle licensing partnership with Villager Puzzles, featuring my illustration Lupines Meadow.
Discovering Villager Puzzles: A Company with Heart
I’ve been following Villager Puzzles since their launch, drawn to their mission that goes far beyond creating beautiful puzzles. At its core, Villager believes that everyone needs a supportive community, whether you’re raising a family, building a business, or navigating your own personal journey. They’re passionate about helping people rediscover the joy of downtime while creating meaningful opportunities for women artists to make a living doing what they love.
This dual focus on supporting women artists and encouraging mindful moments resonates deeply with my values. As someone who believes in the power of community and authentic creative work, I knew this was a company I wanted to be part of.
My Journey to Collaboration
My partnership with Villager Puzzles began in fall 2024 when I submitted a design to their art call. While I didn’t win, placing in the top 10 was incredibly encouraging. The positive outreach and genuine support from their team moved me so deeply that it inspired me to create an entire series of Canadian landscape illustrations.
I stayed in touch with the Villager team throughout the process, and at the start of 2025, I pitched my Canadian landscape collection. That’s when Lupines Meadow caught their eye and was selected for production.
The Inspiration Behind Lupines Meadow
When my family first moved from a big city to remote northern Canada, we started taking regular walks on local nature trails to help us adjust. Those walks transformed how I see the landscape around me.
Lupines Meadow captures one of our discoveries – the incredible wildflower displays in Western Labrador’s Wapusakatto Mountains. When lupines bloom, they transform entire meadows into waves of vibrant pinks, purples, and blues against dark birch and spruce forests. This illustration balances those soft pastels with deeper greens and gentle mountain silhouettes, creating the kind of peaceful scene that made me fall in love with northern wilderness.
The Creative Process: Designing for Puzzles
Creating artwork specifically for puzzles presented unique and exciting challenges. Unlike designing for greeting cards or apparel, puzzle art requires intricate details that make the solving experience engaging and rewarding. I collaborated closely with the Villager Puzzles team to enhance the illustration with specific elements that would create visual interest and complexity for puzzle enthusiasts.
As an experienced licensed artist, I excel at this type of collaboration – working with clients to adapt and enhance my artwork to meet their specific market needs. Whether it’s adding intricate elements for puzzle complexity, adjusting color palettes, or incorporating specific motifs that align with brand storytelling, I’m always excited to make adjustments that serve both the artistic vision and the product’s success.
The result is a 1000-piece puzzle that beautifully balances artistic beauty with the technical requirements that make for a satisfying puzzle experience.
A Personal Milestone
This collaboration marks my first puzzle licensing partnership, checking off an item that’s been on my business bucket list for years. As someone who absolutely loves puzzles and appreciates all the hard work that goes into making a quality puzzle, this partnership feels especially meaningful.
This success has inspired so many more landscape illustrations that I cannot wait to share. It’s opened up an entirely new avenue for my Canadian landscape series and reinforced my belief in the power of staying connected with brands whose values align with your own.
Where to Find Lupines Meadow
The Lupines Meadow 1000-piece puzzle launched and is available now through Villager Puzzles’ website. You can also find it at retail locations that carry Villager Puzzles products – check their store locator to find a location near you.
Looking Forward
I’m excited to continue creating Canadian landscape illustrations and exploring more opportunities in the puzzle market. This collaboration has not only been personally fulfilling but has also opened my eyes to new possibilities for bringing my wilderness-inspired artwork to life in formats that encourage mindfulness and connection.
For those interested in licensing collaborations or commissioning custom Canadian landscape artwork, I’d love to hear from you. My portfolio showcases more illustrations available for licensing, and I’m always excited to discuss how we can work together to create products that truly resonate with your audience.
Here’s to meaningful collaborations that support women artists and bring a little more beauty into our everyday lives!
