Dominic Davison Puzzles: Meet the Artist Behind the Cottages and Harbours

If you have done a jigsaw of a thatched cottage with swans on the pond, a Cornish harbour at sunset or a snowy street lit up for Christmas, there is a fair chance it was a Dominic Davison. His pictures turn up under half a dozen puzzle makers' names, and we stock more than forty of them. Here is who he is, how to spot his work, and where to start.

Who is Dominic Davison?

Dominic Davison was born in London in 1972 and lives in Buckinghamshire, which is where he finds the calm, romantic scenes he paints. Before puzzles made his name he worked as a freelance artist, and his pictures appeared in the magazines 3D Artist and Advanced Photoshop, where he also wrote tutorials and a regular column. Those are magazines about making pictures on a computer, and that is how his are made: built and painted digitally rather than on an easel.

The painters he names as influences are older than any computer, though. On his own artist page he lists the Dutch landscape painters Barend and Cornelis Koekkoek and Jacob van Ruisdael, and John Constable, alongside modern illustrators such as Keith Melling, Charles H. White and Terry Redlin. You can see the line running back from his puzzles to those old Dutch skies and Constable's riverbanks.

How to recognise one of his puzzles

Once you have built a couple, the signs are easy to spot. The light is usually low and golden, late afternoon or early evening, with pink and lilac in the sky. There is nearly always water somewhere: a river, a harbour or a pond with swans on it. Gardens are crammed with flowers, and somebody has left a bench, a bicycle or a wheelbarrow out for you to find.

That detail is what makes him so good to puzzle. Every corner has something in it, so there are very few long stretches of plain sky or grass where the pieces all look alike. His pictures suit a steady evening build, and they are a friendly choice for someone moving up to 1000 pieces.

Cottages, lanes and villages

This is the heart of his work. The Caretaker's Cottage from Falcon de luxe has a thatched roof, timber beams, garden chairs and a fountain, with the wheelbarrow and tools still out on the freshly mown grass.

Oak Tree Cottage from Ravensburger is another thatched cottage in a summer garden, with swans on the pond and a church spire coming through the morning mist. Tea on the River from Gibsons moves to a riverside tea room, with a man in a blue canoe paddling past the swans.

If 1000 pieces is too much for the table, A Tranquil Moment is a 500 piece Gibsons village lane with an old well, bicycles leaning on the wall and a red postbox.

British landmarks

He paints real places too, and Gibsons in particular have made a run of British landmarks from his pictures. St Michael's Mount catches the Cornish castle in golden evening light, with boats in the little harbour and a fishing boat resting on the sand.

Below Corfe Castle puts a steam train and stone cottages under the Dorset ruins, and Crossing Glenfinnan Viaduct sends a train over the great curved viaduct in the Scottish Highlands, the one from the Harry Potter films. Train lovers in the family, take note.

Further afield

When he travels, the light comes with him. Mediterranean Terrace View looks down from a terrace covered in bougainvillea to sailing boats in the bay, with cats asleep on the cushions. Terracotta Mansion is a grand house with a spired tower, cherry blossom and a stone bridge, under one of his pink and lilac skies.

Dominic Davison at Christmas

His winter scenes are some of the cosiest Christmas puzzles we sell. Christmas Mountain View from Bluebird looks out through a decorated window at a snowy mansion, a lit tree by a stone bridge and a snowman. Christmas at Home is a blue house in the snow with garlands and a glowing lamppost, in 500 pieces.

For somewhere a little further from home, Christmas Eve in Paris from Eurographics has vintage cars on a snowy boulevard, cafe windows glowing and the Eiffel Tower lit up behind. Any of the three would make a kind present for someone who likes a calm puzzle over the holidays.

Which puzzle makers print his pictures?

That is part of the fun of collecting him: the same artist, six different boxes. In our shop his puzzles come from Gibsons, Ravensburger (including the Down the Lane series), Falcon de luxe, Bluebird, Eurographics and Anatolian. Each maker cuts and finishes its pieces in its own way, so if you already have a favourite brand you can stay with it and still follow the artist. Our guide to Ravensburger against Gibsons explains how two of them differ.

Every one we stock is on a single page, Dominic Davison puzzles, so you can browse the cottages, the harbours and the snow scenes side by side.

Questions people ask about Dominic Davison

Is Dominic Davison a painter?

He is a digital artist. He builds and paints his pictures on a computer, and his work and tutorials have been published in 3D Artist and Advanced Photoshop, but his influences are the classic landscape painters, Constable and the Dutch masters among them.

Where does Dominic Davison live?

He was born in London in 1972 and lives in Buckinghamshire.

Are there smaller Dominic Davison puzzles?

Yes. Most are 1000 pieces, but there are 500 piece versions too, such as A Tranquil Moment from Gibsons and Christmas at Home from Bluebird.