In the realm of cherished childhood memories, the warmth of solving puzzles with family and friends holds a special place. Many people fondly recall the joy and togetherness that came from gathering around a table, piecing together colorful jigsaws, and embarking on shared adventures through these delightful brain teasers.
“Out of My Soul” by Nolan Anderson
For siblings Ericka Jones Chambers and William Jones, puzzles were a beloved bonding activity during their elementary school years. They always enjoyed doing the puzzles, but the completed pictures usually missed one thing: people who looked like them.
Growing up, Chambers remembers they did a lot of puzzles with cartoon characters, landscapes, and paintings by some big name artists, like Starry Night by Van Gogh. “There would be times when we saw puzzles with people on them and we thought, ‘why isn’t there one with a Black person?”
Although Chambers mentioned that puzzles representing Black people could be found at Black bookstores, they were generally difficult to come across. This realization led the siblings to embark on their own puzzle company, Puzzles of Color, with a mission to promote artists of color and celebrate diverse cultures through their puzzle designs.
As stated on the website, “We care about art and the artists. We work with artists to achieve a mutually beneficial relationship to promote and sustain each other.” Puzzles of Color, a black-owned family business, boasts an impressive roster of artists, such as Nolan Anderson, Craig Carter, and Kaitlin Edwards.
Ericka Chambers and William Jones, the founders of Puzzles of Color, shared their journey in establishing the business and their strategy for bringing a diverse range of puzzles to the public. Both siblings had early involvement in the arts, with Jones nurturing his passion for drawing as a graphic designer, while Chambers explored her interest in music and visual arts.
The idea of creating puzzles emerged when Chambers, who was pregnant at the time, desired a special puzzle for her home’s nursery. Jones reached out to a friend who happened to be an artist and commissioned a puzzle specifically for the nursery. This experience inspired the siblings to collaborate with more artists of color and paved the way for Puzzles of Color.
In 2019, the concept for the company took shape, but it wasn’t until 2020 that Chambers and Jones, both occupied with full-time jobs, began actively pursuing their plans. The pandemic provided them with ample time for research, and they even bought a puzzle cutting machine.
They began reaching out to artists of color, exploring art-related hashtags, connecting with interested artists on Instagram, and discussing their vision with their artist friends. They ended up successfully receiving art samples and referrals to other talented creatives.
The business has the capability to launch puzzles through two avenues: obtaining licenses for existing artwork or commissioning new pieces. The majority of their puzzles feature licensed and completed works that the siblings admire. As for commission-based puzzles, like their Christmas puzzle, where they collaborate with artists to bring specific ideas to life.
Jones emphasized that using existing artwork is often easier for both parties, as the artists get to showcase pieces they genuinely love.
Jones explained, “With an existing piece, you already know that it has an audience. It’s like people love this, it’s got many likes, or they have already bought these prints. It’s easier to gauge the success rate versus something that may only be on our heads and nobody else actually cares about it if we commissioned it.”
Puzzles of Color constantly welcomes new artists and supports their current roster in bringing their unique puzzles to the world. For example, painter Ija Charles has created three pieces for the business and has another one in progress. Virginia-based illustrator Nolan Anderson has contributed two pieces, and San Antonio painter Kwanzaa Edwards is one of their go-to artists for commissioned works.
The puzzles offered by Puzzles of Color cover a wide range of themes. Among them is “Black Boy Joy” by Ija Charles created in 2020, serving as a response to the tragic police killing of George Floyd.
“Black Boy Joy” by Ija Charles
Chambers explained, “It was a very dark time and all you saw was black people being killed and a lot of negativity. And so, we wanted to show that even though there are adversities that you have to deal with, it is beautiful to be black, and there should be some joy in our lives.”
Their Growth Collection includes “Migration Westbound“, a historically significant piece by Joseph Watson.
Jones said, “It was a conversational piece, telling the story of people migrating from the south to the west for a better life. That’s a story that a lot of our ancestors have.”
“Migration Westbound” by Joseph Watson
Puzzles of Color has garnered significant popularity among customers since their debut collection. Due to the high demand, they are planning to re-release their best-selling puzzle, “Sisters,” which had previously sold out. Chambers mentioned that they will update it to a 300-piece version, making it more accessible for children.
In addition to the return of “Sisters,” Puzzles of Color will be releasing their new collection, “Flow,” in the Fall.
“Sisters” by Ija Charles
With each new puzzle collection they release, Chambers and Jones are determined to continue inspiring and highlighting people and artists of color.
