Esperanza Village

Gary McSwain-Boylan
Owner at Esperanza Village
Kensington, Prince Edward Island, Canada

Creativity in Many Areas Culminates in Making Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles

Tanya’s family is full of avid puzzlers and when Tanya and Gary found themselves living in a new province after their wedding in 2009 they decided to put her knowledge of woodworking, scroll work, painting and love of using her mind and hands, to work for them by creating wooden jigsaw puzzles.

From the early days her mother had the great task of being the main tester. When she had to put a puzzle away because it was too much Tanya knew she had a winner. She did take it back out and complete it later before passing it on to other family members to solve.

Usually the idea is thrown together on paper but isn’t fully put together until it is painted on the final puzzle board making it completely unique. Prints of the completed painted artwork, before they are cut, are available for those wishing to have an identical image…but it isn’t counted as an heirloom piece unless it’s painted, simply because paper topped puzzle images will never last like a painted one will… we feel it’s wrong to imply it will.

The pieces are cut freehand without using templates, relying on Tanya’s ability to see what’s in the puzzle and draw it out so the puzzler will have maximum fun while enjoying the beautifully artistic pieces. Tanya herself finds a normal jigsaw puzzle dull, and although she’d sit and do a puzzle with family, she never really craved doing one until she started cutting them and wanted to see if they were tricky or not.

The different shapes appeal to her and keep her interested in finding the solution. Now, if she had the time, she’d like to put each puzzle together before sending it to its new home. Her favorite part is making them challenging and yet fun for puzzlers to do, unpredictable and unique.

Tanya McSwain-Boylan

Maker, Designer, Master Puzzle Cutter

Tanya began working with wood as a very young child when her father would allow her to freely create in the workshop and later to work alongside him in the family business refinishing hardwood floors.

Gary McSwain-Boylan

Owner, Designer

As the owner of Esperanza Village, Gary looks after the day-to-day administration (read: all the paper work!!) of the business. Like his wife, he enjoys many artistic pursuits with many mediums, including wood and metal.