John Simpkins (American, b. 1951) Polarization, 2015 Animal and human, light and dark, earthly and spiritual, John Simpkins’s artwork is a study in contrasts and comparisons, and the edges between them. Simpkins is the sole human resident of an Oregon ghost town at the edge of Steens Mountain and the Alvord Desert. This 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle features a magical polar bear, replete with symbols and radiating a calming presence.