Cubist Chess Board
I designed and made this analytic cubist chess set in the form of symphonic instruments as a gift for a band teacher. At the board level it is 20 inches by 20 inches, at the angled base it is 23 x 23 inches. The entire set is made of 3 woods: amarilla, black walnut and wenge. These woods were identical in color to what Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque used in their analytic cubist paintings. The danger in integrating all 3 colors into every piece on the board is that a chess set strictly for functionality requires instant recognition as to what pieces belong to who, so at the same time as integrating the entire set in color choice, I was careful to make the one side predominantly of dark woods, the other side predominantly of ochre colored amarilla. I have looked at many, many chess sets and have never seen one where all pieces are integrated with the same colors. Also, under non reflective glass are portraits of most of the students in the band class. TO SEE UNDISTORTED IMAGES,LEFT CLICK, THEN CLICK ON OPEN IMAGE IN NEW TAB.The more tiny little angular pieces that you see in a certain piece, those are the ones that took the most time. These pieces could be much more quickly made if varying colors of wood were just sandwiched together and pieces cut out, but that would not be cubism, that would simply be vertical stripes of varying colors of wood.
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Working alone, I state working alone because nearly everything that I design and make are works of art made by me alone and signed by me for 20+ years, Ralph produces furnishings and signs rebelling against "mechanical mediocrity" refusing to work within the limitations imposed by machines and produce objets d'art which can only be accomplished with many hours/days/weeks/months of hand tooling.
To summarize, I am an artisan, not merely a furniture maker. Thank you for your interest in my fascination.
ELElizabeth Lefkowitz
For Wizard Of Oz Wooden Cane5.0I has been nothing more then perfect working with Ralph.
From the first day of my project Untill my cane arrived..Ralph
kept in touch with me the whole way through explaining the process step by step..I love my cane 100%.The detail is unbelieveable.. I recieved my cane 2 days after he told me it was shipped.. I was so excited to open the box that I cried when I saw the finished product.. Ralph you made my childhood dream a reality and I thank you for that..
I would definitely use your working skills again. Thank you so much for everything. My wizard of Oz cane is perfect..
RCRobert Channelle
For Robert's Walking Cane5.0I am very plased with my product. Ralph was very attentive to my emails, my concerns, and my timeline. He also gave me a wonderful idea about a future project. This is my first time using this and Ralph has made this experience wonderful. I have been trying to get this done for some years now…glad I found this site.
Thanks,
RC- BH
Brad Hunter
For Emperor Paplatine Cane 20155.0Ralph was not only very professional, but extremely friendly as he kept in constant contact with me during the project. I just received my order today, and I am thrilled with the finished product. It was even better than I expected. Thank you very much Ralph. I will show it off proudly.
- TH
Tyler Halvorson
For Tyler's Jewelry Box4.2The finished product was beautiful and well made. He did a great job communicating with me despite computer problems. He worked right up to the wire to complete the project and made the deadline. I couldn't be happier with the end result!
- BJ
Brent Jordan
For Emperor Palpatine Cane5.0I just wanted to share my experience about Ralph. All I can say is one word….WOW!. This has been one of the best experiences I have ever had the opportunity to deal with. I wanted to let everyone know that Ralph who crafts these gems of art is definitely one of the nicest, coolest, genuine wonderful people whom I have ever had the pleasure of doing business with. If anyone has any idea of being interested in anything he makes then I would say do it because you wont be disappointed. In fact you will be blown away as his achievements in wood working are not just amazing pieces but they are also works of art. He is a rare talent and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend his services. If you want the best then contact Ralph because hes the best. Thanks again Ralph!
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