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.
Material
- glass
- walnut
- Dark Wood
Type
- wood
Finish
- black
Category
- Paintings
Meet the Maker
ralph mitchell
furnishings of intoxicating beauty
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.
Customer Reviews
Nathaniel
Feb 10, 2020Ralph is a true artist. He will go above and beyond what you expect to make the project you really want. For him, quality is best and he will not cut on details. I will definitely work again with him (I'm actually working with him on a project of 52 chess pieces), and am glad to have him to make this project come to reality. The value you will get is extraordinary, as well as the professionalism and expertise you will benefit from when working with him. Timeliness and shipping also are on point. Communication is essential and Ralph will keep you informed. Even when we had a small miscommunication (which wasted some of Ralph's time), he fixed the detail (even if he didn't need to) to give me an amazing piece! I cannot give 6 stars (unfortunately, even though he deserves them) so I'll have to settle by giving Ralph 5 stars.
Stacie Soto
Dec 22, 2019Ralph was very diligent during the whole process, he explained everything to me including why he chose the wood he did and the type font. It was nice to have the information when presenting this gift. Ralph was professional, friendly, communicative and extraordinarily talented.
Magnus Midtun
Sep 27, 2019Ralph has been an absolute pleasure to work with and the result of the wooden sculpture was nothing but perfect. Through the entire process he has kept me updated and asked for my opinion on the work. I felt very much taken care of through the entire process, as Ralph has showed both through the finished product and how to deal with customers in the most professional and skilful manner. Absolute top marks!
Ed Talarico
Jun 27, 2019I was very pleased with Ralph's work on my project. He had great ideas and his work is outstanding! He updated his work with pictures along the way. I would definitely use him again.
Cara Walker
Apr 29, 2019I have been working with Ralph Mitchell over the past few years. His level of expertise is incredible. He is always accommodating and open to any modifications that need to made. I hope to work with Ralph on other projects and for many years in the future. Cara Walker
