Selected and displayed at Wharton Esherick Museum's themed exhibition on chess sets.

Although I never learned how to play the game of chess I do feel that the craft of woodworking (and life) is a chess match. You have to be constantly thinking and planning many steps ahead. That concept was the basis of the title of the work "Before" as it's always wise to think before acting, a lesson I sometimes still (always) forget!

Inspired by the amazing piece of Koa I received and utilized for frame around the board (along with brass) I wanted the piece to be viewed as a celebration of beautiful woods. I encased the board with beautiful tiger maple and added ebony squares on the corners.

My focus was to create a unique playing surface and designed the board to have a "woven" look. It took two tries to perfectly engineer this so that the walnut and cherry blocks created a free floating aesthetic.