Chess gameplay is already a complex and geometrically abstract linear drawing in the mind. Using palette knives and a scraping technique, my artistic practice is one in which I manipulate textured acrylic impasto medium whilst still wet to infer the directional line work within chess geometry. All marks trace the spirit of the movements of pieces on the board and are violent, linear expressions of verticality (pawns, kings, queens, rooks), horizontality (kings, queens and rooks), diagonals (pawns, bishops, kings and queens) and irregular angles (knights). My work is inspired by Marcel Duchamp’s musings on the underlying aesthetics inherent within the depths of this ancient and beloved game, as well as the emotional power of gestural action used in my technique, an inference to its brutality. Treating the canvas and the print format as a bird’s eye landscape view of the chessboard, reminiscent of widely popular online 2D chess gameplay, my goal is to create work that showcases the blunt aggression and purity of this cerebral war-game battlefield of perfect information

My paintings explore the intersection of strategy and abstraction, transforming the structured logic of chess into expressive, large-scale compositions. Using bold impasto textures and dynamic gestural marks, I reinterpret the movement and tension of chess games as raw visual energy. Each piece captures the rhythm of a match—its momentum, its conflicts, its quiet moments of calculation—distilling the game’s intellectual depth into a purely visual language.

Chess has long been a symbol of order and control, yet my approach embraces its unpredictability. The thick layers of paint applied with palette knives and heavy brushstrokes, create a sense of physicality that mirrors the weight of each decision made on the board. My compositions are not literal representations but emotional responses to the game’s patterns, where openings, middlegames, and endgames unfold as sprawling landscapes of movement and intensity.

By working at a large scale, I invite viewers to step into the space of the game—to feel its presence beyond the confines of a board. These paintings are not just about chess; they are about the universal experience of choice, consequence, and the beauty of thought in motion. Through this series, I aim to bridge the worlds of strategy and sensation, offering a new perspective on a game that has captivated minds for centuries.