Autumn Leaves Maple Side Chair With Upholstered Seat
About The Project
This chair was made as a donation to the Boys and Girls Club of Rochester, Minnesota February 2024 A Chair Affair fundraising gala. The gala is a prestigious black-tie social event, selling out over 500 tickets each year, A Chair Affair has raised millions of dollars for Rochester youth in need. Artisan-made chairs are auctioned at the gala, with the proceeds going to the Boys and Girls Club.
The leaves on the chair back are made from curly maple. For unknown reasons the woodgrain grows in waves and curls instead of straight, analogous to curly versus straight hair in people. The shimmer occurs because the grain cells grow at varying angles to each other, thus causing the light rays to reflect at varying angles. As seen in this chairs, in the right circumstances this can lead to an iridescent 3D effect.
The colored dyes and gloss finish highlight the grain curls. Multiple different colors of dye were applied to each leaf, which created varying color spectrum, much like on real autumn leaves. Once dyed, a high gloss finish was sprayed on the leaves. They were then glued together with epoxy glue to form the backrest.
I’ve used this autumn leaves approach on a few music stands. This was a fun piece to make, as it’s a combination of traditional chair construction and whimsical art.
