Recently I finished up this green Irish armchair, and I’ve concluded it’s my best work yet. More than any other chair I’ve made, this chair gets closest to the intuitive style of chairmaking that I admire in Wales, Ireland and Scotland.
How did this happen? It was 20 years of practice plus two frantic days of building. I had to build this chair during a photo shoot over two short days. That meant I had to absolutely fly and build it with intuition and the wood on my bench.
As a result, the sticks are heavily faceted, the legs are thinner, the hands have proud tenons, the back sticks are a little longer than usual and the backrest is a different shape. All these decisions were made under duress and with almost no thought. Here is a short moviefilm I made to explain it.
Oh, it sits great, too.
Here are the details. The chair is made of red oak. All the joints are glued with hide glue so they can be easily repaired. The chair is painted with General Finishes Milk Paint in Basil with a thin coat of washed raw linseed oil (this gives it a little glow).
The seat is 16-1/4” off the floor. The overall chair is 33” high and 27” wide.
I am selling this chair via a silent auction.
Purchasing the Chair
If you wish to buy the chair, send an email to lapdrawing@lostartpress.com before 5 p.m. (Eastern) on Thursday, Sept. 21. Please use the subject line: “Irish Chair.” In the email please include your:
- Bid
- U.S. shipping address
- Daytime phone number (this is for the trucking quote only)
The highest bid wins. If you are the “winner,” the chair can be picked up at our storefront for free. Or we can crate it and ship it to your door for a flat $250 in the lower 48. (I’m sorry but the chair cannot be shipped outside the U.S.)
Whew. Now I am a bit paralyzed with my next chair. So do I need to invent a fake crisis to get the same effect? Or will it be easy now that I have seen it come from my own hands?
— Christopher Schwarz
It’s pretty sweet. I agree with what you said not that matters much lol. Head rest, paint sticks. Funny how the basil looks so different from the camera.
Yep, that’s it. Legs could be longer for an old fart with bum knees like me, but you’ve done it again.
Curious, but I don’t see a wedge in the tenon on the hand in the picture? Was this intentional or did you perhaps pin it from the side?
I like the way this came out – perhaps because it shows the hand of the builder.
It is wedged. I think it’s just obscured by the paint.
I love how the grain looks with the paint, very cool.
I don’t see any instructions to bid. I’ve bid on 5+ chairs in vain. How do I bid?
Love this chair but I’m in the UK.
If someone else has already bid 5 times at regular prices, I don’t have a chance. But I’ve sent one in. Good luck everyone.
Irish chairs are probably my favorite. This one is a beaut!
auction over? just found this!
Yup.