Chess-Inspired Pencil Drawings Merge Two Scenes at Once

Chess is all about strategy and rules, but luck and fate also seem to play a hand. Sydney-based artist Sasha Krautman believes that there’s “so much symbolism to be found in one game, in one simple black and white pattern.” Drawing inspiration from the classic two-player board game, she created the Chess Collection, a series of 12 colored pencil drawings where two contrasting images share the same wooden panel.

“I began the Chess Collection while moving from my earlier focus on natural textures—wood, marble, stone—toward new ways of storytelling and a desire to ‘zoom out’ to a fuller view,” Krautman tells My Modern Met. “The timeless chessboard pattern gave me a framework to combine different images: first textures, and then, unexpectedly, landscapes and portraits, which I fell in love with along the way. Each square can stand alone, but together they shift in and out of focus, creating rhythm and conversation across the piece.”

Several of Krautman’s checkered pieces feature single-color squares stripped of detail. She sees these not just as design choices but as moments of stillness for the viewer. Krautman explains, “I use single-color squares as pauses—like moments of silence—giving the eye space to rest before returning to the detail.”

Through her serene, abstract works, Krautman celebrates the chess game’s contrast, order, and mystery by weaving together two scenes at once. In one piece, titled My Harmony, she merges the image of a tree with a woman’s portrait, blending the green foliage into her face. The striking work suggests humanity’s inherent connection with nature.

In another work, titled The Great Crossing, green rolling fields contrast with a blue backdrop of Norwegian fjords. The fragmented scene features a woman leading a flock of sheep through the landscape, with the grid composition guiding the viewer step by step through the journey. Krautman explains, “Each square builds a rhythm of movement and pause, echoing both a chessboard and the terrain’s patchwork of rock, grass, and sky,” A single red square serves as a symbolic landmark, referencing the iconic red houses that dot Norway’s countryside. Krautman adds, “This is a story of migration, guidance and trust, and a personal memory of mine, the highlights of how Norway stayed in my mind after I traveled there.”

Krautman was recently selected as a finalist for the 2025 C.K. Gyllerstrom Emerging Artist Award. Check out her Chess Collection below and find more from her portfolio on her website.