One Fine Easel

I was asked a very good question the other day, “What kind of easel do I use to paint on?” They say a picture is worth a thousand words so here are several! We use the BEST Classic Santa Fe II Easel. When Jack and I were traveling, living in places where people take vacations, we would make easels out of 2×4 lumber. They were very portable and didn’t take up much room tied on top of our Ford Explorer. With the exception of tax records, which we had in storage, everything we had fit in or on top of the SUV. So space was at a premium.

When we began to settle down we decided to purchase “Real” easels. After a lot of research this is the one we picked. The best is made by “Best”! It has a crank that allows the artist to raise and lower a painting without having to take it off the easel.

In the picture above I’m working on a 6′ x 8′ painting. My canvas can be cranked up even higher to work on the lower portions. This prevents having to reach up to paint, which puts a lot of excess strain on your shoulder and rotator cuff. My palette is on a base with wheels. I just rolled it to the side so I could stand up close to the painting.

The easel comes with an extra canvas holder that can be attached to place smaller canvases on. You just slide it over the uprights and tighten the black knob on the right side. The easel can be purchased at most online art supply companies. DickBlick.com has the most reasonable prices we could find. But shop around, this easel is well worth the investment. We’ve had ours since 2001 and love them. My palette is back in its usual place in front of the easel. This is the most efficient way to work. You don’t have to twist and turn to get your paint like you would if it were on the side.

Oh, Jack said to tell you. The easel does not come with the “Hey Cupcake” sign. (You can see it by enlarging the images, just click the picture.) The Honeymooners with Jackie Gleason is one of our favorite TV series. We have DVDs with all the episodes. We watch them at lunch for a “Laugh Break”. Anyway, when Ralph wants something from Alice he will sweet talk, using pet names like “Sweetums” and “Cupcake”. On Valentine’s Day two years ago he saw the headline in the newspaper, cut it out and put in on my easel. When I saw it I laughed and said, “OK, what do you want?”

Have a great day. Hugs, Mikki Senkarik

Website: www.senkarik.com