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My New Easel!
Some of my painting friends urged me to consider a Hughes Easel. Counterweights allow a painter to manipulate it with one finger--back and forth, up and down, saving time and aggravation with sticky knobs and stubborn gears. I called Don Andrews, maker of Hughes Easels in Punta Gorda, FL and ordered one back in April. Look what pulled up on October 16th!
My home was the last stop of the day for Kyle. I had hoped he could at least help us get the two impossibly heavy boxes hauled up to the house. Kyle did more than that!
We have a steep driveway but Kyle carried the mast assembly right up the driveway, through the garage--
--and into my studio.
Next came the body of the easel in a huge box back in the corner. I thought he might use the small fork lift, but as you can see--
The forks didn't fit in the pallet.
Kyle balanced the box on the forklift wagon and you can see what happened next.
I assumed Kyle would be bidding adieu at that point, but he asked for a screwdriver and started disassembling the packaging.
This portion was amazingly packaged. We wriggled it out of its moorings onto the garage floor. Kyle was tireless. This had turned out to be "white-glove delivery" We handed him a generous thank-you, and he was off for the evening. We decided to tackle the rest of the assembly the next morning.
Here's the sunrise the next morning. Not bad!
This part became so intense, I forgot to take photos along the way. This is the upright assembly that will be fastened onto the mainframe. This proved to be the most difficult part, taking sheer strength to lift the thing, then position it so that pulley-type wheels on the top rested on a narrow rail and an angle iron at the bottom rested in place. Somehow we got it right after a dozen tries.
We put castors on the mainframe and wheeled it into my studio
And here, finally is the fully assembled easel! There were directions to put the nameplate on before erecting it, but that didn't seem necessary. After we put it together, it became apparent why it should have been done earlier.
Stan dragged out a ladder and finished the assembly with the lovely "Hughes Easel" brass plate screwed into place.
This easel is able to take on canvases 6' high and wide--so wouldn't you know, the honor of the first painting I tackled went to a commission for friend and collector Doug Holiman.
I am truly delighted with the versatility and ease with which this easel works. Now I can't wait for the painting muse to tell me what the next large painting should be. Send me your thoughts!
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