Penrod and Small Panel Easel
Penrod and Small Panel Easel Holder
So happy to announce I will be doing my first, outdoor art fair in two, long years! On Saturday, September 11, 2021, I will be in Booth #40 in the Green Section at the Penrod Arts Fair at Newfields, formerly, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, 4000 Michigan Road, Indianapolis, IN. The show hours are 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Several weeks ago, I got out all my outdoor show gear and checked it over. Several things needed to be repaired and mended (thanks, mice and puppies) and I needed to replace a couple pieces as well as add a piece to stabilize the rafters. So, everything will be in good shape for the show.
I love doing shows! I love sharing my artwork with people and getting their immediate feedback. Shows are the best way to connect. Upcoming shows are always so motivating to get new work ready. My selection of “small gems” had dwindled so I have been working on some new pieces.
While I love painting the small works, it has always been a challenge because the small panels flop around while I try to work on them. Using my regular, floor easel is impossible. Usually, I end up working at a drafting table and placing the panel on a notebook that gives it an elevated slant. But it still moves around. This has been a frustrating problem!
So, this past week I set about to tackle it by making a panel holder easel that locks in the small panels and lets me paint them at my regular floor easel. I wanted the panel I was painting to be flush with the holder so that my knives and brushes would flow seamlessly and not get caught on the holder.
Here is the first incarnation. I used 1/8″ hardboard, the same is what I use for the panels. I used silicone to attach a stationary strip on the bottom that would hold the panel. But I immediately didn’t like the painting being so low on the panel. The main floor easel tray would need to be adjusted frequently and it is not easy to move up and down.
So I added a second sliding strip with wingnuts to move the small panel up and down. I had to add a spacer piece between the two sandwich slide bars to keep the wood from bowing and the panel sliding down. I wanted to keep the 1/8″ thick slider bars so they are flush with the panel.
But, I found, no matter how much I tightened the wing nuts, the slider bars still slid down.
So, then I made a 4″ wide strip and a couple extra 2″ wide strips to help adjust the height of the panel holder, either moving it higher or lower, as desired. This seems to work pretty well.
Here it is in action, painting a “small gem”. I can either stand at the easel or sit in a tall directors chair. I typically like to stand to paint. Stepping back for a long view is much easier now, too. Painting is like dancing with the easel.
The size, overall, of the small panel holder easel is 20″ h x 16″ w so I can go up as large as a 12″ x 16″ panel pretty comfortably. But I envision using it for 9″ x 12″ or smaller panels.
So, that’s all for now! Be sure to visit the Penrod Art Fair on September 11, 2021 if you are in the Indianapolis area. I cannot wait to see you again!
Happy trails,
Charlene
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