TESTIMONIALS

 

How hot could the summer sun be?

How cool could the river bed be?

The scenery an eye-full

The easel delightful

'till the cow started coming after me!

Carol Manegold

Michael Graves

Imagine my astonishment when I was surfing around and came across your web site. I am a 73 year old landscape painter who bought my easel from Arthur Herrick in Arlington, Mass about 1950. It has been in continous use for 54 years and all I ever do is replace the straps every 20 years or so. Although I am back working in New England now, during 25 years in California I used it every day at the beach and never once had an upset with it.
In 1994 I spoke with a Mr. Howard Coon who was building the easel but had just given up making it as it was not cost effective at its wholesale cost of $ 37.50. I later purchased one of these at a yard sale here and since the metal slider straps were made of light zinc they had bent and the easel had simple fallen apart. I still have it tucked in a corner of the studio.

I can't tell you how pleased I am that someone has revived this fine design.
It does not deserve to be extinct. I am wondering ifArthur Herrick was the original supplier you mention in your promotional material.

Regards, Bernie

The Take-It-Easel is the only solution for painting large paintings outdoors. Its wide three point A-frame design and independently adjustable legs provide a sturdy support for uneven terrain.

Armand Cabrera

Visit Armand's website at www.armandcabrera.com

I've had my Take-It-Easel for many years, and it is has helped to make painting on location a more pleasant, hassle-free experience. It is light weight, and its shoulder strap affords hands-free toting. When I arrive at my painting site, it is easily set up. It accommodates my large pastel box within easy reach on it's crossbars and also works well for oil painting. If it's windy, this easel is more secure and less likely to blow over than previous easels I have owned, and under extreme conditions it can easily be anchored further.

The quality of the product has been excellent. The wood and hardware have held up beautifully. If I lost an accessory or needed an adjustment, the Nadeaus have been quick to remedy the problem.

The easel has been easy to carry on airplanes, but on family vacations I can just pack it in my husband's golf bag along with his golf clubs.
Joan Ledwith

Scott Christensen usually uses his Open Box M easel when painting outdoors but he sometimes feels the need to paint larger than the Open Box M can accommodate. When he does these large plein air paintings he uses his "Take-It-Easel." He feels that painting plein air gives his paintings a freshness that you can only get by painting outdoors. Here you can see him working on a very large painting in the Wind River Mountains.
Visit Scott's website at www.christensenstudio.com

Since high school in the 60¹s, I¹d been painting on location with an unstable aluminum easel and a snack tray to hold my supplies. In 1985 I saw Loretta Feeney using a Gloucester easel with a big paint box. I called the art supply store in Gloucester and ordered what was the last one made by the fellow who had crafted them for three generations of Gruppe painters.

I can paint 8 x 10 inches or 4 by 6 feet. It¹s ideal for holding my many pastels or oil painting supplies at working height. I delight in opening flat my old paint box with its 16 x 20 inch Plexiglas pallet. Take-It-Easel holds it all! My supply bag hangs handy and dry while I paint in the dewy mornings or in mushy marshes. My roll of paper towels fits on the end of the drop down support bar. The set-up eliminates bending or reaching for anything!

I keep my 53 inch umbrella clamped to the extra peg, and with a spring clamp for stability, I can shade both my painting and myself! Closed, the umbrella bundles right up within the buckled easel strap. With my loaded backpack and folded easel over my shoulder, my hands are both free to carry my big painting back to the car.

I now own three Take-It-Easels. I travel with one and leave two set up in the studio, where I find that the Take-It-Easel uses less floor space than a taboret and studio easel combination and it¹s very light and easy to move. The original Gloucester easel was made with tacked zinc leg brackets and a fine gage spring lever which I bent and broke. In fixing it, my husband Tom was fascinated by the streamlined simplicity of the leg movements. He spent a year and a half fine-tuning the revival of the Gloucester easel. He strengthened the lever quality, upgraded to brass for the three-way hinge and leg brackets, and used brass bolts instead of tacks. My son, Tobin, took over the business, crafting maple hardwood for warp-free stability and added shaker cotton webbed strapping for durable carrying. Voila! The revival of the Gloucester easel. The design is perfect for me!!