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Testimonial

The BEST
Santa Fe I Easel

by Gregory B. Graham

For many years my paintings have been quite small, often measuring no larger than 12 x12". As the scale has increased, the demands on my studio equipment have been pushed to their limits. My worktable and aluminum Stanrite easel are no longer capable of handling my current paintings efficiently.

This caused me to start thinking about a larger easel.

The choices were between Mabef, an Italian company specializing in natural beechwood easels and BEST, a company based in Wisconsin that makes hand-oiled wood easels using American oak.

Mabef makes fine easels. Their French Easel is our most popular travel easel. The Magritte painting, The Promenades of Euclid (the one with the painting in front of the window) at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts looks like it features a Mabef easel and I used Mabef's Lyre as the model for an easel in one of my paintings.

However, I narrowed my choice down to two easels from BEST, the Giant Dulce and the Santa Fe I. Both feature an H-frame construction. This means they have a cross support for the center mast (kind of like a goal post in football). They both also feature a quad base for added stability. Some tripod style easels tend to rock a little if working on a large piece. In addition, the painting tray moves independently from the center mast.

I ultimately decided on the Santa Fe I. It will accomodate a larger painting (up to 96" high) and has adjustable side frames that means I have an extra cross support that I can raise as I raise the mast. In addition, it offers two canvas holders; one for smaller works and a larger one that has a surface for a palette and two aluminum cannisters. I have found this to be extremely useful.

This is a truly fantastic easel that I highly recommend.

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Gregory B. Graham is the floor manager at Wet Paint and a painter whose work most recently has been the subject of a two-person exhibition with artist Joy Liberman at the Bloomington (MN) Art Center.

Read more about selected easels by BEST

You can purchase the BEST Santa Fe I Easel by clicking here.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When considering a major purchase such as an easel, Wet Paint recommends that you contact us and speak to one of our staff regarding your specific needs. You can e-mail us at sales@wetpaintart.com, or give us a call at 651.698.6431.

GREGORY B. GRAHAM, Studio, oil & acrylic

Image © 2009 Gregory B. Graham

This painting features the Mabef Lyre easel that Greg mentions in his article.

BEST Santa Fe I easel
by Jack Richeson

This single masted easel comes with two canvas holders and a painting tray. The middle canvas holder can be used for smaller works and the self-leveling bottom tray/palette measures 30" wide by 7 1⁄2" and features a melamine paint mixing surface with two large stainless steel canisters. SKU: 880300

• Can hold canvases up to 96" high
  
• Base width/depth: 24" x 30"
  
• Ceiling height: lowest setting of easel is 78, highest setting is 120"
  
• Front locking casters are optional