The Hughes Easels system didn't happen simply over night.
Our products are the result of decades of study and refinement, guided by the thoughtful input of many professional artists. This ongoing collaboration has culminated in a product which allows working more comfortably and productively with larger pieces of art than with any other easel available on the market today.
If you have been producing large art on a traditional wood or metal easel you know how much effort is involved to juggle a heavy canvas without ruining the work in progress. Especially when working with oils.
Hughes Easels are unique. Each model is internally counter balanced to handle a specific range of canvas weight . This can be easily adjusted with external weights to increase its load bearing capacity. The patented machined steel weights in combination with the high quality steel cables and pulleys makes handling even the heaviest of pieces of art a breeze. It's not a challenge to mount a 4x8 sheet of 5/8" plywood on a model 5000 to pin your canvas to. Try that with any other easel and watch it break. Think about it, with the proper easel ( and your studio having sufficient ceiling height ) mount up a 6 foot canvas, set the weights. Lift the bottom edge to 6 feet off the floor with no effort. Imagine being able to mount your canvas on the easel just once and then move it up down and side to side with just the touch of a finger. Pretty amazing!
Our products are the result of decades of study and refinement, guided by the thoughtful input of many professional artists. This ongoing collaboration has culminated in a product which allows working more comfortably and productively with larger pieces of art than with any other easel available on the market today.
If you have been producing large art on a traditional wood or metal easel you know how much effort is involved to juggle a heavy canvas without ruining the work in progress. Especially when working with oils.
Hughes Easels are unique. Each model is internally counter balanced to handle a specific range of canvas weight . This can be easily adjusted with external weights to increase its load bearing capacity. The patented machined steel weights in combination with the high quality steel cables and pulleys makes handling even the heaviest of pieces of art a breeze. It's not a challenge to mount a 4x8 sheet of 5/8" plywood on a model 5000 to pin your canvas to. Try that with any other easel and watch it break. Think about it, with the proper easel ( and your studio having sufficient ceiling height ) mount up a 6 foot canvas, set the weights. Lift the bottom edge to 6 feet off the floor with no effort. Imagine being able to mount your canvas on the easel just once and then move it up down and side to side with just the touch of a finger. Pretty amazing!
You've probably noticed that all of the Hughes easels product line with the exception of the 3050 are essentially the same easel design with the difference being the overall size; the dimensions of the wood used and the carriage capabilities. Working on this principal makes life simple for us and for you. We can mix, match and combine elements to produce the easel or easels of your dreams. Your easel can be free standing or wall mounted. Your options are relatively unlimited. Our newly improved counter weight system makes the addition and subtraction of weights a breeze. Simply drop the weights into the receiver. Extra weights are supplied and can be stored on the back of the frame.
Our copyrighted mast assembly is the heart of the Hughes Easel system. This allows us to build the easel of your dreams by utilizing different carriage assemblies matched to a variety of bases or wall mounts. The possibilities are endless.
There are no boat anchors or weight room gadgets to deal with. All stainless steel cables and internal hardware are hidden away so as to be finger proof.
The carriage is designed to accommodate the artist whether sitting or standing. It allows the painting to be held vertically close to the mast or pulled out, it can be tilted forward from the top, or conversely forward from the base plus or minus 15 degrees or in any combination of the two. This gives greater comfort when painting and affords the artist a better perspective corrected view of the canvas. The lateral movement is handled by four heavy duty ball bearing track rollers placed within a guard assembly. It prevents fingers from getting pinched.
The lower folding edge of the easel can be left up or allowed to fold up and away by puling two pins. These pins are now metal. This shelf is designed to support large internally framed or gallery mount canvas.
It can be used as a catch all for a brush or two and your coffee cup that is not it’s primary purpose.
It is our contention that most artists prefer having their brushes and paints at a convenient height on a taboret of some type and that is why we produce the Pallet Pal. After all, if you are painting on the top of a tall canvas why would you want to stoop repeatedly to dunk a brush? Once the shelf is folded under, the pins can be reinserted to serve as handles to guide lateral movement.
It can be used as a catch all for a brush or two and your coffee cup that is not it’s primary purpose.
It is our contention that most artists prefer having their brushes and paints at a convenient height on a taboret of some type and that is why we produce the Pallet Pal. After all, if you are painting on the top of a tall canvas why would you want to stoop repeatedly to dunk a brush? Once the shelf is folded under, the pins can be reinserted to serve as handles to guide lateral movement.
John Howard Sanden http://www.johnhowardsanden.com/africa/africa2.htm Working on a 4000 series.
This is a Model 4000 in use by Howard Howard Sanden.
He is painting a rather large image which is no challenge for the easel.
Try to imagine what can be done with a 6000 or larger custom multi-head wall mount system
The carriage itself is counter balanced with internal weights which allow it to float the canvas.
After the canvas is placed upon the easel and secured with the clips additional weights are added until the canvas is weightless. The carriage floats freely up, down and sideways. it's very simple to operate. Many easels offer counter weight system using a variety of methods but counterbalancing has to be done right.
Losing control of a large painting can result in a costly disaster. Inferior gadgetry can fail in the blink of an eye and ruin a painting in a matter of seconds. Why take a chance? Our system has proven itself worthy by many of the worlds greatest artists and institutions.
He is painting a rather large image which is no challenge for the easel.
Try to imagine what can be done with a 6000 or larger custom multi-head wall mount system
The carriage itself is counter balanced with internal weights which allow it to float the canvas.
After the canvas is placed upon the easel and secured with the clips additional weights are added until the canvas is weightless. The carriage floats freely up, down and sideways. it's very simple to operate. Many easels offer counter weight system using a variety of methods but counterbalancing has to be done right.
Losing control of a large painting can result in a costly disaster. Inferior gadgetry can fail in the blink of an eye and ruin a painting in a matter of seconds. Why take a chance? Our system has proven itself worthy by many of the worlds greatest artists and institutions.