Architectural Salvage Easel

The Neoclassical half-column of a base for something- heavy potted plant, patio table, bird bath-- was abandoned curbside the next street over. I raced back to my house, jumped into the car, and wrestled the heavy wooden piece of architectural salvage into the trunk without a thought what to do with it. The feet are shaved off unevenly and the wood was a dirty sorry shade of gray so I scrubbed, sanded, and painted it with leftover red from my sister's bedroom. By the time a coat of clear weather-proofing Rustoleum, I had thought how to put its tilted design to good use.

An easel of course requires a broad surface so I practiced my novice carpenter skills with spare metal joiner plates, scrap wood, and screws. There are a few nails I couldn't drive in fully that I left for hooks, and to mark it one of my inaugural clumsy carpentry projects along with the extra holes drilled in slightly wrong places. Despite these mistakes, the easel top sits sturdily on the base.

 The ledge was another feat of salvage. I unscrewed the loose curving legs from a dilapidated wooden chair, another curbside trash day treasure, and affixed them to the broad wooden surface with metal plates and screws. The holes where the legs were attached to the rest of the chair with wooden pegs function as pencil or paintbrush holders. I think the shape of the legs complements the Neoclassical base well, if I do say so. Now I need only a stool, or to use a collapsible folding chair, to paint en plen air.