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From: Barbara Carlson Subject: ** 1000th Day of Use for Your Sienna French Easel **
Wed, July 10, 2013 To: PleinAirCo
We emailed you before when John needed a washer, and you offered to send a bunch of parts.
I am writing to send you some jpgs of John Benn's 1000th day -- May 13, 2013 -- using your French Easel!
over a period of almost five years, in every weather condition -- as hot as 110F and as cold as minus 10F,
in rain, snow, sleet, heat, humidity, etc. The legs have sunk 4 inches into the soft, very wet soil in the spring and it has sat in two feet of snow, for many hours, in winter - of which we have an abundance here in Ottawa! John says "the supply far exceeds the demand"
John has opened and closed your easel a MINIMUM of 2000 times and probably closer to 2200 times as he also uses it in his studio, and sometimes changes venue outside during the same day, but,
as you can see, all is well with it
I am also sending (in a separate email) a selection of other paintings. (John is not that pleased with) and three paintings he did on Day 1000.
He is prolific and "discards", or, more correctly, stacked up behind his etching press perhaps a third or more of the paintings he does -- they will be used as source material when he (eventually, in old age) does paintings in the studio. He works on press board (HDF?) -- both sides are smooth.
His oil painting sizes are from 5x7 to 11x14 inches, any bigger and the wind is a problem. He has painted between 2,100 and 2,200 oils, discarded probably 1000 + -- And sold to date - in less than five years - 863
His prices start at $20 and go up to $325. (Most people cannot tell the difference between a $20 and a $325--
John's standards are very high. His 8x10 size was appraised by a national appraiser at $1350. John could care less, he just wants people to be able to buy them at prices they can afford.For many people, it is their first oil painting or first art purchase. We are thrilled at this. We have a lot of return buyers. There is not just a small art -buying public, as galleries would have us believe.
He has gone through at least 4 three-legged stools, leather seats. Yesterday he spent almost 2 hours repairing the leather seat of the current one. He now stands to paint most days.
He designed and made (dozens of them) the cardboard folder (spaced so that 2 paintings can fit inside one box without touching) you see in the photos below. It flips open, back on itself.
Cheers!
Barbara Carlson
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
613-749-6515
http://www.johnbenn.com/
Wed, July 10, 2013 To: PleinAirCo
We emailed you before when John needed a washer, and you offered to send a bunch of parts.
I am writing to send you some jpgs of John Benn's 1000th day -- May 13, 2013 -- using your French Easel!
over a period of almost five years, in every weather condition -- as hot as 110F and as cold as minus 10F,
in rain, snow, sleet, heat, humidity, etc. The legs have sunk 4 inches into the soft, very wet soil in the spring and it has sat in two feet of snow, for many hours, in winter - of which we have an abundance here in Ottawa! John says "the supply far exceeds the demand"
John has opened and closed your easel a MINIMUM of 2000 times and probably closer to 2200 times as he also uses it in his studio, and sometimes changes venue outside during the same day, but,
as you can see, all is well with it
I am also sending (in a separate email) a selection of other paintings. (John is not that pleased with) and three paintings he did on Day 1000.
He is prolific and "discards", or, more correctly, stacked up behind his etching press perhaps a third or more of the paintings he does -- they will be used as source material when he (eventually, in old age) does paintings in the studio. He works on press board (HDF?) -- both sides are smooth.
His oil painting sizes are from 5x7 to 11x14 inches, any bigger and the wind is a problem. He has painted between 2,100 and 2,200 oils, discarded probably 1000 + -- And sold to date - in less than five years - 863
His prices start at $20 and go up to $325. (Most people cannot tell the difference between a $20 and a $325--
John's standards are very high. His 8x10 size was appraised by a national appraiser at $1350. John could care less, he just wants people to be able to buy them at prices they can afford.For many people, it is their first oil painting or first art purchase. We are thrilled at this. We have a lot of return buyers. There is not just a small art -buying public, as galleries would have us believe.
He has gone through at least 4 three-legged stools, leather seats. Yesterday he spent almost 2 hours repairing the leather seat of the current one. He now stands to paint most days.
He designed and made (dozens of them) the cardboard folder (spaced so that 2 paintings can fit inside one box without touching) you see in the photos below. It flips open, back on itself.
Cheers!
Barbara Carlson
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
613-749-6515
http://www.johnbenn.com/
— in Ottawa, Canada.
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