While in my studio this past week, I scanned the room, taking in all that surrounded me… paints, brushes, canvases and more. These are the things that not only fill the space but fill me up with such good feelings. Then my eyes fell on the easel, my easel, which has traveled with me through the years. It traveled cross country when I moved from New York to California, and has become a centerpiece in each studio space through the years.
I was young, not long out of college. I walked into a Salvation Army store and there before me sat the easel of my dreams. It was as if there was nothing else in the store. I held my breath when I asked how much it cost. At the time, similar easels could go for a few hundred dollars. The woman answered emphatically, “What is it!? You can have it for 15 dollars if you can get it out of here!” I paid her SO fast and although I don’t remember telling her what it was, I probably did. This was now my easel!! I had just been given an amazing gift from the Universe at a price I could easily afford!
This week was the first time since then that I began to think of the life the easel had before it became mine. It clearly had a well used history. The wood was worn and showed signs of wear. I’d like to believe it was as well loved then as it has been in all these years with me. And now I am asking myself… How and why did it find its way into a used furniture store? What happened to the artist who had it before me?… but wait! Was it even owned by an artist? It’s been so many years that I’m not sure what paint marks are mine and what was here from before me.
Here’s what I can be sure of: This easel has been loved and cherished for well over 40 years now. It is an important part of my art history and I am so very grateful to have it in my life. I am thankful to whomever chose to give it up and to the woman who didn’t know this great piece was an easel.
What has traveled with you for a good part of your life… something that shares a long history with you and is beautifully woven into the tapestry of this lifetime of yours?