Artist's easel

Claim 1

An easel for supporting a workpiece at a range of elevations above floor level and for accommodating a range of workpiece sizes, said easel comprising: a base including a carriage member having a lower surface adapted for disposition proximate to the floor level, a first housing mast and a second housing mast spaced apart from and parallel to said first housing mast, each of said housing masts oriented generally vertically and having a lower end connected to said carriage member; an extensible outer frame slidably engaged with said housing masts, said outer frame including bottom support means for seating a bottom portion of said workpiece on said outer frame, first and second outer uprights each connected to said bottom support means, and communicating means in communication with said first and second housing masts for maintaining said outer frame in sliding engagement with said housing masts and for guiding said outer frame in a range of motion parallel to said housing masts, said outer frame adapted to be selectively positioned along said range of motion, said bottom support means being movable to a position wherein a lower surface of the bottom support means is aligned generally with the lower surface of the carriage member; and an extensible inner frame slidably engaged with said outer frame, said inner frame including first and second inner uprights having communicating means in communication with said first and second outer uprights of said outer frame for maintaining said inner frame in sliding engagement with said outer uprights of said outer frame and for guiding said inner frame in a range of motion parallel to said outer uprights of said outer frame and top support means on said inner frame for securing the workpiece seated on the bottom support means to the easel, said inner frame adapted to be selectively positioned independent of or in conjunction with said outer frame along said range of motion of said inner frame.