CABINETS AND EASELS

My sister Thelma and I headed, through the gloom of yesterday morning, to the Salvation Army's Lerwick headquarters on the North Road, having been attracted by their Shetland Times advertisement of a sale of office equipment in general and filing cabinets in particular (I have, of late, developed a need for such an item of furniture). However, we arrived too late to secure one of the only decent ones on offer, and all that was left was a couple of rather grotty grey ones, one of which I eventually decided to buy.

I'd forgotten how heavy a 4-drawer metal filing cabinet is, and I needed the muscle-power of the taxi-driver (who had arrived to provide the transport for the cumbersome object), to get the thing manhandled to street-level. Fortunately, there was a trolley there to help us. It was only when we began to move the thing that I realised just how rough it was. The bottom was rusted through, and had obviously been kicked violently a few times by dissatisfied staff and clients of the firm at whose premises the unfortunate object had been previously situated. Anyway, it was duly bundled into the back of the six-seater and, on climbing into the front passenger seat, I gave the instruction to proceed to the town dump at Rova Head with it. I had decided that it wasn't worth the effort of negotiating the revolting thing up the stairs to my flat. I'd helped the cause of the Salvation Army, and it was time to move on. I'll get a better filing cabinet somewhere else - soon.

I had better luck with another furniture acquisition this week. I have recently (see last week's post) secured a commission for a larger painting, and I decided that I wouldn't be able to work satisfactorily on the bigger work by my usual "flat" method. So I chose myself an easel from the vast selection available from Jackson's Art Supplies. These varied in price from under fifty to thousands of pounds; I opted for one of Jackson's own brand products at a mere £65, and I am well pleased with what arrived through my door on Friday. It seems much more stable than the ones I used to pursue round the room in a strange danse macabre in the old art college days. I have explained, in a much earlier post, how I used to put my left arm behind the easel (to steady it), as I belaboured the canvas with the brush in my right hand. This had the effect of moving the easel slowly forwards, and resulted in the weird dance, as described. The new easel has a square base, a much better modus operandi, and should prove much more suitable for my type of "action painting". Look out for a post next week, entitled "Jim test-drives the Jackson's Midi-H-frame Studio Academy Easel!"

The canvas which is to be first onto the easel is to be re-delivered tomorrow. I was out when a previous delivery attempt was made on Friday - this will be the third attempt by the suppliers to furnish me with a usable canvas, the previous two having arrived holed below the waterline and in a sinking condition, so to speak! I have my fingers crossed for the condition of the one which is arriving tomorrow.

Progress on the artworks which are currently "on the stocks" has been steady and unspectacular, and I hope that this is maintained during the next week. I'll let you know when I have any further news. Have a nice week!