Patent ID: 7793909

Claim:
An easel in combination with a canvas bridge for supporting a framed artists' canvas, comprising: an easel comprising; at least one upright member, the upright member having a substantially horizontal lower tray mounted thereon for supporting a lower edge of a framed canvas, an upper tray movably mounted on the upright member above the lower tray for adjustably engaging an upper edge of the framed canvas, the upper and lower trays each having a length and adapted to clamp the framed canvas therebetween; a canvas bridge comprising; a substantially rigid elongate body having protrusions on each respective end thereof, the protrusions extending generally orthogonally and in the same direction from the elongate member, each protrusion having a sharp pointed member extending from an end thereof, the body having a length greater than the length of the upper tray; wherein, the canvas bridge is separate and unconnected to the easel and is adapted to be removably disposed between the upper tray and the upper edge of the framed canvas such that the pointed members are capable of penetrating and thus securely engaging the upper edge when the framed canvas is supported between the upper and lower trays, the canvas bridge spacing the upper edge of the framed canvas from the upper tray and the clamping force applied by the upper tray to the framed canvas can be distributed beyond the upper tray to the ends of the upper edge of the framed canvas.