Anyone who has painted with oil or acrylic paints can tell you what an invaluable piece of technology an easel is, and how essential it can be as part of the artistic process So it is staggering to think that one day, a long, long time ago, there were no easels – they just hadn’t been invented yet… Artists would often paint on tables, on floors and on walls until some clever individual decided that in order to get a better view of the painting he (or she) was creating, that they would prop up a piece of board at an angle - and called it an easel