136 Inch Elite B2 Single Stretcher Bar 1-1/2" Deep #B2-136

Elite™ Professional 1.5" Deep B2 Bar • 1/2" Canvas Clearance

A Canvas Clearance of 1/2" is the space between the Bar and the canvas. Generally speaking, more clearance reduces the risk of the canvas touching the wood and creating unsightly lines during painting. Our design provides the optimal clearance so as not to impact your painting, but still leaving enough wood to the maximize strength of the Stretcher Bar.

Solid Wood is Archival - Finger Jointed Wood is Not

We only use Solid Wood to build our Stretcher Bars because a solid piece of wood will last indefinitely. When we speak of archival value, it's not just the paint you use and the quality of your canvas and ground, even the wood choices manufacturers make are part of the archival process.

The principal reason manufactures use finger jointed wood is reduce cost, not increase archival value. Wood constantly grows and shrinks when the environment becomes hotter, or colder, or more humid, or more dry. Because finger jointed wood is made-up of multiple and varied pieces of wood, with varying grain patterns and densities, they each absorb and shed moisture at varying rates, which works on the glue joints that hold them together, causing the wood to bow and the joints to eventually fail, and certainly not consistent with increasing the archival value of your artwork frame support.

As a manufacturer, we do our part to conserve as much wood as possible, and still provide a quality made product that will out-perform any other in the marketplace.

Sustainability Fights Against Climate-Change

Sustainable forestry practices are an important tool in the fight against climate change. By using lumber from sustainably managed forests in our products, we can help to reduce the carbon footprint of our business and support the health of the planet. It's a win-win for everyone involved.

Canvas Size Needed for this Stretcher Bar

Most artists will stretch the canvas and attach the staples or tacks onto the back side of the frame. Doing so allows you to paint on the edge and hang your art without needed a picture frame. Generally speaking, you should allow 6 Inches of canvas beyond the size of your frame.

For example, if you were to stretch a 84x136 frame size, which happens to be a Golden Mean aspect ratio size, your canvas should be about 90 x 142. This allows you ample room to stretch and attach the canvas on the back. Should you ever need to remove the canvas from the frame and re-attach it, it still serves that purpose too. Should you want to attach the canvas from the edge of the stretcher frame, then you can reduce the size of your canvas about 3/4" all the way around the frame.

Rooted in California and flourishing since 1965, Masterpiece® takes pride in its family-led legacy of crafting North America's premier Stretcher Bars. Our quest for excellence isn't just a goal but a commitment, positioning us as the trailblazers in the domain of fine-art canvas. Our innovative patents have set new benchmarks, ensuring our offerings stand unmatched. Dive into the tactile experience of our products, and you'll instantly recognize the distinct Masterpiece® quality, a signature appreciated by both your clientele and future art connoisseurs.

Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things. ♦ Edgar Degas

Edgar Degas, a masterful artist celebrated for his innovative approach to composition and form, often pushed boundaries in his art career. This sentiment captures the essence of spontaneous creativity, where overthinking can sometimes stifle genuine inspiration. For Degas, the unconscious act of creation, free from the constraints of rigorous thought, often led to the most profound artistic revelations.

Artists recognize that there are moments of pure, unfiltered creativity that occur when we let go of our preconceived notions and allow intuition to take the lead. In these moments, we find ourselves venturing into the unknown, experimenting with techniques and colors, and creating something unexpectedly beautiful. Degas encourages us to embrace uncertainty in our artistic endeavors. For it is in these uncharted territories, when we release our tight grip on control, that we often find our most authentic and evocative expressions.

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We are passionate about art, so we curated this enlightening quote and provide insight to it's meaning, plus to excite your senses, we included an inimitable portrait we made of Edgar Degas. Now get busy on your own!