22 Inch Elite B2 Stretcher Bar 1-1/2" Deep #B2-22

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.

Finger Jointed Wood is not meant for Stretcher Bars

Solid wood makes the most dependable Stretcher Bar, because one homogeneous wood member is going to behave similarly across the entire length of the Bar. Whereas, with finger-jointed wood is made-up of multiple pieces of wood, sometimes on the actual joint itself, presenting multiple points of failure which no one can control.

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 add or reduce value to your final painting. The fact is, you don't want problems, and finger joints only increase that risk of the wood falling apart in the future.

The glue used to bind finger joints is a water based adhesive and when that wood is exposed to high humidity environments, particularly with exterior walls, the glue joints can give-up. As a manufacturer, Masterpiece® does its part to conserve as much wood as possible, and still provide a quality product that will out-perform any other in the marketplace.

Sustainable Environment Promotes a Sustainable Economy

The use of lumber from sustainably managed forests is not only environmentally responsible, it also helps to support the economy and preserve jobs in the forestry industry. By choosing products made with sustainably sourced lumber, consumers can help to ensure that these industries remain strong and sustainable for years to come.

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 22x68 frame size, which happens to be a custom proportion, your canvas should be about 6 x 28. 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.

With deep family ties and a legacy spanning since 1965 in California, Masterpiece® has been the epitome of unmatched quality in Stretcher Bars across North America. Our commitment to pioneering excellence has crowned us as the forerunners in the world of professional fine-art canvases. Bolstered by our patented innovations, our products exude a caliber that's in a league of its own. One touch, and the unparalleled quality becomes palpable, leaving an indelible impression on your clients and all future admirers of your art.

The lack of money is the root of all evil. ♦ Mark Twain

With his razor-sharp wit and astute observations, Mark Twain had an uncanny ability to distill complex truths into pithy statements. This particular sentiment offers a twist on the traditional saying that money is the root of all evil. By focusing on the absence of money, Twain draws our attention to the desperation, compromise, and often unscrupulous actions that can arise from want and scarcity.

In the world of art, the pressures of financial constraints can sometimes be acutely felt. Artists frequently stand at the crossroads, where the desire for creative purity might conflict with the need for commercial success. The need for sustenance and the dreams of achieving financial freedom can sometimes divert us from our true artistic visions. Yet, in the face of these challenges, it is essential to remember the inherent value of our craft. While the world around us may measure success in monetary terms, the true worth of art lies in its ability to inspire, challenge, and transform. As we navigate the complex terrain of art and commerce, let us strive to keep our creative integrity intact, finding ways to flourish without losing sight of what genuinely matters.

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We hope to inspire your art with this wonderful quote and our interpretation along with our own one-of-a-kind portrait of Mark Twain..got to love it!

Tight'n'Up™ Liquid Canvas Retensioner

One of our most celebrated products helps make your canvas tighter! Assembling Stretcher Bars and Stretching your own canvas can present some challenges. While your canvas may seem tightly stretched, the tension may vary from staple to staple creating lines of tension across the canvas in a grid like pattern. The trick is to maintain balanced tension across the canvas.

Tight'n'Up™ Liquid Canvas Re-Tensioner is a great way to redistribute the tension in a canvas across that grid-like pattern of tension as well as increase the tension on the entire canvas. While you can can add tension by keying-out the corners of the frame, it may produce an hour-glass effect by expanding the frame in the corners, and not the center.

With Tight'n'Up™, you can add tension to just a small area, or a large area. Simply spray it lightly on the back and brush it into the canvas, and within seconds, your canvas becomes tighter and stays tighter. The more you use, the tighter it gets. Recommended for acrylic primed cotton or linen canvas. We do not recommend it for oil primed canvas because there are simply too many different types of oil primed canvas, but used conservatively at your own risk, it will tension any canvas.