17x18 Elite Professional 1.5" Deep B2 Stretcher Frame Kit

True 18:17 Custom Proportion - 17x18 Size

Explore other sizes in this same 18:17 aspect ratio:

102x108 • 34x36 • 51x54 • 68x72 • 85x90

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.

• Super strong Elite™ B2™ Stretcher Bar is 50% stronger than most others in its class
• For this 17x18 large size frame, the frame provides the ultimate foundation for your art with increased strength and stability
• Produces a 1.5" deep stretched canvas
• 2-1/4" wide Stretcher Bars
• All Bars have an exclusive groove on the inside perimeter of the frame to which cross braces and Diamond Corner Braces attach
• Solid Ponderosa Pine or Fir from the Pacific Northwest

Tree Replanting - Essential to Sustainably Managed Forests

Harvesting timber provides humans with an essential natural resource, but replanting trees at a rate higher than a harvest is a key component in humanity's effort to guarantee a healthy forest for the future. Increasing our number of trees is just as essential to our economy, as the harvest itself, which is why we select only timber harvested from responsibly managed forests.

Specially Dried and Heat Treated Lumber

We source our wood from a select group of top-tier environmentally conscious lumber mills in the Pacific Northwest. These mills specially dry and heat-treat the lumber to our specifications, resulting in about half the moisture content compared to wood from typical home improvement centers or lumber yards. This process makes the wood stronger, reducing the likelihood of cracking, splitting, or warping. While the wood we use comes at a higher cost, it ensures a more dimensionally stable end product. This stability is crucial for crafting fine professional canvases that support your invaluable art over time.

23x24 is the Canvas Size Needed for this 17x18 Frame

Please note that you will need a canvas that is at least 6 Inches larger than the actual frame size to ensure proper stretching. This will provide ample material to stretch the canvas and attach it to the back of the frame. If you prefer to attach the canvas from the edge of the stretcher frame, you can reduce the size of your canvas by approximately 3/4" all the way around the frame. This will allow you to paint on the edge of the canvas and hang your artwork without needing a separate picture frame. And, if you ever need to remove the canvas from the frame and re-attach it, you'll have enough material to do that too.

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.

Art is a kind of illness. ♦ Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch, best known for his iconic masterpiece The Scream, gifted the world with expressions of raw emotion, pain, and existential angst. His art wasn't just about painting a beautiful landscape or a serene scene; it was a visceral outpouring of his inner turmoil, fears, and joys. Munch's tumultuous life, marred by the early deaths of his parents and sibling illnesses, might have left an indelible imprint on his psyche. Perhaps this led him to see art as a sort of malaise, an inescapable condition that both tormented and elevated him.

For many artists, there's an undeniable compulsion to create, an itch that must be scratched, a need that's almost as fundamental as breathing. As artists, we often find that our craft isn't just something we do; it's intertwined with our very identity. It's both our salvation and, at times, our curse. We wrestle with it, we embrace it, and we are often consumed by it. This 'illness' of art isn't about being unwell, but rather a deep-seated need to express and communicate our innermost feelings and thoughts to the world, even when they are dark or troubling.

And while some may perceive this 'illness' as a burden, isn't it also our most profound strength? It's this very compulsion that has given the world its most enduring and moving masterpieces. So, while art may be our ailment, it's also undeniably our cure. As we embrace our creative urges, let's celebrate the 'illness' that lets us see the world through a lens few can comprehend and even fewer can replicate.

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We curated this insightful quote by Edvard Munch, and our interpretation thereof; plus we made this portrait in the spirit of creativity. Time to create your own expression!