42x48 Elite Professional 1.5" Deep B2 Stretcher Frame Kit

True 8:7 Near Square Proportion - 42x48 Size

The 8:7 aspect ratio has a subtle horizontal emphasis, providing a slight stretch that offers more width than height. This creates a composition that feels expansive without losing its compactness. The ratio works well for scenes that need a bit of extra breathing room horizontally, such as landscapes, wide portraits, or still life arrangements.

The near-square format adds a sense of balance, while the slight horizontal lean invites the viewer's eye to move side to side, offering gentle movement across the canvas. It’s an ideal choice when looking to create compositions that feel open yet grounded, with enough space to explore without overwhelming the viewer with too much width.

Explore other sizes in this same 8:7 aspect ratio:

105x120 • 14x16 • 21x24 • 28x32 • 35x40 • 49x56 • 56x64 • 63x72 • 70x80 • 77x88 • 84x96 • 91x104 • 98x112

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.

No Finger Joints!

Solid Wood is far superior to finger jointed wood, which is many small pieces glued together, each with varying grain densities that absorb and shed moisture at varying rates, expanding and contracting non-uniformly as environmental conditions change, and causing the wood to bow and the finger joints to eventually fail.

A single homogeneous kiln-dried solid wood Stretcher Bar outperforms and outlasts a finger jointed Bar whose sole purpose is to save the manufacturer cost, not contribute to the archival value of artwork intended to last a millennium. 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.

• Super strong Elite™ B2™ Stretcher Bar is 50% stronger than most others in its class
• For this 42x48 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

What is Sustainable Forestry?

To a forester, the term "sustainable" could mean exercising industry adopted forestry practices to maintain a forest indefinitely. To a logger, the process of proper care for the trees remaining after a harvest. To a landowner, their interest may lie in keeping their forest in the family. And to those of involved in the process of making and using wood-based art supplies, it can mean promoting and supporting an industry dedicated to the preservation of our precious natural resource. We can all do our part to care for our national forests.

Specially Dried and Heat Treated Lumber

Our wood is handpicked from a curated group of environmentally responsible lumber mills in the Pacific Northwest. By adhering to our precise drying and heat-treatment standards, these mills produce lumber with nearly half the moisture you'd find in common home improvement outlets or lumber yards. This meticulous process not only enhances the wood's strength—minimizing risks of cracks, splits, or bends—but also elevates its dimensional stability. Such quality, despite its premium, is paramount in creating professional canvases designed to uphold the sanctity of your cherished art throughout the years.

48x54 is the Canvas Size Needed for this 42x48 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.

Masterpiece® is a family-owned business operating in California since 1965 and producing the finest Stretcher Bars in North America. We deliver the highest quality and highest performing products in the business. We are widely recognized as the nation's leader and trendsetter of professional quality fine-art canvas. We own several patents that make our products perform superior to any other on the market. Once you touch one of our products, you'll immediately recognize our impeccable quality—and more importantly, so will your clients and those who acquire your art

The world today doesn't make sense, so why should I paint pictures that do? ♦ Auguste Rodin

A sculptor renowned for his groundbreaking approach to form and movement, Auguste Rodin captured in this statement the zeitgeist of his era—a time of tumultuous change and shifting societal norms. When the world around us feels chaotic, art can serve as both a reflection of that chaos and a refuge from it.

We often find ourselves responding to the complexities of our times, mirroring the prevailing moods, anxieties, and aspirations. We don't necessarily aim to create clarity where there is none, but rather to interpret, express, and even challenge the world's seeming absurdities. In doing so, we invite observers to confront these complexities, to find their own meanings, or simply to experience emotion without the constraint of logic.

Art doesn't always have to make sense, just as life doesn't. In moments of societal upheaval or personal turmoil, the canvas, the sculpture, or the song becomes a space where we can grapple with the incomprehensible. In that freedom of expression, we might not find answers, but we can offer perspectives, evoke feelings, and perhaps, in our own way, bring a touch of understanding to the enigma that is existence.

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We've handpicked this empowering quote and offer insightful context to inspire your art. We've even created this unique portrait of Auguste Rodin to provide a personal touch to your browsing experience. Now start on your painting!