51x82 Elite Professional 1.5" Deep B2 Stretcher Frame Kit

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.

• Super strong Elite™ B2™ Stretcher Bar is 50% stronger than most others in its class
• For this 51x82 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

Sustainable Forests - A Precious Natural Resource

The air that we breathe depends upon our healthy forests the world over. For this reason, we only use lumber from the sustainable forests of the Pacific Northwest, so we can guarantee that our nation's precious natural timber resources are available for future generations.

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.

57x88 is the Canvas Size Needed for this 51x82 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 history of modern art is also the history of the progressive loss of art's audience. Art has increasingly become the concern of the artist and the bafflement of the public. ♦ Paul Gauguin

Paul Gauguin's insights into the evolving relationship between modern art and its audience reveal a tension felt by many in the artistic community. As the boundaries of expression expanded and artists ventured into the abstract and avant-garde, the bridge to the audience often became harder to traverse. Yet, Gauguin's observation is more than just a reflection on art's evolution; it's a testament to the changing dynamics of viewer and creator.

While earlier art often aimed to represent, mimic, or idealize reality, modern art sought to challenge, question, and deconstruct. Artists no longer just painted landscapes; they painted emotions, philosophies, and dreams. But with this shift came the inevitable distance from a broader audience. We, as artists, must recognize this challenge and consider how to communicate our visions effectively. Yet, the beauty of art lies in its subjectivity. While some might stand baffled before a canvas, others find a deep connection, seeing layers of meaning where others see chaos. Gauguin reminds us that while the landscape of art's reception has transformed, the role of the artist remains—to create, to express, and to challenge, whether for an audience of many or just one.

---

With a nod to Paul Gauguin, we present these words of wisdom and our own custom crafted portrait. Let this fusion stoke your creative fires. Dive into your art!