20X40 3D Pro Pau Canvas 2-1/2" #DP-2040

True 2:1 Domino Proportion - 20X40 Size

20x40 is one of our popular Domino 2:1 sizes.

The 2:1 aspect ratio, that we call the domino proportion, also offers a unique canvas for artists to play with the perception of space and depth within their compositions. The elongated format allows for the inclusion of foreground, middle ground, and background elements, creating a sense of distance and scale that draws the viewer's eye into the artwork. This aspect ratio has been used by artists throughout history, from ancient Egyptian tomb paintings to Renaissance frescoes to contemporary photography. Its versatility and timelessness make it a classic choice for artists seeking to create dynamic and engaging compositions.

Explore other sizes in this same 2:1 aspect ratio:

6x12 • 7x14 • 8x16 • 9x18 • 10x20 • 12x24 • 14x28 • 15x30 • 16x32 • 18x36 • 22x44 • 24x48 • 26x52 • 30x60 • 32x64 • 34x68 • 36x72 • 38x76 • 40x80 • 42x84 • 45x90 • 48x96

Explore Related Products to this 20X40 Size:

• Acrylic Primed Linen: Muir™ • Vintage L22U™ • Santa Cruz™ • Vintage L22U™ • Grenoble™
• Raw Unprimed Linen: Torrey Pines™ • Mandalay™

Pau™ Portriat Smooth Acrylic Primed Artfix Linen

Our smoothest acrylic primed linen canvas. It is a heavy weight linen with a luxurious heavy white ground. It has a bright white tone.

• 100% Belgian Linen 6.1 oz.; Primed Weight 14.0 oz. per square yard
• Medium Heavy Weight, Fine Weave, Portrait Smooth Texture
• Double Sized and Quadruple Primed with acid-free archival quality acrylic gesso
• Impenetrable ground prevents oil paint from leaching through and harming the canvas
• For acrylics, oils, alkyds, and water miscible oil paints
• Linen has natural oils that prevent disintegration over time.

3D™ Pro 2.5 Stretcher Bar • 1/2" Canvas Clearance

1/2" Canvas Clearance 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.

• Produces a 2.5" deep stretched canvas (Actual depth is slightly thinner)
• 1.25" wide Stretcher Bar
• 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

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.

20X40 2.5" Deep Edge Heavy Frame Offers Maximum Support!

• Drawing depicts the exact frame construction, not the proportion
• 2.5" Deep Edge K2 Heavy Stretcher Bars are precision machined with a unique double tongue-and-groove corner joint that provides rock-solid torsional rigidity that resists warping or twisting, which is an important benefit for such a deep edge canvas
• One super strong 3/4" thick keyable brace provides maximum possible support for this 20X40 frame - Brace is permanently installed in the frame, but canvas tension may be increased by tapping-in the keys or wedges that slightly expand the size of the frame
• The Stretcher Bars have an proprietary utility groove on the inside perimeter of the frame which is used to attach braces and other optional frame supports
• The Masterpiece brace feature an exclusive system that allows you to increase the tension to the middle of the canvas, where the tension is needed the most; it's so unique it earned us a patent
• To increase canvas tension: 1) remove any staples in the corners and those that retain the brace keys in the middle, 2) tap all of the expansion keys further into their respective slots, 3) tighten and re-staple the canvas in the corners

Canvas Tension is in Your Control

In dry climates or air conditioned environments, the lack of moisture in the air causes wood frames to shrink and the canvas fibers to narrow and elongate making the canvas more slack and resulting in a loss of canvas tension. In some instances, the canvas could have waves on the surface resulting in an unsightly viewing experience.

Our 3D™ Pro 2.5 professional frames provide the functionality for you to slightly expand the size of the frame in the corners and the middle of the canvas, thereby increasing canvas tension all across the surface. The difference between a loose canvas and a tight canvas is just 1/8" of an inch, so a small adjustment using our corner and brace keys makes an important difference in canvas tension.

• Helps to prevent waves that occur in a loose canvas
• Increase canvas tension by tapping-in the corner and brace keys
• True professional class canvases make it possible for you to adjust the canvas tension

Cross Braces Make it Tighter

A tightly stretched canvas on an un-braced frame overpowers the Stretcher Bars causing them to bow inward and thereby lose tension. Sometimes that bow can expose a space in picture frames.

When a canvas is stretched on a properly supported frame, the cross-braces prevent the Bars from bowing thereby achieving maximum canvas tension. To increase the canvas tension even more, simply tap the corner and brace keys further in their slots. Properly supported frames provide you with the control over the canvas tension of your canvas and painting.

Sustainably Managed Forests

We use lumber grown in the sustainable forests of the Oregon, Washington, and California, where thereÕs more standing timber today than last century! Our forests purify the air, provide oxygen, and reduce global warming. More trees are needed on this planet, not fewer. Therefore, we use lumber grown in responsibly managed forests, so future generations can benefit from our collective responsible actions today.

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.

MuseumWrap™ Stretching Technique

With more than a half a century of American engineering, Masterpiece® designs and builds its own proprietary stretching equipment that enables us to produce the finest and most tightly-stretched canvas on the market.

• Drum-tight stretch!
• Up to 50% tighter than other methods
• Balanced tension across the surface
• Uncut folded corners make it possible to remove and re-stretch canvas on the same size frame
• Usually the corner folds are on the long sides

3D™ Pro 2.5 Professional canvases are built one-by-one and stretched using our proprietary stretching process called, MuseumWrap™, which relies on in-house custom-built pneumatic machinery that delivers consistently drum-tight stretched canvas, balanced tension across the canvas surface, neatly folded uncut corners, and paintable edges. It is the absolute best way to stretch a canvas.

The wise are instructed by reason; ordinary minds by experience; the stupid, by necessity; and brutes by instinct. ♦ Cicero

Cicero, an eminent Roman philosopher, statesman, and orator, lived in an epoch where the diverse avenues of acquiring knowledge were deeply contemplated. This quote elucidates his perspective on the hierarchies of learning and the varied paths individuals take. For Cicero, reason represents the pinnacle of learning, but he acknowledges the validity of other, more visceral, modes of understanding.

Artists also navigate these layers of understanding. Often, our initial forays into the creative world are driven by instinct Ð a raw, unfiltered drive to express. As we evolve, experience begins to mold our choices, teaching us through trials, errors, and successes. Some of us might feel cornered by necessity, compelled to adapt and create in specific ways to meet demands or expectations. Yet, with time and dedication, many strive towards that enlightened state where reason and wisdom guide our hands and hearts, allowing us to create with depth, purpose, and clarity. Through all these phases, it's crucial for us to recognize the value each stage brings, appreciating the growth and insights they offer.

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Echoing the timeless spirit of artistry, we bring you this quote paired with our beautiful portrait of Cicero that we created. Let your colors on the canvas speak!

Tight'n'Up™ Liquid Canvas Retensioner

While all of our Masterpiece® Pro canvases are stretched very tightly and our frames have a built-in method to increase tension, we have another method to add canvas tension. Tight'n'Up™ Liquid Canvas Retensioner (sold separately) can be sprayed on the back of a canvas to repair most canvas tension issues.

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.