18x81 Elite Isola O/P Heavy Linen 1-1/2" Deep #EI-1881

True Palindromic Proportion - 18x81 Size

This tantilizing palindromic 18x81 size is part of a series of sizes that are the same forwards and backwards.

The Palindromic Series of canvas sizes challenges artists to explore the potential of symmetrical shapes in their work. This series is characterized by sizes that read the same forwards and backwards, such as 12x21 and 34x43. Unlike other canvas sizes, there is no actual proportion that defines these shapes, thereby creating a sense of wonder and a challenge for artists to push the boundaries of their compositions. In fact, the very symmetry of the palindromic shape can add an extra layer of intrigue and mystery to the composition, prompting viewers to question the artist's intentions and the underlying meaning of the piece.

While the use of palindromic shapes in art is not new, it continues to be a source of fascination and inspiration for many contemporary artists. These shapes can be used in a variety of ways, depending on the artist's style and vision. Some artists use palindromic shapes as a focal point, while others incorporate them into the background or use them as a pattern on the canvas. The use of palindromes can also serve as a nod to linguistic and literary elements, as they are often used in wordplay and puzzles. This reference can add a layer of meaning to the artwork, making it more engaging for viewers who appreciate the subtleties of language and symbolism.

Explore other sizes in this same 9:2 aspect ratio:

13x31 • 14x41 • 15x51 • 16x61 • 17x71 • 19x25 • 19x91 • 23x32 • 24x42 • 25x52 • 26x62 • 27x72 • 28x82 • 29x92 • 34x43 • 35x53 • 36x63 • 37x73 • 38x83 • 39x93 • 46x64 • 47x74 • 48x84 • 49x94 • 56x65 • 57x75 • 58x85 • 59x95 • 67x76 • 68x86 • 69x96 • 78x87

Explore Related Products to this 18x81 Size:

• Oil Primed Linen Elite™: Poitiers™
• Acrylic Primed Linen Elite™: Grenoble™ • Pau™
• Acrylic Primed Cotton Elite™: Shasta™

Isola™ Heavy Weight Oil Primed Artfix Linen

Our heaviest weight oil primed linen canvas. Great for large and small works with a very heavy body, yet has a refreshing medium surface tooth.

• 100% Belgian Linen 8.6 oz.; Primed Weight 16 oz. per square yard
• Heavy Weight, Dense Weave, Medium Texture
• Double Sized and Double Primed with acid-free archival quality oil primed ground
• Impenetrable ground prevents oil paint from leaching through and harming the canvas
• For oils, alkyds, and water miscible oil paints
• Linen has natural oils that prevent disintegration over time.

Titanium Dioxide (TiO₂) Primer Pigment

This primer contains premium-grade Titanium Dioxide (TiO₂) white pigment, renowned for its exceptional performance for oil priming. Its standout feature is its enduring whiteness, coupled with remarkable flexibility that persists over time. In contrast to other pigments such as zinc dioxide, Titanium Dioxide maintains its resilience, preventing brittleness as it ages. This quality ensures that artworks retain their integrity and will stand the test of time.

Oil paint on an oil primed canvas improves your results

Using an oil prepared canvas for oil painting can produce superior results because the paint and ground are organically similar and create an ideal "chemical bond" where the paint sinks into the ground resulting in a smoother and more even finish. The resulting bond between the paint and canvas is stronger, making the artwork more durable and long-lasting. Additionally, the melding of the two oil-based materials creates an effect called luminosity, where the colors appear to glow from within, and thereby enhances the vibrancy and brightness of the colors, impacting the way light reflects off the colors.

Lightly Wipe an Oil Prepared Canvas with Mineral Spirits

While it is not required, for best results, lightly wipe or flash the oil prepared canvas with mineral spirits before painting to make sure that your surface is completely clean of any dust or contaminants before painting.

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.

18x81 Frame Kit B2 Super Heavy Frame Offers the Ultimate Canvas Support!

• Drawing depicts the exact frame construction, not the proportion
• Precision Machined keyable Super Strong Stretcher Bars (1.5" deep by 2-1/4" wide) allow you to increase the canvas tension
• Two Super Strong Keyable Braces and a Cross Brace Included (3/4" x 3.25")
• The Bars have a clever utility groove on the inside perimeter of the frame to attach the cross braces
• Unique Keyable Cross Braces allow you to tension the canvas in the middle, where it's needed the most
• Cross braces are glued and stapled at the 'cross' for maximum support and rigidity
• Both corner keys and brace keys are pre-installed

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 Elite™ 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 we stretch a canvas 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.

Sustainability is about Reducing Deforestation

Choosing products made with sustainably sourced lumber is an important way for consumers to make a positive impact on the environment. By supporting sustainable forestry practices, we can help to reduce deforestation, promote biodiversity, and mitigate climate change. It's a simple and effective way to make a difference.

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

When you hold a Masterpiece® Elite™ canvas in your hand, you can immediately sense the quality materials, workmanship and design of this very fine canvas, as will those who will ultimately acquire your art. The colors and canvas you select becomes the foundation of your painting. Your reputation depends upon the quality of your artwork and the integrity of your material choices. Savvy art buyers and art enthusiasts place a higher value on artwork made with quality materials because they expect their investment in your art will last hundreds, if not a thousand years. Using the best materials is a great investment in your own legacy and your brand.

I could paint for a hundred years, a thousand years without stopping and I would still feel as though I knew nothing. ♦ Paul Cézanne

A post-impressionist painter, Paul Cézanne stood at the confluence of the 19th century's artistic traditions and the avant-garde movements that would shape the 20th century's art world. Yet, despite his immense contributions to the realm of art, Cézanne remained humble, introspective, and ever-curious.

This confession of his boundless quest for knowledge and understanding resonates deeply. The vast landscape of artistic expression is one where we often find that the more we learn and grow, the more we realize there's so much left undiscovered. For artists, the path is characterized by perpetual learning, experimentation, and evolution. Each canvas, each stroke is but a momentary pause in a continuous flow of creativity and exploration.

His words remind us that the joy of art doesn't reside in mastery alone, but in the eternal journey of discovery and growth. The beauty of our craft is in its infinite nature. There's always a new technique to explore, a new emotion to capture, a new perspective to consider. It's a humbling experience, but also a deeply rewarding one. It's this insatiable curiosity and hunger to learn that fuels our creativity and drives us to paint yet another canvas, even when we feel we've only just begun.

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Embrace the synergy of this profound quote with our interpretation of it's meaning with a nice little portrait that we created of Paul Cézanne. Time to create!