69x96 Elite Pau A/P Portrait Linen 1-1/2" Deep #EP-6996

True Palindromic Proportion - 69x96 Size

This interesting palindromic 69x96 size is not based on any specific proportion, but this one is based on the 32:23 ratio.

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 32:23 aspect ratio:

13x31 • 14x41 • 15x51 • 16x61 • 17x71 • 18x81 • 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 • 78x87

Explore Related Products to this 69x96 Size:

• Acrylic Primed Linen Elite™: Grenoble™
• Oil Primed Linen Elite™: Isola™ • Poitiers™

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

Titanium Dioxide (TiO₂) Primer Pigment

Our primer is made with the highest-quality Titanium Dioxide white pigment, which is an excellent pigment for acrylic primed grounds, providing superior whiteness and maintaining excellent flexibility over time. Unlike some other common pigments, such as zinc dioxide, TiO₂ doesn't become brittle as it ages, helping to ensure that your painting will stand the test of time.

Pau™ Portrait Smooth Belgian Linen offers a luxurious surface, ideal for highly detailed work. Preferred by portrait artists because it is so smooth for linen. Due to the nature of how flax plants are turned into linen textiles, there may be variations in yarn thickness thereby creating fabric that is individual in nature and has character. There can be infrequent naturally occurring nubs in the linen which may yield small slight bumps where the linen is a little thicker than the rest of the strand. This is normal and part of what gives linen its character.

69x96 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
• Each corner has a diagonal oriented Diamond Brace that interlocks with the Stretcher Bars and superior support and rigidity to help keep the frame square
• Three Super Strong Keyable Braces and Two Cross Braces 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 and Diamond 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

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.

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.

Our Ecosystem Depends on Healthy Forests

Forests play a vital role in our planet's ecosystem. They absorb carbon dioxide, filter air and water, and provide habitat for countless species of plants and animals. By using sustainably sourced lumber, we can help to protect these important ecosystems and ensure that they continue to provide these valuable services for generations to come.

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.

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

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

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.

Since its inception in 1965, Masterpiece® has been at the forefront of crafting superior artist canvases in North America. The canvas acts as a canvas for an artist's vision, transforming mere materials into invaluable masterpieces. Elevate your artwork with the right base; after all, its longevity speaks volumes about your brand and legacy.

If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere. ♦ Vincent Van Gogh

For Vincent Van Gogh, the tormented genius of the Post-Impressionist era, nature was more than just a subject to paint. It was his solace, his inspiration, and at times, his very reason for existence. Van Gogh's tumultuous life, marked by episodes of mental illness and periods of despair, found some reprieve in the embrace of nature. He sought beauty not just in the sunflower fields or starry nights, but in the minute details: the curl of a leaf, the shimmer of light on a dewdrop, or the dance of shadows under a cypress tree.

His sentiment serves as a reminder to all artists of the importance of perspective. The world is replete with wonders, but it takes an observant eye and an open heart to recognize them. When artists immerse themselves in the world around them, they are more attuned to its intricacies, allowing us to extract beauty from the most unexpected places. As artists, we harness this ability to observe and interpret, making the ordinary extraordinary. For in every stroke, shade, and texture, there lies an opportunity to present a fresh perspective, turning the mundane into a masterpiece.

---

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