12x34 Elite Poitiers O/P Portrait Linen 1-1/2" Deep #EQ-1234

True Inside Straight Proportion - 12x34 Size

Not based on any specific proportion, this size is reminiscent of an inside straight term used in poker, it invites composition intrigue for both the artist and the viewer.

Using sequentially sized canvases, inspired by the poker term, inside straight, offers a fascinating approach to artistic creation. This idea plays with the notion of sequence and order, challenging artists to think about the progression of sizes and how they might influence the perception and interpretation of their artwork. By emphasizing the sequential nature of the canvas size itself, artists and viewers are encouraged to think beyond the traditional boundaries of their medium, exploring new possibilities in composition, narrative, and conceptual expression. This approach not only makes the artwork more engaging for the viewer but also challenges the artists to think more deeply about the relationship between form, content, and meaning.

Sequentially sized canvas can reflect geometric patterns and rhythms found in nature and mathematics, offering a visual representation of fractals or sequences. Not only does it challenge the artist's approach to composition, but also invites viewers to engage with the artwork on a more intellectual level. Artists can also experiment with the arrangement of canvases, as in a triptych connected, not by similar size or proportion, but purely by the progression of the actual size itself, inviting more mystery and intrigue for the viewer. Just like a carefully strategized poker game, the placement and order of the canvases can lead to a surprising and impactful reveal, making the entire series more than just a sum of its parts, but a cohesive and captivating visual journey.

Explore other sizes in this same 17:6 aspect ratio:

23x45 • 34x56 • 45x67 • 56x78 • 67x89

Explore Related Products to this 12x34 Size:

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

Poitiers™ Portrait Smooth Oil Primed Artfix Linen

Step into the world of masterful detail with this superb oil primed canvas, a top pick among portrait artists and connoisseurs of fine detail work.  Poitiers™ canvas offers an unparalleled smoothness due to the fine, tightly woven fabric and 6 painstaking layers of ground. Colors applied to the surface have a high degree of luminosity, bringing a radiant life to your oil paintings. The superior smooth surface is not just a pleasure to touch; it transforms your painting experience. Your brush glides effortlessly across the canvas ensuring that every brushstroke is precise, every color vibrant, and every detail distinct.

• 100% Belgian Linen 6.2 oz.; Primed Weight 16 oz. per square yard
• Meidum Weight, Fine Weave, Portrait Smooth Texture
• Double Sized and Quadruple 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.

Artfix Poitiers™ 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.

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.

12x34 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
• Super Strong Keyable Brace (3/4" x 3.25") and a regular Cross Brace Included
• 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.

Forests need People, and People Need Forests

The concept of sustainability presupposes a comprehensive engagement of individuals in the art and science of forest stewardship, both in the present and for the well-being of generations to come. Humanity undoubtedly extracts wood from forests to supplement our needs, but they also play a crucial role in bestowing diligent care upon these ecosystems. This stewardship encompasses not only the responsible harvesting of forest resources but also extends to the safeguarding of clean water sources, the preservation of wildlife and their native habitats, and the mitigation of potential threats like erosion, fires, and diseases that could otherwise lead to untimely degradation of these precious woodlands.

Masterpiece® uses only lumber harvested from responsibly and sustainably managed timberlands.

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

Celebrating a rich legacy since 1965, Masterpiece® is the gold standard for artist canvases in North America. Every canvas is a potential magnum opus, a union of creativity and quality materials that can transcend time. Your choices today impact your art's tomorrow, so invest in the best for a lasting legacy.

Poetry demands a man with special talent. It is not enough to have knowledge about some particular subject. ♦ Aristotle

When Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher, opined on the intricacies of poetry, he was diving into a realm beyond mere intellectual comprehension. Renowned for his expansive treatises on various subjects, from biology to ethics, Aristotle understood the distinction between acquiring knowledge and the innate ability to breathe life into words. Knowledge, he believed, was accessible to many, but the magic of poetry required an added spark: talent.

In the art world, this distinction becomes even more pronounced. While learning the techniques and mastering the craft are crucial steps, it's the inherent passion and innate talent that often sets an artist's work apart. We can study, practice, and refine our skills, but the soulful expression, the unseen touch that transforms a piece of art into a timeless masterpiece, stems from something more profound. Just as a poem becomes more than mere words on a page, our art, too, transcends the materials we use. It's a culmination of our emotions, experiences, and that indefinable talent which reminds us that while knowledge is powerful, the spirit with which we approach our work defines its true essence.

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We've handpicked this quote and our interpretation of it's meaning to inspire your art. And we honor the legacy of Aristotle by creating this one-of-a-kind portrait to tie it all together. Start Painting!