73 Inch 3D Pro K2 Stretcher Bar 2-1/2" Deep #K2-73

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

Solid Wood is Archival - Finger Jointed Wood is Not

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 make are part of the archival process.

The principal reason manufactures use finger jointed wood is reduce cost, not increase archival value. Wood constantly grows and shrinks when the environment becomes hotter, or colder, or more humid, or more dry. Because finger jointed wood is made-up of multiple and varied pieces of wood, with varying grain patterns and densities, they each absorb and shed moisture at varying rates, which works on the glue joints that hold them together, causing the wood to bow and the joints to eventually fail, and certainly not consistent with increasing the archival value of your artwork frame support.

As a manufacturer, we do our part to conserve as much wood as possible, and still provide a quality made product that will out-perform any other in the marketplace.

Sustainability Fights Against Climate-Change

Sustainable forestry practices are an important tool in the fight against climate change. By using lumber from sustainably managed forests in our products, we can help to reduce the carbon footprint of our business and support the health of the planet. It's a win-win for everyone involved.

Canvas Size Needed for this Stretcher Bar

Most artists will stretch the canvas and attach the staples or tacks onto the back side of the frame. Doing so allows you to paint on the edge and hang your art without needed a picture frame. Generally speaking, you should allow 8 Inches of canvas beyond the size of your frame.

For example, if you were to stretch a 73x118 frame size, which happens to be a Golden Mean aspect ratio size, your canvas should be about 8 x 81. This allows you ample room to stretch and attach the canvas on the back. Should you ever need to remove the canvas from the frame and re-attach it, it still serves that purpose too. Should you want to attach the canvas from the edge of the stretcher frame, then you can reduce the size of your canvas about 3/4" all the way around the frame.

From the heart of California, Masterpiece® has been weaving a legacy since 1965, curating the best Stretcher Bars North America has witnessed. Our unwavering dedication to quality and innovation has cast us in the limelight as the trendsetting stalwarts in the realm of fine-art canvases. The patents we hold are not just certificates but validations of our pursuit of perfection. Engage with our creations and feel the promise of unmatched quality, a promise that resonates with your clients and every future beholder of your masterpiece.

It's not necessary for a painting to be very much finished because the very method you use brightens it up. The scuffings of ground, the little bits of ground left uncovered by the paint, bring light into it if your tonal values are correct. ♦ Paul Gauguin

In these insightful words, Paul Gauguin touches upon the essence of artistic expression and the delicate balance between completion and rawness. Gauguin's own artistic path was a testament to the belief that art is as much about the process as it is about the finished product. The beauty of a canvas isn't solely in its polished finality but also in the traces of its evolution, the hints of the artist's hand at work.

We often grapple with the dilemma of when to deem a piece complete. Gauguin nudges us towards understanding that sometimes, it's the imperfections and the untouched areas that bring vibrancy and life to a piece. These untouched spaces, these moments of pause, are as significant as the painted strokes. They capture the spontaneity, the choices, and the intent of the creator. More than that, they speak to the acceptance that art doesn't always need to be defined by precision but by emotion and authenticity.

Gauguin's life was distinguished by his relentless pursuit of truth and authenticity in his work. To us, he serves as a reminder that our art need not always conform to traditional standards of completion or perfection. Instead, in our path, we should embrace the quirks, the pauses, and the raw moments, for they often hold the key to genuine brilliance.

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With an artist's spirit and a modern touch, we bring you this hand-selected quote and provide context to its meaning. To tie it all together, we include our own one-of-a-kind portrayal of Paul Gauguin. Now let your colors flow!

Tight'n'Up™ Liquid Canvas Retensioner

One of our most celebrated products helps make your canvas tighter! Assembling Stretcher Bars and Stretching your own canvas can present some challenges. While your canvas may seem tightly stretched, the tension may vary from staple to staple creating lines of tension across the canvas in a grid like pattern. The trick is to maintain balanced tension across the canvas.

Tight'n'Up™ Liquid Canvas Re-Tensioner is a great way to redistribute the tension in a canvas across that grid-like pattern of tension as well as increase the tension on the entire canvas. While you can can add tension by keying-out the corners of the frame, it may produce an hour-glass effect by expanding the frame in the corners, and not the center.

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. Recommended for acrylic primed cotton or linen canvas. We do not recommend it for oil primed canvas because there are simply too many different types of oil primed canvas, but used conservatively at your own risk, it will tension any canvas.