20X40 3D Pro Sausalito Canvas 3-1/2" #TS-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:

10x20 • 12x24 • 15x30 • 18x36 • 24x48 • 30x60 • 36x72 • 48x96

Explore Related Products to this 20X40 Size:

• Acrylic Primed Cotton: Monterey™ • Carmel™ • Tahoe™ • Sierra™
• Acrylic Primed Linen: Muir™ • Vintage L22U™
• Alkyd / Oil Primed Linen: Malibu™ • Vintage L21C™
• Monet™ Pro 1.5 • 3D™ Pro 2.5

Sausalito™ 11.5oz Acrylic Primed Cotton

Our second best selling surface; heavy weight and body with a rugged and paint-gripping surface texture; great for heavy paint applications and impasto.

• 100% Cotton 11.5 oz.; Primed Weight 14 oz. per square yard
• Heavy Weight, Medium Weave, Robust Texture
• Sized and Double 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

3D™ Pro 3.5 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 3.5" 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.

20X40 3.5" Deep Edge Heavy Frame Offers Maximum Support!

• Drawing depicts the exact frame construction, not the proportion
• 3.5" Deep Edge K3 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 3.5 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 Purify the Air

Our forests purify the air by filtering nearly 40% of the fossil fuel emissions humans create, and are critical to reducing global warming. More trees are needed on this planet, not fewer, for our own healthy human survival. Therefore, we use lumber grown in responsibly managed forests, so future generations can benefit from our 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

Our mission at Masterpiece® is to deliver the premium quality products that add value to your art. We are widely recognized as the nation's leader and trendsetter of professional quality fine-art canvas. Not only do we have the widest selection of products, but we feature intriguing aspect ratios and sizes with a purpose to add new dimensions to your art.

Art takes nature as its model. ♦ Aristotle

The philosophical musings of Aristotle, one of history's most influential thinkers, often touched upon the essence of humanity and our place within the cosmos. With the perspective of an observer of both the tangible and intangible, Aristotle perceived a symbiotic relationship between art and nature, one that is deeply rooted and inextricable.

Nature, in all its splendor and chaos, has been a timeless muse. Artists, from the dawn of civilization, have looked to the natural world for inspiration, guidance, and even solace. It is not merely about replicating the external beauty of a sunset or the intricate patterns on a butterfly's wings. Instead, it's about capturing the very essence, the underlying emotions, and the stories that nature tells us. When we witness a magnificent landscape or a delicate bloom, we are not just seeing it; we are feeling it, experiencing its history, its struggles, and its triumphs.

By drawing from nature, we artists anchor our creations in something profound, raw, and genuine. Our canvases, sculptures, and melodies become extensions of the world around us, echoing its beauty, its lessons, and its ever-evolving narrative. And in doing so, we pay the ultimate homage to both our craft and the wondrous world that nurtures it.

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Journey with us as we blend the wisdom and our own artistic representation of Aristotle. May this alliance empower your artistic soul. Begin your masterpiece!

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.