48x72 3D Pro Tahoe Canvas 3-1/2" #TT-4872

True 3:2 Film Proportion - 48x72 Size

And 48x72, of course, is one of the most popular large sizes ever!

The 3:2 aspect ratio is a very familiar format film, computer screens, and video, and, of course, is an aesthetically appealing proportion for your artistic compositions. Most 35 mm film cameras are based on this exact proportion, so our brains are trained to see images in this same ratio. It is commonly used for landscape photography and artwork, as it allows for a wide, panoramic view of the scene. It can be used to create a sense of balance and harmony in the composition, providing depth and perspective, as the longer sides of the canvas allow for more space to depict the background or foreground elements of the scene.

Even though this proportion is widely used, there are only a handful of commonly available standard canvas sizes in this ratio. There are a whole collection of intriguing (what we call) Lost Sizes, which are uncommon sizes in this common proportion. Unusual canvas sizes add intrigue to your artwork and an additional story to tell about your painting.

Explore other sizes in this same 3:2 aspect ratio:

16x24 • 20x30 • 24x36 • 36x54 • 40x60

Explore Related Products to this 48x72 Size:

• Acrylic Primed Cotton: Monterey™ • Carmel™ • Heavy Weight 14oz cotton • Sierra™
• Acrylic Primed Linen: Muir™ • Vintage L22U™
• Alkyd / Oil Primed Linen: Malibu™ • Vintage L21C™
• Monet™ Pro 1.5 • 3D™ Pro 2.5

Tahoe™ 10oz Acrylic Primed Cotton

Strikes the perfect balance between medium & heavy weight cottons; substantially heavier than most widely available canvas, but it is supple and forgiving to the brush.

• 100% Cotton 10 oz.; Primed Weight 14.6 oz. per square yard
• Heavy Weight, Medium Weave, Medium Texture
• Sized and Triple 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

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.

48x72 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
• 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
• Two super strong 3/4" thick keyable braces and two cross braces (all 3.25" wide) provide the maximum possible support for this 48x72 frame; Cross Braces are 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 braces feature an exclusive system that allows you to increase the tension to the middle of the frame, where the tension is needed the most; it's so unique it earned us a patent
• Our state-of-the-art cross braces attach the ends of the cross braces into the (grooved) sides of the braces, which creates a superior and robust system of interlocking cross braces
• 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.

Biodiversity in our Forests is the Key to Life as we know it

By using lumber from sustainably managed forests in our products, we can ensure that the forests will continue to thrive and provide valuable resources for years to come. Sustainable forestry practices help to maintain the health and biodiversity of the forest, which benefits not only the environment, but also the local communities and businesses that rely on the forest for their livelihoods.

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

Requires Truck Delivery

This size will be shipped on an LTL freight truck, which is safe and reliable. Our shipping cost estimator cannot possibly contemplate all the cost factors with truck shipments, so once you place your order and before we do anything, we will review and inform you if your actual cost is higher or lower. Ordering larger quantities usually does not increase the freight cost, so you get a better value by ordering larger quantities.

Conditions that impact cost are extra large products, or if your delivery address is out-of-the-way, or in a school, university, church, hotel, shopping mall, or farm. Shipping to a business address lowers cost. Contact us with any questions.

The trucking company will contact you by phone, and arrange a 4 hour window for delivery, so be sure to pick-up strange numbers during the time of delivery. Someone must be present to receive and sign for this delivery; they will not just leave it at your door. We rarely have issues, but if you notice a problem, please document it on the delivery receipt before you sign it, and take photos.

3D™ Pro 3.5 Professional canvases are built one-by-one and stretched using our proprietary stretching process called, MuseumWrap™, which relies on in-house custom-built pneumatic machinery that delivers consistently drum-tight stretched canvas, balanced tension across the canvas surface, neatly folded uncut corners, and paintable edges. It is the absolute best way to stretch a canvas.

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. ♦ Henry David Thoreau

With his profound insights into human nature and the world around him, Henry David Thoreau frequently challenged prevailing notions and encouraged deeper introspection. In his solitary sojourns, he came to recognize the distinction between mere observation and true perception. This distinction is at the heart of this quote, which pushes us to transcend superficiality in favor of a deeper, more meaningful understanding.

A blank canvas, to the untrained eye, is just a piece of fabric, but to the artist, it holds infinite possibilities. A simple landscape may appear mundane to some, but through the artist's perspective, it transforms into a story of light, shadow, and emotion. We know that to truly capture the essence of a subject, one must look beyond its surface, discerning the nuances that give it life and meaning. Thoreau's words serve as a timeless reminder that in art and in life, true vision lies not in what confronts our eyes, but in what our hearts and minds perceive.

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Draw inspiration from the words of wisdom by Henry David Thoreau, plus our interpretation of its meaning, along with our own rendered portrait of Henry David Thoreau. Now get busy on your own canvas!

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.