16x20 Vincent Pro Sierra Canvas 7/8 Inch Deep #VE-1620

True 5:4 Photography Proportion - 16x20 Size

The 16x20 size is generally considered the most popular size in art. It doesn't take a lot of wall space, but it provides enough space on the canvas to create detail and made a statement without being too overpowering.

The 5:4 aspect ratio is common to both art and portrait photography, as it creates a visually pleasing format for the human figure and face. The balanced compositional format can help to create a sense of symmetry and harmony in your artwork. The 5:4 ratio has a familiar "feel", as it was commonly used in early computer monitors. Additionally, you might consider trying some relatively unknown sizes in this same proportion that we call Lost Sizes As an artist, you get the best of both worlds, because you still get to use the same aesthetically appealing 5:4 format and use rare or novel sizes that help make your art stand-out.

Explore other sizes in this same 5:4 aspect ratio:

4x5 • 8x10 • 24x30 • 12x15 • 20x25 • 28x35 • 32x40

Explore Related Products to this 16x20 Size:

• Acrylic Primed Cotton: Monterey™ • Carmel™ • Tahoe™ • Heavy Weight 14oz cotton
• Acrylic Primed Linen: Muir™ • Vintage L22U™ • Santa Cruz™ • Saint-Cloud™ • Grenoble™ • Pau™
• Alkyd Oil Primed Linen: Malibu™ • Ventura™
• Oil Primed Linen: Vintage L21C™ • Versailles™ • Isola™ • Poitiers™
• Monet™ Pro 1.5 • 3D™ Pro 2.5 • 3D™ Pro 3.5

Vegan Ground:

There are no animal products that make-up the sizing and the primer for this fine canvas. Historically, traditional canvas grounds have included egg tempura, pigments with cow urine, and of course, rabbit skin glue. In today's rapidly advancing world, there are many more choices available for artists who prefer non-animal based products that perform far better than their animal-based predecessors.

Sierra™ 11.5oz Acrylic Primed Cotton

• 100% Cotton 11.5 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

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.

16x20 Vincent Pro Keyable Cross Braced Frame

• Photo displays the exact frame construction, not the proportion
• Precision machined medium duty keyable tongue-and-groove Stretcher Bars
• Two 1/2" thick keyable cross braces (1.5" wide) provide excellent frame support for this 16x20 size - Cross braces may be removed and reinserted at any time
• An exclusive slot is milled on the inside perimeter of all of the Stretcher Bars to which the Braces and the expansion wedges attach
• Patented keyable cross braces allow the frame to be tensioned in the middle of the canvas, where the tension needed the most
• Cross braces firmly attached with hardware at the intersection point for maximum support and rigidity

Vincent™ Pro 7/8" Deep Bar • 5/16" Canvas Clearance

5/16" 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 Stretched Canvas Frame.

• Stretcher Bar Profile produces a 7/8" deep stretched canvas
• 1.5" wide Stretcher Bar
• Frames with a dimension of 16" and up have a groove machined in the center inside perimeter to which cross braces attach
• Solid Ponderosa Pine or Fir from the Pacific Northwest

What's so important about keyable canvas frames?

In dry and air conditioned environments, wood can shrink and canvas fibers elongate, thereby making the canvas looser to the point where you might see waves in the canvas. Keyability is an important feature that professionals cherish because it makes it possible to increase canvas tension without having to re-stretch it. There is a risk to re-stretching a canvas as it could apply undue stress on the paint across the surface which could accelerate cracking of the paint, particularly with oil paintings.

With Masterpiece's patented framing systems, you can tap the keys into the corners as well as the ends of the braces, which expands the canvas more equally across the entire surface. The difference between a loose or tight canvas is just 1/8", so even small adjustments with corner and brace keys can improve a stretched canvas.

To increase canvas tension:

1. Remove any staples in the corners above and below the canvas
2. Remove any staples that restrict the keys in the corners and braces
3. Tap all the expansion keys further into their respective slots until desired tension has been achieved
4. Using canvas pliers, tighten the canvas in the corners and staple
5. Canvas tension will be restored

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 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.

Sustainability is about Reducing Deforestation

Choosing products made with sustainably sourced lumber is an important way for consumers to make a positive impact on the environment. By supporting sustainable forestry practices, we can help to reduce deforestation, promote biodiversity, and mitigate climate change. It's a simple and effective way to make a difference.

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 Vincent™ Pro 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

A canvas is one of the very few products you can buy, and with your precious time, talent, and materials transform it into a work of art that could one day be worth a fortune. Don't skimp on your material choices! Your legacy and your own brand will be judged by how well your artwork stands the test of time.

Colors pursue me like a constant worry. They even worry me in my sleep. ♦ Claude Monet

Claude Monet, the father of Impressionism, saw the world not just in its forms but in its radiant hues. His profound relationship with color was not one of mere appreciation but an intense, emotional bond. The very essence of his paintings, drenched in light and vivid palettes, reflects a man for whom colors were not just tools but living entities. They were the murmurs of his subconscious, the ever-present voices shaping his perception and, in turn, our view of the world.

We too are often haunted by certain elements of our craft, be it a particular shade, a texture, or a motif that occupies our thoughts, even beyond the canvas. This obsession, while occasionally overwhelming, drives us to explore, experiment, and ultimately evolve. Monet's musings on color remind us that it's these very fixations, these relentless pursuits, that often lead to our most profound and pioneering work. They are the silent reminders of our passion, urging us to listen, engage, and transform them into timeless masterpieces.

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We are passionate about art, so we curated this enlightening quote and provide insight to it's meaning, plus to excite your senses, we included an inimitable portrait we made of Claude Monet. Now get busy on your own!

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.