18" Vincent Pro Stretcher 2-Bars 1-CrossBrace Kit 7/8" Deep #VK-18

Explore Other Vincent™ Pro Bar and Brace Kit Sizes

8" • 9" • 10" • 11" • 12" • 13" • 14" • 15" • 16" • 17" • 19" • 20" • 21" • 22" • 23" • 24" • 25" • 26" • 27" • 28" • 29" • 30" • 31" • 32" • 33" • 34" • 35" • 36" • 37" • 38" • 39" • 40" • 41" • 42" • 43" • 44" • 45" • 46" • 47" • 48" • 49" • 50" • 51" • 52" • 53" • 54" • 55" • 56" • 57" • 58" • 59" • 60"

5/16" Canvas Clearance provides an optimal distance from the Bar

It's vitally important to have enough space between the Stretcher Bar and the canvas so when you press on the canvas it does not touch the wood underneath, which can create unsightly lines on your 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.

No Finger Joints!

Solid Wood is far superior to finger jointed wood, which is many small pieces glued together, each with varying grain densities that absorb and shed moisture at varying rates, expanding and contracting non-uniformly as environmental conditions change, and causing the wood to bow and the finger joints to eventually fail.

A single homogeneous kiln-dried solid wood Stretcher Bar outperforms and outlasts a finger jointed Bar whose sole purpose is to save the manufacturer cost, not contribute to the archival value of artwork intended to last a millennium. 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.

Vincent Pro 7/8" Deep Stretcher Bar Kit

• Photo displays how the frame will look once you assemble two kits
• Precision machined medium duty keyable tongue-and-groove Stretcher Bars
• A 1/2" thick keyable cross brace is included with each kit
• 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

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

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.

Sustainable Forests - A Precious Natural Resource

The air that we breathe depends upon our healthy forests the world over. For this reason, we only use lumber from the sustainable forests of the Pacific Northwest, so we can guarantee that our nation's precious natural timber resources are available for future generations.

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 4 Inches of canvas beyond the size of your frame.

For example, if you were to stretch a 18x40 frame size, which happens to be a √5:1 Dynamic Root-5 Rectangle aspect ratio size, your canvas should be about 22 x 44. 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.

Rooted in California and flourishing since 1965, Masterpiece® takes pride in its family-led legacy of crafting North America's premier Stretcher Bars. Our quest for excellence isn't just a goal but a commitment, positioning us as the trailblazers in the domain of fine-art canvas. Our innovative patents have set new benchmarks, ensuring our offerings stand unmatched. Dive into the tactile experience of our products, and you'll instantly recognize the distinct Masterpiece® quality, a signature appreciated by both your clientele and future art connoisseurs.

It's not a matter of painting life. It's a matter of giving life to a painting. ♦ Nicolas de Staël

Nicolas de Staël's perspective on art underscores a pivotal nuance in the creation process. Many might assume that art, especially painting, is about replicating reality, capturing a moment, or immortalizing an object. However, de Staël challenges this perception, emphasizing instead the transformative power inherent in artistic creation. He nudges us toward the realization that true artistry is not mere representation; it's about infusing an essence, a spirit, into the work itself.

When we artists wield our brushes, it's not just to convey what our eyes see, but to breathe our own emotions, interpretations, and soul into the canvas. A painting becomes alive not because it depicts life, but because it exudes the life force bestowed upon it by its creator. Each color chosen, each texture crafted, speaks of decisions made, of our intimate relationship with our work. The canvas then becomes more than just a passive medium; it's a dynamic entity that interacts with its audience, revealing stories, invoking feelings, and evoking responses.

---

We curated this empowering quote with some context and hope you find it insightful, plus we created this unique portrait of Nicolas de Staël to make it a bit more intriguing. Now get to work on your own!