About the service
I build stretcher bars and stretch canvas to order in any size, and I take in old works for re-stretching. Everything starts with the timber: dry pine, kiln dried down to eight or ten percent, sorted stick by stick. Anything with a knot where the corner joint lands goes back on the pile, because the tenon carries the load exactly there and a knot in that spot is a crack waiting for the first swing in humidity. The outer edge gets a raised lip, so the fabric touches wood only along the rim and the bar never prints a line into the picture plane.
Corners are mortise and tenon, fitted dry, with slots cut for wedges. Wedges matter more than people expect: a canvas that has gone slack after a winter of dry heating comes back with two taps of a mallet instead of a full re-stretch. Over a metre I add a cross brace, over a metre and a half a cross with a middle spar, keyed the same way. A long unsupported bar bows inward under the pull of the cloth, and the rectangle walks out of square within a season.
For the fabric I work in linen and cotton and pick the weight by the technique. Fine linen for thin glazes and detailed work, medium linen for general oil, heavy cotton duck for acrylic, thick impasto and anything that will travel. I pull from the middle of each side out to the corners, alternating opposite sides and checking tension by tapping, so warp and weft stay straight and the threads never run diagonally. Corners are folded flat and stapled on the back, with no bulk to stop the piece sitting against a wall.
Sizing goes on first, then two or three coats of ground, each sanded lightly between coats so the surface levels out without losing its tooth. I can leave it toothy for acrylic or bring it close to smooth for fine brushwork. Tell me how you paint and I will match the finish to it.
Re-stretching old work is slower and I price it separately. The paint layer is what is at risk: an aged film dislikes being bent over a fresh edge, so I warm the room, work gently, widen the radius where the old fold has already cracked, and add strip lining when the margins are too short rather than force the cloth. Losses and repainting I do not touch. That is a conservator's job and I say so up front.
What is included: timber selection and milling; joints, wedges and bracing; fabric chosen for your technique; stretching and stapling; sizing and ground in two or three coats with sanding between them; a note on the back with size, fabric and ground; packing for pickup or transport. Turnaround runs five to fourteen days depending on format, quantity and how long the ground needs to cure.
Corners are mortise and tenon, fitted dry, with slots cut for wedges. Wedges matter more than people expect: a canvas that has gone slack after a winter of dry heating comes back with two taps of a mallet instead of a full re-stretch. Over a metre I add a cross brace, over a metre and a half a cross with a middle spar, keyed the same way. A long unsupported bar bows inward under the pull of the cloth, and the rectangle walks out of square within a season.
For the fabric I work in linen and cotton and pick the weight by the technique. Fine linen for thin glazes and detailed work, medium linen for general oil, heavy cotton duck for acrylic, thick impasto and anything that will travel. I pull from the middle of each side out to the corners, alternating opposite sides and checking tension by tapping, so warp and weft stay straight and the threads never run diagonally. Corners are folded flat and stapled on the back, with no bulk to stop the piece sitting against a wall.
Sizing goes on first, then two or three coats of ground, each sanded lightly between coats so the surface levels out without losing its tooth. I can leave it toothy for acrylic or bring it close to smooth for fine brushwork. Tell me how you paint and I will match the finish to it.
Re-stretching old work is slower and I price it separately. The paint layer is what is at risk: an aged film dislikes being bent over a fresh edge, so I warm the room, work gently, widen the radius where the old fold has already cracked, and add strip lining when the margins are too short rather than force the cloth. Losses and repainting I do not touch. That is a conservator's job and I say so up front.
What is included: timber selection and milling; joints, wedges and bracing; fabric chosen for your technique; stretching and stapling; sizing and ground in two or three coats with sanding between them; a note on the back with size, fabric and ground; packing for pickup or transport. Turnaround runs five to fourteen days depending on format, quantity and how long the ground needs to cure.
