I recently had occassion to remove several less-than-satisfactory paintings from their stretcher bars (in preparation for attaching new canvas) and discovered that these brand-name, pre-stretched canvases had been stapled on the corners of the bars on the front side. Am I understanding that this practice of stapling the corners of stretcher bars totally defeats the function of “wedges” for adjusting loose canvases? Thanks for your thoughts.
Thank you, Brian…this is what I suspected. Most unfortunate, as this is a well-known and widely-sold brand of stretched canvas.
My thoughts are simply that such canvases are unsuitable for anything other than the most disposable sketches. The problem with this is that you never know when an expected humble sketch turns out to be very successful. It would be far better to buy some better quality stretcher bars and a length of primed substantial canvas (rather than the overly thin cotton canvas usually encountered with general pre-stretched, primed canvases). With these you can create your own canvases. That way you can always easily remove and dispose of unsatisfactory paintings and have a quality product if you are pleased with the result. You could also simply purchase higher quality pre-stretched/primed canvas by a reputable canvas supplier.
