The Framers Forum

I am an artist and a picture framer and do some occasional 'Art Tech' work at the Ormeau Baths Gallery in Belfast. I was asked to stretch a 60 Foot x 9 Foot canvas for an artist called Neil Shawcross, for an exhibition called 'Into the Black'. The support was constructed by a joiner and the canvas was a role of 100 Foot sailing canvas. It was rolled out and primed with a brush about 10 Foot at a time, allowed to dry then re-rolled up and continued until all 60 Foot had a first coat. The floor of the gallery was then brushed and the supports lifted on top of the face down canvas. Myself and another technician then started at the centre and worked facing each other pulling and pinning the canvas about a yard at a time on each side of the middle until we reached about 5 Foot from each end. We then worked on each end and the sides, working out to the corners as normal and finishing the corners in the traditional way. It then took a team of 5 people to turn the canvas over. It was given a further two coats of primer with a roller on a pole. No conversation methods were used in the construction as the canvas will be cut up and put on proper supports after the show. The Artists painted a mural of dancers with the canvas still on the floor. It was later lifted on to large 5 inch screws drilled and plugged into the wall. Visit http://www.ormeaubaths.co.uk


Q is this a Forum record for making a canvas?

Please see attached photos.

I nearly choked on my tea when I saw the pictures, this is awesome ! And there was me feeling a bit cocky about the 3 x 4 footer I did a few weeks back
You're a braver man the me .

I reckon there's a good chance!

Biggest single photo canvas print we stretched was 3m (usual stretcher bar profile), but we have done 4m as multi-panel and can't recall a larger one, I hope one day to get a job/excuse to do a huge multi-panel one - Hockney style.

I imagine doing a 60 footer is fairly similar to a 10 footer, but were there any issues that came up unexpectedly to beware of e.g. huge stretch required on length for tautness? bowing of frame? wrinkling, etc?

there are systems for big canvas signs,which do stretch too

i saw them at a signage show last year, you can do massive stuff with it

dont have the name of it with me, but if i remember will post it tomorrow

That is huge for a one section canvas.

The biggest stretcher bar arrangement I ever made was 60 sections at 5x3 ft = 900 ft sq. They were painted on together to make one big picture.

As we had no idea how to work on such a large canvas we just tried to work it out as we went. As the canvas was on the floor and the supports sat on top, the waight of the supports helped to keep the length of the canvas tight to the frame. Every two or so yards we pulled the canvas tight along the length of the support using a 'carpet fitters kick'. Which means you grab the corner of the canvas with your hand and give the cloth a good kick to pull it tight. I dought that any other framer or artist will ever use this method again. I've seen the finished work of art and apart from one wrinkle 'about a foot long' in the bottom left had corner, it is suprisingly tight and flat. As far as I can see the joiner made a great job with the support and it has not bowed at all. As far as I know parts of the canvas will be cut out and re-streached over propper bars to make a number of smaller works.

I posted before Christmas that I was looking for some part time framing work in or around greater Belfast. I'm still available if anyone needs some freelance work done.

David Turner

07779 255375

I think it must be a forum record!

I see you stretched it by hand, that must have killed your wrists, a (couple of) pair(s) of canvas stretching pliers would have been a boon, but seeing as it's going to be cut in to smaller pieces, the crease that they may have saved isn't such an issue.

I'm not sure I'd've even taken it on anyway, so major respect to you.

We tried the pliers but they just got in the way. It was easier to pull tight about a foot at a time and get about three or four staples in at a time. It did kill my wrists though.

I always stretch using my fingers pliers just get in the way, takes ten times longer and quiet often you end up ripping the canvas. Its a lot easier stretching by hand.

Well done that must be a record, I think my largest was only 14 ft, I had to make that up in someone's garden.

That beats my largest stretching jobs...............! Stretching raw canvas and then gessoing after stretching definitely makes things easier to get a taught canvas.

However,both were prepainted:

10' x 20' stretched and installed in the State of Michigan Archive library.

5' x 24' stretched - the artist handled the delivery and installation for a restaurant.

I wouldn't want to carry that about outside if it was a bit windy.

is this because you were so far away from each other that you had to use sign language?

"What a Whooper"

It's got to be a record breaker

That's a man with a big art

I wouldn’t want to cross the road with that.

At least it will be cut into to smaller section later.

Did you know...

The "Night watch" by rembrandt had to be cut to get it into the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

Mitreman

This is the finished painting.

Enjoy.

Superb job!

That is amazing. Good effort!