Stretchers

Sarah Melching <cdosem [at] halcyon__com> writes

>I am inquiring on behalf of someone who is not on the list:
>
>A very large contemporary painting is in need of a sturdy, rigid
>stretcher.  Does anyone know of a vendor(s) who carries metal
>stretchers in North America?  If not, can anyone suggest an
alternative material or system to ensure the painting's stability?

This is a wide open question which "needs" more information. Why the
"need" for a stretcher? Presuming this is for display, would this be
long term or short term? The fabric: linen, canvas? The paint?
Artists usually make their own stretchers, was this "canvas"
originally stretched? if not then stretching could affect the
adhesion of the pigments. There are other ways of showing without
stretching. If there really is a need to stretch on metal without
more information the quick answer is a custom made aluminum frame
tensioned with a second inner frame. Personally I'd really like to
know much more

Barry Todd Goodman
Artist/Weaver

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 13:10
                   Distributed: Monday, July 26, 1999
                       Message Id: cdl-13-10-005
                                  ***