Why Use Canvas Panels Instead of Stretched Canvases?

Stretched canvas has its advantages for larger paintings because of its light weight. For smaller plein air paintings stretched canvases offer some disadvantages:

• They are bulky, subject to damage and heavier than most panels of the same size.
  
  
• Additionally, a stretched canvas is in contact along its edges with the wood stretcher bar, which are very high in acid, and the canvas becomes seriously weakened over time wehre it is in contact with the wood.
  
  
• Paintings on stretched canvas eventually require restoration that usually results in mounting on a ridgid panel- so why not start out with a panel anyway?
  

Panels are an excellent choice for pocade boxes because they are so thin - you can carry up to 4 panels in our 6x8 ThumBox™ and 9x12 Guerrilla Box™, while you can only carry one stretched canvas.