Claessens Single-Primed Linen Canvas Rolls
- A Family Firm with Respect for Tradition - Up to the turn of the last century, many professional artists prepared their own canvases. As more and more amateurs took up the brush, the demand for canvas prepared by traditional methods grew. In 1906, close to the River Leie and in the middle of the Flax District, Victor Claessens founded a company to produce top quality artist's canvas. To that end he refined the tried and tested methods that had been passed down from generation to generation. Almost a century later, Claessens NV is still operationg in the original buildings in Waregem. The descendants of Victor Claessens have made conscious choice to keep a small scale approach to production and to honor the traditional methods for treating artist's canvas. Nowadays much of the work is done by machine, but the core of the production has remained unchanged. This respect for tradition and experience has made Claessens a household name amongst artists, stretching far beyond the borders of Europe.
- Top Quality Raw Materials - Flax is a long stemmed plant that is harvested and then steeped in water making it easier for the golden, soft fibers to be stripped from the woody bast. Flax is grown mainly in the district around the River Leie where Claessens NV has always been based. Claessens principally produces canvas from flax (more commonly reffered as linen). This provides the best quality and is the most durable.
- Meticulous Inspection - When the cloth arrives at Claessens NV it is still raw and unprocessed. It is first checked with great care for any weaving faults. Abnormally thick threads and lumps are scrupulously removed. The cloth has to be flawlessly smooth, as any unevennesses might mar your painting. The cloth is then shaved and dusted. Any final irregularities and bits of fluff are removed by machine, and the cloth is now ready to be treated.
- The Right Type of Canvas - Jerry's offer Claessens in oil canvases, universal canvases and unprimed canvas. Oil canvases are intended solely for oil paint where universal canvases are suitable for both oil and acrylic paint. For an oil primed canvas, Zinc White is used as the primer, bound with linseed oil. After that canvas is put into a drying room for three days where it air dries naturally. At that point, the canvas is once again sanded and a layer of a Titanium White-based coat is applied. The canvas then has to go back into the drying room for a further ten days. "Universal canvases" are given two primer layers of Titanium White and are bound with a synthetic glue. The canvas is is then dried in an air-dry oven. Most of the treatments are done by machine, but according to traditional methods. In special instances and for some large size canvases this entire process may be done entirely by hand. When the canvas is completely dry, it is cut into 10 meter lengths, carefully rolled up, wrapped in damp proof paper, packaged and sent out to customers.
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