Canvas Fabric

We all know and probably even use canvas in our lives,like converse canvas shoes some of us daily. Painters rely on it as the medium to which they apply their paints, as they have for centuries. Sailors still prefer canvas as the material of choice for their sails, which must catch the wind, resist the elements, and be strong enough to withstand the other pressures of the ocean. And common people wear canvas on their feet or on their bodies. We have canvas chairs, sleeping cots, covers, and many other objects for which no better material may exist. Cotton canvas fabric is a woven material, one that is made in a pattern where the weft thread runs over one warp thread and under another warp thread. This one over, one under weave is a distinguishing feature of canvas that gives it its distinct look as well as strength. The fact that canvas is relatively easy to work with and to care for accounts for its massive popularity and use in so many different things, from giant sails that use canvas fabric by the yard, to the ubiquitous canvas grocery bags people are adopting in an effort to be more eco-friendly.

Why do artists working with paint still prefer to use canvas in their creations as opposed to different, newer materials?  It has to do with the ability of canvas to take on and keep colors clearly where in other materials, colors may tend to bleed or fade.  Also, because canvas is pretty tough as far as fabrics go (one of the toughest we have, and certainly the strongest one that sees common use), it can be stretched taut over a wooden frame to make an excellent painting surface.