“I think for a lot of artists, their materials are a means to an end. For me, none of the materials are a means to an end; they’re all an end unto themselves.” – Landon Metz

“Why are you wasting your time on stretching when you should be focusing on making good forms or compositions? I don’t consider it wasting time. It’s something that deserves my attention. I think it’s important that I have a close relationship to all aspects of my practice. There’s a meditative quality to the repetitive actions of the studio. It becomes a practice for me.

One staple at a time.

One gesture at a time.

Give it your full attention and you give it full value.

We’re trained through our experience of the natural world to find beauty in repetition. Whether we see it or acknowledge it or not, it’s something that we’re very comfortable and familiar with.”

Watch the full video for more exclusive insight into the studio and mind of artist Landon Metz. Learn more about this fascinating artist whose relationship with materials and approach to the production of each piece informs his unique, signature style on irregularly shaped canvas.

Like Landon, some artists prefer to stretch their own canvas. It can seem intimidating at first, but stretching your own canvas gives you complete control and ownership of the piece from start to finish. If you’re brand new to canvas stretching and looking for a How-To video to help you get started, you’ll find that here.

Of course, if you’re happier leaving the stretching to the pros, you can get custom stretched canvas in any shape or size here.

Video credits: Producer Cereal; Director & Videography R&J; Music by Lori Goldston.