Which kind of canvas for extra large work and where can I buy them?

I don't paint to that sort of scale, and have no experience of Gerstaecker's own-brand products. But it does sound to me as though you need a canvas that's tailor-made for you. This is not going to be cheap, but if it's worth doing then it's worth getting the best support. There are canvas specialists out there - if you get hold of one of the painting magazines, there'll usually be adverts for them. The names Russell and Chapple, and Tollitt and Harvey, come to mind - possibly QUITE wrongly! But there are firms out there which will build a canvas to your requirements, and I would suggest you investigate (if I can find these companies, I'll post a link to them in a further post). Hardwood, if you could get it - really not easy to get good quality hardwood these days - would be immensely heavy; battened ply, or MDF provided it was the thinner grade, even hardboard, would be a better bet. The problems are those you've identified - the larger the sheet, the more it'll warp; battening can counteract that, but it needs to be professionally done - just sticking a couple of battens to a large board may not do the job: unless you have carpentry skills, I'd take the advice of someone who has. If you could get them in this size, Ampersand panels would meet your needs: they're precisely cut, the surface is receptive to detail, they're light in weight. But I don't think you can..... unless you want to make contact with the company in the USA, and ask them to quote you for this sort of size: you would be talking serious money, even assuming it could be done. In your place, I'd speak to the tailor-made canvas suppliers, I think. But others may know better. www.isleofwightlandscapes.net

http://www.harrismoorecanvases.co.uk/ Or try The Canvas Store = http://www.canvas-store.co.uk/ Or http://www.atlantisart.co.uk/super-professional-bespoke-stretched-canvas/ I had some trouble accessing the last of these, but that may be my broadband connection. Give those a try, and let us know how you get on. www.isleofwightlandscapes.net

Well, it just so happens I do know where you can buy the exact canvas that you require, try Jackson's ALU-PRO Linen Canvas, which is on an aluminium stretcher, but you will need deep pockets at a huge £125 per canvas. Ref. CALS120120. If you fancy a large canvas why not buy the ones that I use from Jackson's, 100 x 120cm or 39 x 47in Daler Rowney, very sturdy and with cross stretchers both ways at the amazingly low price of £24. They are superb, just had some more delivered today. Not the shape that you wanted perhaps, but a brilliant price from a well known maker.