A bit old, and you have probably already sorted it (if you have, please tell us what you did!), but I thought I’d weigh in anyway:
90 pieces is _a lot_, especially at that size (~120×60 in cm for us metric folks).
If you want deep edge “gallery wrap”, which is pretty common at larger sizes, at least where I am, this is something that will take up a lot of space.
Another consideration is in how much of a hurry you are. Less time = less options.
What I would do is contact all art supply shops that are reasonably close to you, and ask them to calculate a quote. They already have the contacts to the manufacturers and/or wholesalers, and should be happy to go down in margin quite a bit for such a big order.
What they might have a problem with is storage space, so if you can promise to pick up your pallets of canvases as soon as they arrive, that could make a huge difference.
Another possibility would be to contact a manufacturer directly – it is possible (but not probable) that for instance Fredrix could be competitive with “cheapo chinese” for an order this size, once you deduct the retail-markup.
A third possibility is an art materials wholesaler – unfortunately I have no idea about Canadian wholesalers. I imagine that the market might have fewer layers than a huge market like the US – chances are good that you’ll find a distributor that serves the whole of the country, ie one company that do both the importing and the selling to retailers.
But how to find them? You’d need either an inside tip from someone who works in art supplies, or a bit of google sleuthing*.
This is actually a potentially very good option, especially if you think you will have needs on a scale like this in the future. A good wholesaler will have a range of products and brands, and if they are good they will have a “feel” for the cheap low end Chinese stuff, ie the likelyhood of getting really crappy crap is much lower.
Oh, just thought of a fourth avenue/option: the repro-trade, you know businesses that print images on canvas. Since you are not in any way taking business away from them, they might be happy to tell you where they get their canvases, and chances are good the importer of what they use also have what you want.
* Google-sleuthing for art supply wholesalers: You can approach this from two angles, the high status brands and the scholastic and low end products.
Best is to combine the two: Take a few non-domestic reputable, brands of high end colours, that have a broad range of products (let’s say Colart/Winsor&Newton, Talens, Schmincke – that kind of brand) and try to find who are the representatives close to you. Make a list of possibles.
Now, go into a book shop or hobby shop or something like that and look at cheap stuff and pencils and watercolours for kids – if they say “made in China”**, even better. Write down brand names, especially brand names you’ve never heard of. Also pay attention to which stuff is sold at the same places, especially in smaller chains or independents. Chances are the retail outlet only deals with 2-4 suppliers, so googling two low-end brands together can be fruitful.
Google google google. See if anything on your list of reps for high end brands and non-brand chinese brands coincide – these are the wholesalers you will want to approach.
**There are a few actual Chinese brands that have been around for a long time, and are considered reasonable quality: Conda is one, Phoenix is another, Marie’s is a third. These companies have absolutely ginormous product catalogues with almost everything imaginable (as well as doing private label work). The most ideal wholesaler for your request is someone who has a direct and active relationship (at least a containerload every other month or so – or a large warehouse) with one of these.[/SIZE]
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