Canvas button

Abstract

A two-piece canvas button comprises a shell, a back, and a piece of artist canvas tightly tucked between the shell and back. The shell provides a sturdy mounting for the artist canvas, on which an artist paints. The back may be a formed back with a frusto-conical margin that cooperates with a frusto-conical wall of the shell to tightly tuck the artist canvas. Alternately, the back may be a flat back, in which case the artist canvas is tightly tucked between the periphery of the flat back and the shell frusto-conical wall. A round canvas button with the flat back may have a flat coplanar flange; the artist canvas is tightly tucked between the flange and the back. A rectangular canvas button has coplanar flanges. Machines for manufacturing the canvas buttons may use either a third press stroke or only two strokes to manufacture the buttons with the coplanar flanges.

1 . canvas button for fine art painting comprising: 
 a. a shell having a free edge and a margin adjacent the free edge;    b. a back having a periphery and a margin adjacent the periphery; and    c. a piece of artist canvas overlying the shell and tightly tucked between the shell margin and the back margin, so that the shell provides a support for painting on the artist canvas, wherein the shell, back, and artist canvas are substantially round to thereby present a round artist canvas medium for receiving a selected color pattern; and    d. wherein the back is a flat back; and    e. the shell margin comprises a flange that is substantially parallel to the flat back and that lies in a single plane; and    f. the artist canvas is tightly tucked between the shell flange and the flat back margin.    
   
   
       2 . The canvas button of  claim 1  wherein the shell, back, and artist canvas are substantially rectangular in shape, so that the canvas button presents a substantially rectangular surface of artist canvas that is paintable by an artist.  
   
   
       3 . the canvas button of  claim 2  wherein: 
 a. the back is a flat back;    b the shell margin is in the shape of multiple flanges that are substantially parallel to the flat back and that lie in a single plane; and    c. the artist canvas is tightly tucked between the shell flanges and the flat back margin.    
   
   
       4 . A canvas button comprising: 
 a. a back having a margin that defines a periphery;    b. a shell having a center region, a free edge, and a margin between the center region and the free edge; and    c. a piece of artist canvas overlying the shell and having a skirt that overhangs the shell free edge, the skirt being tightly tucked between the shell margin and the back periphery to enable an artist to paint on the artist canvas and to display a resulting painting without removal of the artist canvas from the back or shell; and    d. wherein the back margin comprises a first frusto-conical wall; and    e. the shell margin comprising a second frusto-conical wall parallel and closely spaced to the back margin first frusto-conical wall; and    f. wherein the artist canvas skirt is tightly tucked between the first and second frusto-conical walls; and    g. wherein the back has a center region that is generally parallel to and closely spaced to the shell center region; and    h. wherein the back is a flat disk;    i. wherein the shell margin comprises a frusto-conical wall that is closely spaced to the back periphery; and    j. wherein the artist canvas skirt is tightly tucked between the shell frusto-conical wall and the back periphery;    k. wherein the back margin is substantially flat;    l. wherein the shell margin lies in a plane that is parallel to and closely spaced to the back margin; and    m. wherein the artist canvas is tightly tucked between the shell margin and the back margin.    
   
   
       5 . In combination: 
 a. a shell having a center region, a free edge, and a margin between the center region and the free edge;    b. a piece of artist canvas overlying the shell center region and margin and having a skirt that overhangs the shell free edge; and    c. a back defining a periphery that cooperates with the shell margin to tightly tuck the artist canvas skirt therebetween, so that the shell provides a sturdy mounting for the artist canvas;    d. wherein the shell margin comprises a frusto-conical wall; and    e. wherein the back is substantially flat.    
   
   
       6 . The combination of  claim 4  wherein at least a portion of the shell margin comprises a flange that lies in a flat plane that generally parallel to the flat back.  
   
   
       7 . An assembled medium for displaying a selected color pattern comprising: 
 a. a shell with a dome, and a wall surrounding the dome;    b. a back having a circular periphery and a margin adjacent the periphery; and    c. a piece of artist canvas overlying the shell dome and wall arid tightly tucked between the shell wall and the back periphery, so that the artist canvas presents a medium, and the shell provides a support, for displaying a selected color pattern on the artist canvas; and    d. the back margin comprises a frusto-conical wall; and    e. the shell wall is frusto-conical and surrounds the back frusto-conical wall, and the artist canvas is tightly tucked between the shell and back frusto-conical walls; and wherein the back is a flat disk.