I'm painting a few seascapes on box canvases at the moment. A box canvas (sometimes known as 3D or 'gallery wrapped canvas') is simply an ordinary canvas but one which is slightly deeper than a standard canvas. This extra depth helps lift the canvas from the wall, and means that you don't need to get the canvas frames - it looks great just as it is.

For an artist this has some good advantages:

1. There's no framing cost.
2. The canvas looks very contemporary, very modern.
3. Postage costs are lower, because there's no heavy frame.

Working on canvas, rather than panel also has some advantages:

1. A smoother, more bouncy surface
2. The weave of the canvas lets the colours mix more, creating softer effects
3. A pure white canvas is a beautiful, inspiring object in its own right.