Think of art on canvas, and the image that usually springs to mind is one of a stereotypical painter carefully working his or her brush over a canvas stretched across an easel. Maybe you think of Da Vinci hard at work on the Mona Lisa, or Van Gogh painting landscapes out on some quiet hillside. Your own holiday snaps from last summer probably don’t come quite so readily to your thoughts – although there’s really no reason any more why they shouldn’t.

Printing photos (or technically any pre-existing image if you want to get adventurous) is now a straightforward and affordable process. Technology has advanced to the point where canvas printing is now available for anyone – the process has become so routine and cost-effective that some companies offer to print photos on to modestly-sized canvas for less than £10. For more average-sized art, it’s hard to find prices over the £25-30 range.

Canvas in the 21st century is no longer reserved for the serious professionals of the artistic world. Technology has made it accessible for the masses. Canvas printing offers consumers the chance to decorate their homes with their own photos and prints, rather than commercial art. Family photos in a frame are one thing, but canvas prints tend to bring a much more professional veneer to interior decor. When the ability to customise home decorations to such an extent is so readily available, there will always be a market for it.

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