Canvasses

noun

1. A type of coarse cloth, woven from hemp, useful for making sails and tents or as a surface for paintings.
2. A piece of canvas cloth stretched across a frame on which one may paint.
3. A basis for creative work.

   "The author takes rural midwestern life as a canvas for a series of tightly woven character studies."

4. A region on which graphics can be rendered.
5. Sails in general.