diff --git a/libs/canvas/canvas.cc b/libs/canvas/canvas.cc
index 87ddcb0c54..1c30a27575 100644
--- a/libs/canvas/canvas.cc
+++ b/libs/canvas/canvas.cc
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 
 #include <list>
 #include <cassert>
+#include <cstdlib>
 #include <gtkmm/adjustment.h>
 #include <gtkmm/label.h>
 #include <gtkmm/window.h>
@@ -51,6 +52,7 @@ using namespace std;
 using namespace ArdourCanvas;
 
 uint32_t Canvas::tooltip_timeout_msecs = 750;
+uint64_t ArdourCanvas::nodraw = 0;
 
 /** Construct a new Canvas */
 Canvas::Canvas ()
@@ -67,6 +69,13 @@ Canvas::Canvas ()
 	_use_intermediate_surface = NULL != g_getenv("ARDOUR_INTERMEDIATE_SURFACE");
 #endif
 	set_epoch ();
+
+	const char * dbg = g_getenv ("ARDOUR_CANVAS_NODRAW");
+
+	if (dbg) {
+		nodraw = strtoull (dbg, NULL, 0);
+		std::cerr << "\n\n **** SET NODRAW FROM " << dbg << " to " << std::hex << nodraw << std::dec << std::endl;
+	}
 }
 
 void
diff --git a/libs/canvas/canvas/canvas.h b/libs/canvas/canvas/canvas.h
index fa927794a1..9f90a21154 100644
--- a/libs/canvas/canvas/canvas.h
+++ b/libs/canvas/canvas/canvas.h
@@ -188,6 +188,7 @@ public:
 
 	void set_debug_render (bool yn) { _debug_render = yn; }
 	bool debug_render() const { return _debug_render; }
+
 protected:
 	Root             _root;
 	uint32_t         _queue_draw_frozen;
diff --git a/libs/canvas/canvas/fill.h b/libs/canvas/canvas/fill.h
index 11e5072c3e..ba6f65c100 100644
--- a/libs/canvas/canvas/fill.h
+++ b/libs/canvas/canvas/fill.h
@@ -47,6 +47,9 @@ public:
 	}
 
 	bool fill () const {
+		if (ArdourCanvas::nodraw & 0x1) {
+			return false;
+		}
 		return _fill;
 	}
 
diff --git a/libs/canvas/canvas/outline.h b/libs/canvas/canvas/outline.h
index 0308ad1c37..33e2a685ed 100644
--- a/libs/canvas/canvas/outline.h
+++ b/libs/canvas/canvas/outline.h
@@ -51,6 +51,9 @@ public:
 	virtual void set_outline_width (Distance);
 
 	bool outline () const {
+		if (ArdourCanvas::nodraw & 0x2) {
+			return false;
+		}
 		return _outline;
 	}
 
diff --git a/libs/canvas/canvas/types.h b/libs/canvas/canvas/types.h
index 21f97d1a8a..7a8b8b0b0d 100644
--- a/libs/canvas/canvas/types.h
+++ b/libs/canvas/canvas/types.h
@@ -257,6 +257,8 @@ struct FourDimensions {
 	}
 };
 
+extern LIBCANVAS_API uint64_t nodraw;
+
 extern LIBCANVAS_API std::ostream & operator<< (std::ostream &, Rect const &);
 
 typedef std::vector<Duple> Points;
diff --git a/libs/canvas/line_set.cc b/libs/canvas/line_set.cc
index bf2b130a6b..4bbe0b3feb 100644
--- a/libs/canvas/line_set.cc
+++ b/libs/canvas/line_set.cc
@@ -88,6 +88,10 @@ LineSet::set_extent (Distance e)
 void
 LineSet::render (Rect const & area, Cairo::RefPtr<Cairo::Context> context) const
 {
+	if (ArdourCanvas::nodraw & 0x8) {
+		return;
+	}
+
 	/* area is in window coordinates */
 
 	for (vector<Line>::const_iterator i = _lines.begin(); i != _lines.end(); ++i) {
diff --git a/libs/canvas/text.cc b/libs/canvas/text.cc
index 355c3f116c..be9ad62fe6 100644
--- a/libs/canvas/text.cc
+++ b/libs/canvas/text.cc
@@ -206,6 +206,10 @@ Text::_redraw () const
 void
 Text::render (Rect const & area, Cairo::RefPtr<Cairo::Context> context) const
 {
+	if (ArdourCanvas::nodraw & 0x4) {
+		return;
+	}
+
 	if (_text.empty()) {
 		return;
 	}
diff --git a/libs/waveview/wave_view.cc b/libs/waveview/wave_view.cc
index 6ffe5345e5..b7b1886fd5 100644
--- a/libs/waveview/wave_view.cc
+++ b/libs/waveview/wave_view.cc
@@ -960,6 +960,10 @@ WaveView::draw_image_in_gui_thread () const
 void
 WaveView::render (Rect const & area, Cairo::RefPtr<Cairo::Context> context) const
 {
+	if (ArdourCanvas::nodraw & 0x10) {
+		return;
+	}
+
 	assert (_props->samples_per_pixel != 0);
 
 	if (!_region) { // assert?