Client framing vs. final varnish
 

How do you handle the (6 months out...) final varnish for an oil painting assuming that the clients have the painting framed in the meantime?

-Do you remove the painting from the frame to apply varnish? (If so, do you request that the painting not be 'sealed' into the frame when they initially pick-up the painting?)
--OR--
-Do you apply the final varnish with the painting still in the frame?

Sorry for my ignorance... having just switched from acrylics, this is a new consideration for me! But I'm trying to get it right the first time. . .

Please remove the frame.

Thanks Marvin! That's what I thought would make sense.

The local framer seals the painting into the frame on the back with a kind of paper 'dust-cover'. I assume this is a standard practice? So, do I request (of the clients) that the painting not be sealed in until after the final varnish? Or would the dust-cover be removed then re-applied? I would just ask the local framer, but the clients are from a few towns away, so they may be planning on working with someone else...

Explain to the framer that the portrait needs a final varnish in six months time. He should be willing to accommodate your request by holding off on the backing and applying it after the varnish has been applied. If not, get a different framer.

Thanks again Marvin! :)