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Originally Posted by Scott Bartner
While it's probably better not to fool with retouch varnishes and the like, I can understand why one would want to quickly simulate varnish like conditions particularly where clients are concerned.
I discovered in Gamblin's "Notes of Special Interest" you can in fact make a retouch varnish by mixing "1 part Gamvar Varnish with 5 parts Gamsol or other high quality OMS."
The question then arises whether in 6 months time the Gamvar retouch should be removed or left on before varnishing with the full strength product.
Also in his notes Gamblin mentions using cold wax medium as a matting agent. When I see the word "wax" I think of Reynolds and his questionable practices. Perhaps when wax is used in varnish as opposed to medium it's another story.
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Scott,
There would be no reason to remove Gamvar retouch before applying full-strength Gamvar as a final varnish. The solvent in the final varnish would soften the retouch layer and allow it to become part of the final varnish layer. It wouldn't be a good idea to try to remove varnish from an oil paint layer that's less than two years old, anyway. Chances are some paint would come off in the process.
Wax in the varnish, used as a flatting agent, would not be harmful the way it would as an ingredient in the paint.
After an artist has painted his or her heart out on a painting, it seems wrong, to me, to then do something to compromise its longevity out of eagerness to put it out there right away. For people who cannot wait to get rid of their pictures, there is the option of painting in alkyds, acrylic, pastel or watercolor instead.
Virgil Elliott