Warning! Don't use damar as a final picture varish

[Virgil Elliott]

Lacey,

You didn't say how recently the picture in question was painted. Oil paint takes a good while to cure, months after it seems to be dry, and it is best not to varnish it until it's fully cured. A premature varnishing interferes with the process of curing, which involves the incorporation of oxygen into the paint layer. Gamvar should be used at the strength that results from adding the precise amount of solvent that's in the bottle that comes with it to the resin crystals in the jar. I wouldn't recommend using it in any other way.

Whether diluted damar used as a retouch varnish would prove problematic in the long run would depend on several things, but if the painting is important to you, it would be best to leave damar out of it, and let it cure for several months before giving it a final varnishing with Gamvar. Don't be in too big a hurry to show it, if it doesn't look good without varnish on it. Six months goes by pretty quickly.

Virgil Elliott

[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.

[Virgil Elliott]

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.

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

[Scott Bartner]

Originally Posted by Virgil Elliott

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

Agreed Virgil but will using retouch varnish seriously compromise the longevity of a painting? Are Conservators saying this now, because a few years ago it was advocated, at least here in Europe.

Kind of reminds me of the doctors who warned against butter suggesting margarine was a better alternative and then latter olive oil and now no oils. What is the truth? What do you think they will be saying about Gamvar in ten years time? (I won't know because I probably will have died from an olive oil induced coronary.)

[Virgil Elliott]

Scott,

Many questionable practices are or were advocated by one person or another, and it could be very confusing taking them at face value, since they are not all in accord. What one can do to sort things out is to consider the fundamental principles involved. Vegetable oils "dry" by a process that involves the absorption of oxygen, which takes place over a long period of time. It makes sense that to place a barrier of varnish between the paint layer and the air before this process is complete would surely interfere with the proper drying/curing of the paint. To what extent this would manifest itself adversely is an open question, but why risk harm to our own paintings?

Virgil Elliott

[Scott Bartner]

This is something to think about. I'm certain I'm not the only artist who retouches before a painting goes out the door. I appreciate the information.

[Lacey Lewis]

This has been a great source of information for me. Unfortunately, I learned to paint with oils before I learned anything about oils.

It was only a year ago that I thought it was O.K. to use Turpenoid Natural as a medium!