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Posted by Sally Vasquez · via pnewellart.com · 96 months ago
Blog
How Varnishing Protects Your Fine Art
How Varnishing Protects Your Fine Art
| Varnishing Protects Your Fine Art Why Varnish? Varnishing an oil painting adds an extra layer of protection to artwork, preserving your investment. Varnish reveals the richness and color saturation of a painting and protects the painted surface from environmental dirt and dust in the atmosphere. In the future, (100 years or so) the varnished layer may be removed by a conservator to easily clean the painting. When the varnish layer is removed the surface dirt is stripped away with the old varnish revealing a clean vibrant painting ready to re-varnish. Varnishing a painting is often like wetting a dry gemstone and watching the color and detail appear. Varnishes can be made in any degree of sheen from a gloss to a matte finish. A stable paint surface, doesn’t need varnish, but it will lack protection from dirt and UV radiation and not be as easy to clean. How an Oil Painting Dries The pigments in traditional oil paints are ground in linseed, safflower or other organic oils. While painting, oil paint may be thinned with solvents which evaporate quickly. What is left is pigment in an oil binder which dries by oxidization. The oil reacts with oxygen in the air and cures to a hard layer. There is no water in the paint to evaporate. Traditional Varnishes In the past artists couldn’t varnish an oil painting with traditional varnish (Damar, Copal, etc.) until it was fully cured and dry. This would take six months to a year or more, especially if the paint was thick. If a painting is varnished on a touch-dry painting with traditional varnish, air cannot get through the varnish layer, stopping it from drying properly and fully. That can result in a whole host of problems! Modern Varnish Times have changed. I use a new synthetic varnish on my paintings – Gamvar. Gamvar stays water clear and flexible over time vs. Damar and traditional varnishes which tend to be brittle, turn yellow and crack. Gamvar may be applied when a painting is dry to the touch. There is no waiting for up to a year for the painting to dry. Gamvar is also easy to remove by a conservator without damaging the paint layers underneath. I give my paintings extra time to dry after the touch dry stage before I varnish with Gamvar. It's an extra step to ensure that my work will last for generations to come. |
