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Is varnishing an option?

 
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Is varnishing an option? - 2/21/2009 7:28:19 PM   
KingDavid


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Joined: 7/30/2005
From: Bridgeport, CT
Status: offline 		I am thinking about selling a few of my oils on ebay. They are dry to the touch, but I know that they are not "completely" dry. Does anyone here sell oil paintings that are NOT varnished? If so, is it ethical, because customers might not know the difference?

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RE: Is varnishing an option? - 2/21/2009 8:46:38 PM   
platypus


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Joined: 7/30/2005
From: New Jersey
Status: offline 		You could tell them in the auction that the paintings aren't varnished and give them instructions on how to do it themselves after a few months. There's nothing unethical about that.

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RE: Is varnishing an option? - 2/22/2009 3:03:05 AM   
mariemella


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Status: offline 		nearly each time I sold - it was the good old time on ebay - paintings,
as they were not one year old, I varnished them with a so-called temporary (retouching) varnish, which allows the drying process to continue, and wrote always to my customers, while announcing the shipment, that their painting might be varnished again after 18 months with a final varnish, explaining also that they could meanwhile clean with soft fabric and water etc. etc.
I had never a problem there.
but I would recommend to varnish at any case, the temporary/retouching varnish protects the painting !

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RE: Is varnishing an option? - 2/22/2009 3:28:17 AM   
KingDavid


Posts: 309
Joined: 7/30/2005
From: Bridgeport, CT
Status: offline 		Understood ... but even the retouching varnish requires a month to dry before applying. And that's a basic painting. I have a few that have thick areas of paint also, so now you're talking 3 months.

I have limited dry, clean space here & would like to free up some of it. The series of paintings that I am producing are working out great, so I'm not complaining ... I think that I might have to build a giant rack out of 2 x 4's to hold them all. Currently I'm just displaying them on the walls as I go.

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RE: Is varnishing an option? - 2/22/2009 9:14:47 AM   
platypus


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quote:

ORIGINAL: KingDavid

Understood ... but even the retouching varnish requires a month to dry before applying. And that's a basic painting. I have a few that have thick areas of paint also, so now you're talking 3 months.

I have limited dry, clean space here & would like to free up some of it. The series of paintings that I am producing are working out great, so I'm not complaining ... I think that I might have to build a giant rack out of 2 x 4's to hold them all. Currently I'm just displaying them on the walls as I go.


I've never heard that - everything I've read said it can be applied as soon as the painting is "dry to the touch" and it's main purpose is to revive sunken in areas so that artists can keep working on their paintings, which doesn't make much sense if they have to wait a month between applications.

If you're not comfortable going that route then just hold onto them for a month, it'll be over before you know it. That or switch to acrylics, have you tried them?

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RE: Is varnishing an option? - 2/22/2009 10:23:54 AM   
Harlan


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From: Michigan
Status: offline 		Oil paintings need to be varnished!

The purpose of varnish is to protect the surface from dirt and to allow it to be safely and easily cleaned later. Varnish also adds "life" to the painting.

The purpose of Retouch Varnish is to bring up those areas in a painting that seem to go "dead". It is not complete protection for an oil painting and it is used in very small quantities as needed while painting. It is not a substitute for a real final varnish.

If you need to sell an oil painting before it can be properly varnished - just explain completely to your buyer that the painting will need to be properly varnished. If they understand and agree then it is fine to go ahead and sell the painting. It isn't difficult to varnish a painting. I personally prefer to brush on the final varnish with a foam brush and avoid the spray varnish.

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RE: Is varnishing an option? - 2/22/2009 11:28:21 AM   
toucanne


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From: Pahrump, Nevada
Status: offline 		Jeanne, if you have an oil painting that has not been varnished and is several years old, how do you clean it before varnishing?

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RE: Is varnishing an option? - 2/22/2009 5:01:50 PM   
Harlan


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From: Michigan
Status: offline 		Good question, Muriel! ;) I believe you could wash it with a gentle solution of soap and water - rinse and then let it dry dry dry dry completely before thinking about varnishing.

Being an oil painting the soap and water should not affect the paint at all but should be able to lift up and remove the dirt that may have been deposited over the years.

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RE: Is varnishing an option? - 2/22/2009 5:12:01 PM   
toucanne


Posts: 10588
Joined: 10/5/2005
From: Pahrump, Nevada
Status: offline 		Thank you Jeanne, I knew you'd know...
Drying is not a problem in this climate, although we've had quite a bit of rain this winter.

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