Varnishing watercolors

 

Varnishing watercolors

I will reprint here an interesting exchange that I had with a friend about varnishing watercolors.  Many people feel that watercolors would be more marketable if they did not need to be framed behind glass.  There are ways that this can be accomplished.  Read on…

Hi David

I have been reading and enjoying your articles, and noticed that J Annesley was asking about water based varnish.  Many firms do make water based varnishes as you know, but their application is more limited - they cannot be applied to oils, for instance. But due to demand by watercolour painters who are sick of dealing with glass, we organised a demonstration of Varnishing your Watercolours. I had learned that there are ways of doing this, then found a teacher in Edmonton who has personal experience doing it. She made the presentation, and a success it was. I managed to catch parts of the session in order to get some impressions for myself, and I am convinced that it can be done, quite easily. In fact, I feel there are many ways to accomplish it, with varied materials. This process
gives the result of a watercolour on paper which is entirely coated with varnish (either water or solvent based) but which looks almost exactly like a normal watercolour. The varnish is not conspicuous nor unpleasant, and the painting should not require glass to protect it. Now we'll have to see if galleries are willing to accept this new procedure. I feel they should.
 
One question remains for me - if the rear face of the paper is unvarnished, is it in danger due to
the effects of the atmosphere, and is this a serious consideration. If it is, then one could varnish both sides and 'encapsulate' the sheet, with little extra effort.
 
I feel it could be applied to ink, charcoal and graphite works, tempera and casein as well as watercolour and gouache. If you want to learn more from my original contact person, have a look
at her site at http://www.arletapech.com/Varnishing.html

 

Hi David, 

Thanks for the info on watercolor varnishing.  I will pass it on to the techno fans.  The two main concerns from a conservation stand point to varnishing watercolors on paper are that the varnish would become a part of the painting because the porous surface of the paint would absorb the varnish, and; you would still need to find a way to protect the paper from the rear, as you mention. I think the varnishing method described at the website you gave me is a good idea and no doubt permanent.   The essential factor is the initial 'isolation' layer that actually creates a permanent bond between the acrylic resin and the painting (support) itself - I bet that that will make some conservationists nervous, however.  I would say that the top layer of varnish would need to be easily removable (like the solvent based ones).  I would not be concerned about the back of the paper if it is mounted and framed as she describes.  I still have trouble imagining that it will look exactly like an unvarished watercolor though, but it seems like a good alternative to framing behind glass.   Thanks for being such a keen technical guy David,  See ya, David
Edit Note  An internet search entitled ‘varnishing watercolors’ would no doubt provide information about the techniques discussed here.