Varnishing the Old Shed & Update on Barred Owl painting

Yesterday I took some video of redbud, dogwood, and sassafras trees in bloom for my Plant Walk class on Skool. Also marked a couple of other things off of my list of things to do including varnishing the Old Shed painting and adding another thin layer to the Barred Owl painting.

Varnishing Artwork

In the photo, the varnish looks glossy, but it will dry matte. I’m undecided on whether I want to leave it matte or take that off and reapply with gloss. It’s dry now and you can’t even tell it’s varnished. But I love the way the gloss brings out more contrast between the shadows and lights. I just don’t like the glare it gets on the surface unless lighting is just right.

What kind of surface do you prefer on artwork? I use Gamvar, so it’s easy to remove with odorless mineral spirits if I decide to swap to glossy. A varnish is important because it adds a protective layer that can be wiped or dusted without harming the paint. Over time, an oil painting will collect dust, or smoke stains if the room it hangs in has a fireplace or propane stove. So the varnish allows it to be cleaned or even the varnish removed and replaced years down the road.

But, whatever I decide, I can’t do anything about it until after I find out if it’s been accepted to the OPA show this summer. If so, I need to frame and get it shipped out. If not, then I’ll make up my mind.

Progress on the Barred Owl

I’m finally making a little progress on my barred owl painting. Like the old shed, this one is going down onto the canvas in thin layers. Right now I’m working on the sky and backlit middle ground. Although when I have a color leftover on the palette that works, I’ll add it wherever, like the darker blue in the foreground to underlie the shadows there.

Slow Going

Working in thin layers is slow going because each layer has to completely dry in between work sessions. This works for me, though, because it gives me time to study and decide what to do next. Perhaps before I get old and die, I will know what I’m supposed to do and just ‘do it’ while making a painting. But at this moment in my life, it’s all still an experiment and I’m seeing what works and what doesn’t. And I still am apprehensive about making mistakes.