How long will an oil painting last without a protective coating? I want to sell some artwork, but I don't want to wait a year, since it takes about a year before you can put the protective coating on.
2007-12-01 13:46:47 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Visual Arts ➔ Painting
Joyful is right, of course. You can buy the quick drying spray varnish, like Karmar (which is the most popular brand) and use it right away.
However, you asked how long an oil painting will last without a protective coat. That answer is perhaps one hundred, two hundred three hundred or more years. Look how long the paintings of the old masters have been around.
Oil paintings have two natural enemies that can quicken their demise. The first is constant exposure to bright light, either direct or indirect sunlight or over-exposure to too bright man made light. The second enemy is high humidity. Remove both of these from the equation and a modern oil painting should last just as long as any by the old masters.
2007-12-01 15:32:02 · answer #1 · answered by Doc Watson 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Awh you can sell it without any varnish on it and it will be OK. It's almost better that way since the people who are going to buy it will be the ones who will want to have it cleaned years down the road and this way they will know what varnish is on it or medium that they are using to protect it. Don't sweat it, oils do ok without any protection, the medium you used when you painted is something that you should tell your buyer about so they can know what to use when they want to apply a varnish. But still, it's ok to sell it without Demar Varnish on it.
Your painting will be ok if you put a varnish on it earlier than a year. I would say about three months to four would be ok as long at the surface isn't too built up with paint. If it is than a year might be about right. But paintings don't have to be varnished at all in order to be ok for viewing.
2007-12-01 14:48:03 · answer #2 · answered by John T 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You can use "Retouch Varnish", either spray or brush-on. This reduces the tackiness of the surface enough to transport & exhibit the painting while allowing the paint to cure properly beneath. It also provides somewhat of a protective coat, though it does not seal like a final varnish.
Many artists exhibit & sell their work this way, with a note advising the buyer has the painting varnished after a certain date.
2007-12-01 14:31:28 · answer #3 · answered by joyfulpaints 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
4 or 5 hundred years probably
2007-12-01 15:39:44 · answer #4 · answered by captsnuf 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋