Layer 04 · Section
The Varnish
Yellowing, and how far to take it off.
The cleaned patch cannot be unread. Once it is open, leaving the rest untouched is also a decision.
Photo: Tahir Xəlfəquliyev / Pexels
A resin coat put on to saturate the colours and protect the paint. It does both, then it yellows, clouds and gets brittle, and everything after that is a judgement about how much of it to take back off and what comes off with it.
Entries in this section
05How far to take it off
Old varnish is yellow, uneven and sometimes the only thing holding a surface together. The cleaning window, and the judgement it forces.
Marijke de Haan · 4 minWhy varnish yellows
Oxidation, and why the effect is worst in the blues.
Marijke de Haan · 2 minThe cleaning window
A clean rectangle opened in a dirty surface: the test, and what it proves.
Marijke de Haan · 2 minSolvent and swab
The gentlest thing that works, and the reason nobody starts stronger.
Ruth Callender · 2 minRetouching
Reversible, distinguishable, and confined to the loss.
Marijke de Haan · 2 min