To Glaze or not To Glaze

[diane boucher]

For a while now I have been totally undecided as to what I prefer. I have been glazeing all over my dry Oil paintings with a very light liquin oil based medium. I find it intensifes the colours and evens out the overall look of the painting.
But!
1 does it protect the painting?
2 does it stop it looking so dimensional by the evening out look it gives to the overall look?
3 Not sure I like the gloss look it leaves.
Would be interested in what others think and do.
Diane

[Richard Robinson]

Hi Diane, I've done the same as you for several years now and experimented with different varnishes too. I've found I prefer the chroma satin finishing varnish mixed with half gloss varnish - or just the gloss thinned with a little odorless solvent gives a similar coating. Liquin does protect the painting like any coating you put over the top. I've found it to dry a little bit patchier than the chroma varnish. Either's good. Ivan Clarke uses Liquin as a varnish, and his paintings sell for up to $40,000. Just personal choice.