Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Why Use Baltic Amber Varnish In Oil Painting?

Amber has been used in oil painting for centuries. Although it was certainly not the predominate medium of the Renaissance, much evidence does exist to ascertain that it was used. Many artists upon hearing of old mediums such as those containing amber, will often wonder if it imparts some special property, or quality to paint. My answer to this is opinion, based on my own experience. Having made quite a bit of amber varnish from the raw materials (a process that I would not recommend) I have been able to adjust the resin to oil ratios, in many versions, and have found that at certain percentages of resin to oil (linseed), the material does create a medium that will effect oil paint in ways that no other substance, including the various copal mediums, will accomplish.

I have found that the addition of a single drop of amber medium, to a pea sized paint nut will dramatically alter the properties of the paint. If one mixes one drop into the paint nut, and then waits one hour, the paint will stiffen up, and perform more like a jewel paste, than a loose oil paint. This will permit many impasto effects, as well as multi-layered techniques, all on the same day. The strokes will tend to remain exactly as they are laid down, with no slumping, fusing, leveling or changes of any type. Some copals permit this, but in a slightly different manner, and I know of no balsams and certainly no dammar containing mediums that will perform this way. Drying oil alone will absolutely not permit these effects.

At lower resin to oil ratios, the medium will permit some effects that are very similar to the glass like, or enamel appearing effects that one may observe in the works of the Flemish masters. 

Is amber the best of all oil painting additives? Quite frankly, I would say that there is no one medium that is the best. The better question is which medium is best for which special effect. In that regard, there are certain special effects that amber will permit that would be exceedingly difficult, using any other medium. Does it duplicate the effects of mediums containing larch turpentine, or Canada balsam? Absolutely not. It is important to ask what one is trying to accomplish. Many artists take up oil painting, and then go looking for a medium to help them out, without knowing what it is that they even want to accomplish, or what special effect they are after. This is a flawed, and costly method of progressing. 

If oil paint alone, or with the addition of a small amount of drying oil, is all that is necessary for an artist to carry out their work, then certainly there is no need to throw amber, or any other medium into the mix. If on the other hand one is looking for effects as stated above, it may be a nice addition.

The final note that I would like to convey is that if amber varnish is used as a varnish, over the entire oil painting, a removable solvent varnish should be applied over it, at the appropriate time. Amber varnish is not removable, by any method that will not destroy the underlying paint film. So, again, a final removable varnish should be used. 

9 comments:

  1. Great read, thank you for your knowledge!

    I was wondering why it is so dangerous to make ones own amber varnish?

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    1. Sorry about the delay in responding. The danger comes from the temperature that it takes in order to make the varnish. Any number of things can go wrong, and fire is an ever present danger. There are many factors to consider while making this material (too many to mention), and if any one of them go wrong, disaster can result, or the varnish can be destroyed in an instant. The material is available, already made, through Kremer pigments, and I have found the products they sell to be superb. I will try to create a few more posts related to amber varnish, and try to go into a little more detail. Regards, JT

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    3. Addendum: As of 8/30/17, I no longer see the amber varnish product that Kremer used to sell, on their inventory page. They still have other amber products, as made by Alchemist, but I do not recommend those. If a person is interested in an amber product (commercially made), Blockx has a very good reputation, but their versions are quite expensive.

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  2. Mr. Trankina, is there anyway I can Email you to discuss with you about an Amber Varnish Solution I am trying to formulate. I can be reached at Carlr2353@gmail.com

    Thank You
    Carl Robinson

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  3. Have you any experience with the amber varnish about darkening after a while..?

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    1. I have experimented quite a bit with amber varnish, and my findings are that it doesn't darken, either when used as a varnish, or as a medium. When added to paint, it does slightly alter the value, but not to any significant degree. When used as a medium, I have not observed the paint film to darken. I have 15 year old paintings, where amber varnish that I have made was added in small amounts to paint. There is no noticeable change. This is varnish that I made, so I don't know how commercial products will perform. Also, 15 years isn't a century, but I don't anticipate any issues. When used as a varnish, I have actually observed the layer to lighten, over time.

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  4. Another question: Would you recommend the amber varnish as an intermidiate refreshing varnish, to be painted over again?
    I only use it till now as a painting medium..
    thanks

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    1. I won't be able to recommend that anyone do anything, but I can say how I use amber varnish. I have applied it in a very thin layer, over a dried oil film, and when cured, added another paint layer on top of this. In effect I use it to oil out the film, and level out the sheen, and saturate areas where sinking has occurred. I am not a fan of oiling out a paint film, as very often, especially on thin paint films, straight linseed/walnut oil, etc., will bead. I have not seen this happen with amber varnish. Also, being an oil and not a spirit varnish, it does not create an impermeable crystalline film, that prevents/inhibit oxygen from curing the underlying paint film, as materials such as damar can do. At times, I have also applied a very thin layer of amber varnish, to a dried painting, or depending on the image, an underpainting, and then painted right into the wet varnish. In this capacity, the varnish serves as a couch, and permits blending, and several other special effects. In addition to the above, it is my opinion that amber varnish saturates colors, and has the most profound effect on dark value colors, primarily the darkest blacks. In approximating nature, in a painting, we are limited to in our depiction of values, from highest value white, to the darkest black. Generally the scale has 10 basic increments. If I can saturate a black, and make it appear darker, by adding amber as a varnish, and also make the white more translucent, and in effect glow, I am increasing the value range. I have noticed that amber varnish absorbs light. Again, this is simply my opinion. Amber is a very versatile material.

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