Do You Varnish Your Paintings?
- Marina Syntelis
- Aug 2
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 10
Do You Varnish Your Paintings?
As an artist, one question that often arises is “Do you varnish your paintings?” The answer is simple: No, I never use varnish on my oil paintings. While many painters apply varnish to enhance colors, unify gloss, and protect the surface, it doesn’t fit into my creative philosophy. I prefer to let my paintings breathe and evolve naturally, revealing their true character over time instead of sealing them behind a shiny finish.
Why I Don’t Varnish: A Matter of Process
Varnish has clear benefits: it can deepen contrast, bring out vibrancy and protect against dust and sunlight. But my process is about building layers. Each glaze, each brushstroke addis its own texture and meaning. These layers create an uneven surface where light dances differently across the painting, giving it movement and life.
If I were to varnish my work, I’d lose that dynamic interplay. Varnish would flatten the natural shifts in gloss and texture, turning something alive into something fixed and static. The story embedded in each imperfect layer would be hidden beneath a uniform sheen.
The Beauty of Layers: Depth and Texture
What draws me most to oil painting is this organic buildup. As layers accumulate, hints of earlier colors peek through and the surface changes as it catches the light. Matte areas contrast with glossier patches, giving the work a quiet, shifting energy.
A varnished surface would erase this delicate balance, replacing it with a single gloss that hides the tonal subtleties and texture. To me, that richness, those unexpected contrasts and visible history, is essential to the painting’s soul.
Does Varnish Protect a Painting?
Many artists varnish primarily for protection. Varnish undoubtedly shields a painting from dust and dirt. However, does it preserve the spirit of the work? Over time, oil paintings naturally develop a patina and deepen in tone. I see this not as decay but as growth: the painting matures, just as we do.
Varnish stops that evolution. While it guards the surface, it freezes the painting in a single moment, halting the slow transformation that I value. For me, the artwork’s life lies in its ability to change over time, and I choose to embrace that journey rather than prevent it.
The Concept of a Living Painting
I often think of my paintings as living entities, much like trees or people. They grow, weather, and mature. The textures I build and the glazes I layer become part of this life, and I want them to remain visible as the painting ages.
By not varnishing, I allow each work to keep evolving, revealing new aspects as light changes or as the years pass. Imperfections, shifts in gloss, and gentle aging are not flaws. They are part of the story.
Have I Ever Used Varnish?
Yes, though rarely, and mostly with acrylics. When I paint with acrylics, it’s often to capture something quickly, or because a client prefers them. Acrylics dry fast, encouraging spontaneous decisions, but they can lack the depth of oil.
I sometimes use varnish to give acrylic paintings more life and vibrancy. While it can boost color, it doesn’t replace the complexity I find in oil. This is why I always return to oils for work that I want to feel truly layered and alive.
Embracing the Passage of Time
Ultimately, my choice not to varnish is rooted in a belief that art should reflect life’s impermanence. A painting isn’t meant to remain frozen and flawless; it’s meant to age, gather history and deepen in character.
Varnish might keep a surface unchanged, but I prefer to let the artwork continue its quiet evolution—growing, shifting, and revealing new stories long after I’ve put down the brush.
Thank you for reading!
If you varnish your own work, or choose not to, I’d love to hear why. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. You can also visit my online gallery to see these surfaces for yourself, even if they are very hard to capture in a photo.
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Until next tide,
"Ultimately, my choice not to varnish is rooted in a belief that art should reflect life’s impermanence. A painting isn’t meant to remain frozen and flawless; it’s meant to age, gather history and deepen in character." What a lovely and very compelling idea. I've never thought of a painting that way before. You have opened my peepers, and they are blinking in wonder!! 👀😵💫👀 Thanks for sharing your very intriguing philosophy, my dear Marina!! 🌊🌊🌊💙💙💙🥰
Hi Marina,
Thank you for your thoughts on why not varnishing a painting.
What I think that is most interesting in your art is the proces that you show, in your videos and in your paintings. For me your works are about building a space in layers, a space that shows movement and the melting together of dark and light. Even, if you want, the struggle between dark and light. In this proces you succeed wonderful. Through time your works become more layered and a bit more complex and refined. You use the advantage of oilpaint, oil and resin. This makes the works strong in their expression and depth!
I believe in these times we don't have to paint 'masterpieces'…
An excellent essay on varnishing Marina and with my own work I exactly follow the reasoning you put forth for your work! Some other factors that can also be a consideration to add, are things like type of medium used and it's viscosity and the thickness of paint layers, the methods of paint applications and desired paint effects during the painting process and resulting painting style!