My Mt. Athos friend has another question.
The icon workshop seals all sides of their wood panels with Lascaux Varnish (which I believe is B-72); 3 layers on front, 2 on back and sides. They do this as the last step. Is there a preference as to when sides and back get sealed (i.e. when the panel is first made, or when the painting is finished)? And does B-72 protect against humidity as well as an oil based paint?
Thanks,
Koo
Thanks, Brian – that answers my question. Koo
I think that B-72 is a fine coating for the purpose. Oil paint would also be fine as long that the sides and reverse of the panel are properly sized to cut the absorbency. It would be porous enough to absorb surface grime but that would be alleviated by framing etc. I would probably use an artist’s alkyd paint just for the reduced dry time. Honestly, this is a place where shellac would probably be just as good as the other options.
I am not sure that there would be a massive difference coating before or after painting. However, one could make the case that you might not want to create a water impervious back of the painting while you are applying layer after layer of water-borne paint to the front. If you did apply it first you would want to make sure that you avoid having any of the material get on the surface of the work and be a possible cause for local delamination.
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