Now that I’ve started putting some of my paintings into frames, I started considering varnishing some of what I think are my better ones. So I bought some Liquitex Gloss Varnish, which is brushed on in up to 3 thin coats. After varnishing a handful, I went through some of my older paintings to see what else might be worthy.

I came across this red cardinal that I had painted as a quick study back in spring of 2023 and was surprised to see how much it had faded (at least, compared to the photo in my older post). I also found the background dreary, so I’ve brightened it up.