Negotiated Outcomes: Investigating Comparative Colour Change of Proprietary Artist Coating Materials for Contemporary Paintings

Abstract

A new practice is emerging in Australian contemporary art where an epoxy resin is applied as a poured coating onto paintings to obtain a glassy, high-gloss surface layer. However, as the epoxy resin ages it causes undesirable aesthetic and structural issues for the artworks, including yellowing and delamination. As epoxies are known to have limited reversibility, remediation treatment is problematic. In response to artists’ increased usage of epoxy resin coatings as a finish for paintings, various commercial brands have released epoxy-based products, advertised to be resistant to yellowing. In addition, other proprietary brands of artists’ materials have released acrylic emulsion-based produ..