I haven’t been a fan of gelling paint mediums since my early interest in maroger, a gelling medium made from mastic.
But I like to experiment with mediums, sometimes to my harm. My go-to for paint varnishes and related materials is James Groves. I’ve praised nearly every product from James that I’ve tried. Indeed, his copal varnish is a staple in my day-to-day medium.
I bounced off his Copal Jelly when I first tried it, but it performed extremely well when I gave it an extended trial. Like other gelling mediums, it is fluid under the brush and is best applied in thin passages. Groves Copal Jelly outperforms every version of Maroger I’ve tried. And because copal is harder than mastic, it isn’t soft like mishandled Maroger.
Groves Copal Jelly is great for glazes, which is how I use it. Recommended.
If you’re not familiar with Groves’ website, do yourself a favor and visit it. James is generous with technical information and demonstrations.
I am using Groves Copal Jelly in some spot on this painting.
Good stuff.
