I prefer to paint "alla prima" in oil, which means painting wet paint onto wet paint, often in few hours, and generally not more than a few days for smaller pieces. "Plein air" pieces are painted outdoors in one sitting. Large pieces can take months. I use a variety of brushes and palette knives. I do not use any solvents (e.g., turpentine, mineral spirits). I use only other oils (mainly linseed) to thin the paint. I use safflower oil for clean up.
All the surfaces that I paint on, called supports, are archival.
"Gallery wrapped canvas" means that the canvas is stretched smoothly around the sides of the wooden frame so that they can be left unframed if you prefer. Unstretched canvas should be mounted and framed as you would a photograph. Canvas panels and canvas boards require only an outside frame according to your taste. Wood panels can be left unframed. None require glass.
I typically do not varnish my pieces because I like the variation of the "raw" surface textures and different areas of sheen, but a piece can be varnished if you prefer.
If you have any questions, please send me an email at maryylee03@gmail.com. Thanks for visiting!