New favorite material to work with- Galkyd

Just recently, I was on the hunt for a safer resin to use on top of my mixed media works.  I wanted to create a high gloss coat and had called a couple of places in town for some suggestions on what to use.  I eventually picked up an 8 oz. bottle of Gamblin's Galkyd, which is a painting medium.

Galkyd has the consistency of maple syrup.  On the label it says in capitals "DO NOT POUR APPLY."  So naturally, I pour apply.  It's funny how I tend to be a huge rules follower (I don't even jaywalk!) except when it comes to art. 

I planned on testing the medium on an oil work that I had mounted on a birch panel.  I applied just enough Galkyd on top of the piece so that the fluid didn't spill over the edges. 

It took a couple of days for it to dry to touch, and I was super pleased with the outcome.  Galkyd does yellow the work slightly, but I like the added warmth and dimension to my work.

When applied unevenly and too thick, there could be some wrinkling effects.  You can see this on the corner of the first piece I experimented on, shown below.  (From a normal distance, though, it's not very noticeable.)
























Here's a new work that I just created yesterday with Galkyd applied on top.  In the upper right hand section, you can see the tint difference on the white where there is a thicker layer of Galkyd.























UPDATE: I've noticed in the last year that Galkyd continues to yellow over time.   It seems to be more noticeable with thicker applications and pieces that were stored in the dark.