bar top coating

I have wood burned a picture in my tiki bar top that also has been painted. I'm looking for advice on coating it. since it has some paint on it do I have to seal it first before I clear epoxy it?( I don't want the paint to melt) If so what kind of sealer and can you recommend and good clear epoxy. It's not in direct sunlight but is outside and I plan to bring it in in the winter.

See my thread entitled: A River Runs Through It - It shows a nice clear coat epoxy by AeroMarine. The one caveat for mine is that it will yellow if in direct sunlight. Because it is inside and not directly exposed, I chose to use that... It is very user friendly and easy to apply.