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#16 water color on 14x20 heavy old whatman paper sketch, last [[underlined with red pencil]] March [[/underlined with red pencil]], clear cold windy Noon, West, [[underlined with red pencil]] in Patterson [[/underlined with red pencil]]. On a bare yellow hill as foreground two red houses, beyond low down suburb, also on far hills, at horizon violet rose mountains, pure blue sky. Re-composed, higher hill line & houses, all colors purer & stronger, white bands separating sky & distance; around the two houses, and separating fore- & middle grds. This re-sketching [[underlined]] Observation [[/underlined]]: brings out the beauty and color individuality of the impression. The white expresses light, cold, [[insertion]] air [[/insertion]]; is a color, separates the complementaries (black spots to accentuate yellow and orange, and black frame required), tones up the cool paler colors, lends vibration to all colors, partly mingled partly mixed with each stroke, individualizes stroke, gives pictorial tone contrast, unity, separates all objects. - After drawing up and undercoloring chinese white + water + borax solution is painted over entire paper as a permanent white ground. Borax-water renders litmus violet paper more blueish, while boracic acid makes it turn scarlet. Old standing distilled water seems acidous, having in unstoppered bottle absorbed acid (carbonic?) from room - air. Hence borax + water (borax = salt of soda, an alcaline) renders painting water 1) an - acid (ultramarine safe!) 2)the tempera color white, resp % its gum slightly waterproof, non washing against overpainting. Paste of mounted - paper cracks from glass used, also from card board, which warps too. 
[[in pencil, half-circled]] 139 [[/in pencil, half-circled]]