Bloom

An artist friend of mine is having a problem with one of the paper
works she is in the process of finishing up. She has used crude
Indian handmade paper as the support, and acrylic paint, Winsor and
Newton watercolours, gold poster paint (made by an Indian company),
and Caran d'ache Aquarelle water soluble crayons as the pigments.
When she first painted this object about 6-8 months ago, she noticed
nothing. Then, when she started reworking it using the same
pigments, a light, white, powdery substance emerged. After brushing
it off and putting it in the sun, it recurred the very next day.
This is just happening on only one particular figure in her
painting. Even though she has used the same pigments before, nothing
like this has ever happened. It does not appear to be fungus, but
perhaps I am mistaken. Could it be some sort of bloom? How can one
prevent this from recurring?

Saloni Ghuwalewala
Paper Conservator
31-A M.L.Dahanukar Marg
Mumbai 400 026
India
+91 22 4951346

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 12:70
                Distributed: Thursday, February 25, 1999
                       Message Id: cdl-12-70-010
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