Pale far away grey morning – Earth & Sky one – The sky is blueish grey at bottom but lighter warmer grey above...
Letter from F.R. [Frank Rehn]—check for $400—& news that Dayton had bought “Budding Poplar Branches” for $1200. No other news & rather discouraging remarks on the size & price of my recent pictures.
This morning at first light some indefinite color began to show in the southeast; first it flared into brick red, then a rich fiery saffron which rushed up to the zenith, turned crimson and sent an awesome red glow down through the skylight...
The faithful interpretation of natural truths should be a matter of religion—even a bud on a twig wrongly placed would be a sin...
Last night a dream: I was in Salem, had been shopping “down-town” for my mother, having among other things a steak...
A hard freeze this morning – but the sun comes up clear & bright – a stiff cold north wind. The pools of melted ice on the sidewalk – it seemed to impart a new sharpness to the trees and the world seems young again.
The grey of the midwinter snow spirit – a religious whitish violet light comes from above – objects a short distance are like ghosts...
All day in studio on painting suggested by farm & woods south of E. Aurora...
All day in the studio – A.M. – studying various picture[s] – the 1961 variation on “Hemlock in November” The solution came to me all at once – it will mean shifting the composition about and enlarging the picture (from 45 x 38 to 45 x 54) but it fills me with joyful anticipation –