Played the Sibelius 2nd Symphony- I imagined as I listened, a “dream” home where I might be also listening to it- a huge living room with large windows facing south & west, an enormous fireplace at the east end, and windows at the south side at the upper half-
B&I take Arthur to Buffalo to see toys, - Toy departments bore me terribly; - the blatant commercializing of childhood’s instincts, the long line of youngsters waiting their turn to see & talk to Santa Claus. But happily, Arthur lives in another world – it was plainly all heavenly to him, he could not get enough.
I finished up all the pictures in good order and sent them on. My exhibition opened on Oct. 25 and ran four weeks. In most aspects, it was a success – critics and friends alike seemed to think it was my best show to date – Three, possibly four pictures sold. And yet, somehow, I am curiously left unsatisfied.
Last night’s wild sweep of clear sky turned suddenly today into a soft rain & then a soggy snow-
The grey of the midwinter snow-spirit – a religious whitish violet light comes from above – objects a short distance are like ghosts. (High School chimney almost same value as sky – a peculiar sensation) –
One of the interesting things about serving on a jury — one of the compensations — is meeting artists whose work you have known a long time — (They never are “like”)
I had expected Marin to be tall, bony & vigorous and perhaps something of a poseur – I was wrong on every count except his head, which was very like [Gaston Lachaise’s] bronze of him – But otherwise, I would scarcely have recognized him as Marin of the water-colors I knew – Thin, slightly built, with something of a stoop, and very shy. Dominating his whole physical being were his black piercing eyes, that seemed to peer out at one from a “cave” of deep eye-sockets, with his unkempt strangling hair above – Before the session was over, I had grown to like him very much, more – there was a quality about him that could only be described as lovable – I was drawn to him very strongly (and Mrs. Phillips told me he too, liked me) —
First real snow of the season. Very heavy & soggy.