2:16 PM: following my 2 day break from rain, during which i made 2 studies; one of a gorky painting, the other of one of his 1944-5 drawings, i'm back at work on rain. i can see, in the work i did this morning on rain, some of the things i learned from gorky. it's as if, if you were pretty far along learning a language and someone from that country spent a few hours with you, making subtle observations on rough spots in your pronunciation or syntax, thereby sharpening your focus and clarity.
the space in the painting is now more coherently divided, the forms more defined. and the entire composition is filled with suggestive plant and animal references.
a delicate balance exists between the random and the intentional. the palette is warmer than it was a few days ago, and a voluptuousness prevails.