Robert Indiana kept a series of illustrated journals during the late 1950s and 1960s, in which he discusses the development of his work as well as his daily life on Coenties Slip.

In his journal page for June 11, 1962, Indiana writes that he gave his painting The Dietary its second dose of cadmium red light, then spent the remainder of the day on "Tira" (The Triumph of Tira), going over its red sections, "for [the] most part originally raw sienna over black." The entry includes illustrations of the painting's "Cat" and "Sex" circles, with Indiana commenting that they are the last two words he has to add to the work, "applying only [the] gesso [underpainting] today." He also notes that he gessoed over the work's red main title "so [that] it can become yellow in [the] finished recapitulation." 

In this entry Indiana also describes two cards that he received, and notes that he had all three of his meals at home. He records only going for a walk when it was time to pick up a newspaper, which he read under a lamp at the Battery.