I feel like your interest in Rothko manifests itself in the photos you take (in a good way). You have a very horizontal sensibility, and everything is divided in thirds. Maybe that's what attracted you to that Khaaan photo. It has the same proportions and textural qualities.
I never realized that had such a preference in composition. But I agree with your observation. I hope to evolve as I paint more pieces. If there's anything I don't like about this painting, it's that it has a bit of 'starving artist' to it. It could be less literal. That's part of what I was trying to get at about confidence in my brush. That being said, I don't want to just settle into impressionism, or a minimalist representationalism. If possible, I'd like the images to evoke as much as they represent, and yet, not go too far that way either. This picture is lonely, but it's not unforgivingly lonely. I wish it were a bit more so.