Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, February 15, 1961

Feb 15 – 1961 (Wednesday)

The path to mediocrity, which so many writers and artists travel is not hard to trace – an artist’s first taste of potential success and fame comes from a work that has grown out of his daily life and the environment in which he grew up – With the financial returns from this initial success, he immediately leaves (and rejects) the very thing that gave his work the its originality and character, and establishes himself in some place near to New York, Paris or Rome. From then on he produces work that has little or no character – and wide-eyed wonders what has happened. He has successfully escaped from what he deemed uncongenial surroundings, but has left his art behind him.

Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, February 15, 1961