Charles Burchfield, Journals, May 5, 1962

May 5 – Saturday –

A bright sunny day, warmer – yellow greens and greens slowly increasing –

On the way to the studio, heard and oriole – I called Bertha and soon we saw it in the maple-leafed ash tree-

Puttering mostly in the studio in the morning – got out the 1921 “November Heat” (belonging to Goodman – I made some tentative tries on the edge with alcohol, + a scraper, but none of these seemed suitable. I looked up in Ralph Mayer’s book. He gives a formula for removing varnish, which I will get sometime – However the idea bores and annoys me now – so I decided to put it away until next winter –

In the afternoon I decided to end the “doldrums” afflicting me by painting a spring-peeper picture – I started with an unfinished 1918 twilight swamp study, and used the eerie moon of the recently painted “Sirius, Orion + the Moon” – and improvised from there on.

In the last few minutes of painting I put in some yellow marsh marigolds. Tired out at the end, I thought the picture had little merit – but Bertha said otherwise – and after a nap, I began to think so too.

Music for the end of day: Haydn so-called “Sunrise Symphony” (I doubt very much if he was dawning in the second movement, it all is as logical and beautiful musically). And then the “Lark” quartet, Opus 65 no. 5.

Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, May 5, 1962