Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967), December Moonrise, 1959; watercolor on paper, 30 x 36 inches; The Phillips Collection, Gift of B. J. and Carol Cutler, 2009
A dream I had sometime in January. It was an evening in autumn. A damp wind, forerunner of a rainstorm, blew out of the East. I was outdoors; on the line between our house & Guehle’s was a Buckeye tree, and on the ground among the dry leaves, were the most beautiful large buckeyes that I have ever seen. While I was picking up a few and reveling in the feel of them, Bertha called from an open window and said to come in that I had a visitor. I went in and found Henry Mattson there. I was delighted to see him, and we sat and talked a long while. In the course of our conversation he said that his “Moonrise” had been sold for $90. I was aghast and said it was a crime, but he said that he could not help it.
Charles E. Burchfield, March 1, 1935