Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967), Drifting Dandelion Seeds, May 1916; watercolor and gouache with pencil on paper, 14 x 20 inches; Burchfield Penney Art Center, Purchase, 2014
Burchfield Botanicals Previewed in The Buffalo News
Tuesday, Jun 10, 2014
‘Burchfield Botanicals’ adds to regionwide garden vibe by Colin Dabkowski
Read more at www.BuffaloNews.com
It’s garden season in Buffalo, and the Burchfield Penney Art Center (1300 Elmwood Ave.) has teamed up with the Buffalo Museum of Science to take advantage of the botanical excitement now spreading through the region like ivy. “Burchfield Botanicals,” a show featuring paintings and sketches by Charles E. Burchfield and lifelike reproductions of wildflowers from the Science Museum’s collection, opens Friday.
Throughout his life, Burchfield was obsessed with wildflowers. From the time he was 8 years old, he wrote in his journal, he tended a wildflower garden near his home in Salem, Ohio. Early in his career, Burchfield made some 500 sketches of wildflowers he collected around his childhood home, and wildflowers feature prominently in many of his later drawings and paintings.
The meticulous wildflower reproductions from the Science Museum are the work of French-born craftsman Paul Marchand, who moved to Buffalo in 1925 and, with his brother George, created many exhibits for the museum, including its Hall of Plant Life. They will be exhibited alongside Burchfield’s sketches and a newly acquired Burchfield painting, “Dandelion Field,” through Nov. 9.
Admission to the Burchfield Penney is free on Friday, or otherwise $5 to $10. Call 878-6011 or visit www.burchfieldpenney.org.
- Colin Dabkowski