Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, June 10, 1939

A.M. Touching up the woods sketch.  Going thru my 1917 pencil notes.

Thoughts aroused by the 1916-17 work:
a. I was in good physical condition – when I felt staleness coming on, I stopped painting, and did the necessary physical play or work to put me right again.
B – There never was a thought of either exhibiting or selling the pictures I was painting.
c. It did not matter in the least if the picture failed – there was always another day.
d. If I did not have the energy to paint a picture, I put down in pencil what interested me – whether it was a bit of sky, or landscape, odd tree, or a plant-

But these notes were not drawings of the things themselves, but expressions in pencil of the mind or thought inspired by them.
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P.M. Take girls to violin lessons, thence downtown on various errands.  Bought Scarlet Sage at the market for the bed in front of the studio, which I had fixed up in the morning.
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Evening Danny down to display his new bicycle which he had recieved (sic) for his birthday.

Mr. H. told me his son, Bob, had recieved (sic) the Harvard scholarship in a competition.  The very qualities in that boy that he said threw the decision in his favor, are the very things I deplore in a young man: viz. His being a boy scout, junior assistant scoutmaster (which curiously revealed to the judges his unselfish nature) and the fact that he put all his money in the bank, instead of spending it on pleasure, revealed certain sterling qualities.

It is impossible to tell such people what you really think, for they will only interpret it as jealousy.  It is galling however to listen and not say a thing in return except the usual congratulatory platitudes.
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A thunderish evening; but not much rain.

Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, June 10, 1936