Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967), Afternoon Wind, 1964; watercolor on paper, 37 13/16 x 28 3/4 inches; Burchfield Penney Art Center, Gift of Hodgson, Russ, Andrews, Woods and Goodyear, In memory of Ruth Millet Goodyear, 1976
Charles Burchfield, Journals, July 23, 1914
Tuesday, Jul 23, 2019
What a boon companion the wind becomes to us. A walk on a windy day can never be a lonely one. No cross-country tramp is ever a lonely one for that matter but on a quiet warm day, we imagine there is less to observe in nature; life has retreated into hidden recesses to escape the heat.
But the instant a breeze begins to stir - then how magickly things change. That stately silver poplar, before so unobtrusive, now shakes itself and scatters silver in the face of the sun. Thathayfield, before so dull & green, becomes a mad swirl of rhythmic ripples. What is so beautiful as a wind tossed butterfly rising and falling over a bobbing clover field?
Today is a windy day.
Charles E. Burchfield, July 23, 1914