Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967), Black-Eyed Shed, 1918; watercolor and graphite on paper, 18-3/8 x 25-15/16 inches; Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama, Gift of Anne Helburn Straus, 2009.0017
It is raining—autumn rain at night—Think of birds sitting in bare trees—
How does the Underwing Moth that clings to the bark of trees in the daytime protect itself now? Where do the yellow butterflies that sparkle at noon go? What do trees feel like under this wind, & storm & frost, sunlight, decay, leaf-falling and rain? Is that why they look so startled? Is that why houses are so frightened?
—Charles E. Burchfield, September 28, 1916