Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, April 19, 1940

All day in studio on the new picture – I had hoped to start the actual painting – but the whole day spent in completing and correcting my drawing. 

It is good to be working on a large-scale more thoughtful composition again- one that requires time and endless studies; but it was not until late today, that I was able to feel completely confident that in this picture I had a truly worth-while subject, one that would justify abstention from out-door sketching. In fact, the problem of making such a decision to center all my activities on one thing has disturbed me so much, that for several nights, when I would wake up before dawn, I would worry about it. By now, I am beginning to feel I had a satisfying composition, a subject, one that will tax my imagination and powers. 

I look back with a certain distaste on my activities of the past few years – I was in an insecure state of mind – hurried, driven by the supposed need (real or imaginary) to get a certain number of pictures done in a “season”. I have lost the faculty to dream, - to start one thing, drop it, and start another, - to make studies; to make little dummies, solely for the purpose of later use in large compositions – In a word, my art activities were static, and not fluid. It is, my problem now to do really more work, by being more leisurely in my methods. 

The news from Europe too has been weighing heavily on my mind. The attack on Norway is so serious that it seems that now or never England must win the victory; and so much is at stake in this campaign that I wonder if our “isolation” or neutrality is the best thing.

Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, April 19, 1940