Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967), Autumn Morning, Gardenville, New York, 1946; watercolor, gouache, and black crayon or charcoal on off-white wove paper, 20 3/8 x 25 7/8 inches; Detroit Institute of Arts
In the Motel Saturday, as I lay awake, I got to thinking about the place Sally + Red live in, (Caro, MI) and trying to define the reason I felt so at home there, and I realized anew the whole key to my life + my art—It was just in such a neighborhood I grew up in—and it is the commonplace things I have loved and will always love. Whoever would understand my art must realize this first. And whenever I forget this, my art deteriorates.
Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, November 17, 1952