Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)

July 2, 1938 – (Saturday); A “clearing-up” day after the rain yesterday. The wind from the northeast, great loose clouds in a calm blue sky, the air full of the hot per-fume laden humidity of early summer. Yesterday’s rain was an unusual one, dark low-hanging clouds all day without even a hint of sunshine, and at the last, in the late evening, a thin fog settled down; the sky a vague misty expanse, the quintessence of void, daylight seeping thru had a strange otherworld quality. The temperature was at the precise point when one is no longer conscious whether it is warm or cool. The air was simply soft and all-pervading.____; That low-toned shop-whistle! – that brings to mind my boyhood summer days, in particular a long dusty road to the north of Greene – and noontime, and fields of butter-cups.July 11, 1938 – (Monday); To see, in the upturned face of a child directed toward oneself, a look of complete trust, liking and admiration is to me one of the finest and at the same time most disconcerting experiences.July 29, 1938 (Friday); Yesterday I was out sketching, bringing at last to a close the period of complete let-down and relaxation from artistic activity that followed the completion of the Elevators