Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)

have little time to finish my work.; A week or so ago, “A Treasury of Art Masterpieces” edited by Thomas Craven, sent to me with his compliments it contains my “November Evening” – ; ; ; ; ; ________; ; ; ; Oct. 4 – 13 – (written Nov. 8); ; ; (Trip to Philadelphia & New York) –; At this date much of the trip has faded from my mind. Now, the important result of the trip seems to be, that I began to see, almost as soon as I was away from home, that my whole life and outlook needed reorientation, a feeling that grew ste has grown steadily from day to day, until now I realize that in the past four years I have denied myself all that makes life worth living – viz – a leisurely enjoyment of everyday life; human contacts; belief in one’s home; and one’s own village; a cavalier attitude toward my reputation; the freedom to experiment, and do casual things – all these things and more have I denied myself in my anxiety to produce more pictures and pictures that would increase my fame, or at least make it hold its own. Along this path lies only destruction for an artist.