Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)

Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, Volume 27B, August 25, 1916, pp. 133-136.

            The length of a natural phenomenon determines the am’t of detail in the picture.

            Thus – butterflies zigzaging [sic] against a black shadow is represented as a streak like lightning; nothing else goes in the picture except what would be seen as long as it takes to see the zigzag line which is a flash of time.

            A cloudy day, when there is little change, allows a picture with much reflective detail.

            A hazy powerfully stagnant day – Immense masses of cloud loom at noon (brassy noon) – the blinding sunlit hole in cloud at zenith –

            As the sun was emerging from the top of a mass of southern clouds — like this: [sketch of sun emerging from clouds] a flash of light ran across a strip of land to the west— and the houses’ roofs flashed white – in the sudden tho hazy sunlight; up against the heavy blue-cloudy west—

            The other day at late afternoon, the sun a soft glow in an olive copper sky; with house roofs gleaming white—

            Today the sun was a soft white spot in the yellow edge of a rainbow shaped mass of clouds –

            The afterglow was a brilliant orange & huge misshapen blue clouds [136] floated in front —

            Lightning to the south. There is a great mystery in south when it lightnings at night. A momentary revealed mass of clouds – here in the black night, the cricket chorus goes up – the street lights make things look weird — front an immense depth the thunder booms —