Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, Volume 58, April 22, 1955

Out to “The Big Woods” painting —

A fine day, sunny and fairly warm, but with a faint chill to the wind which came out of the S. W.

Altho it was good to be out in the country, at first I hardly knew how to pick out a subject to paint, and occupied myself with getting rotten wood from an old chestnut stump for our rhubarb.  It was good getting my hands into the soft rich woody loam, and inhale its pungent odor.  The color too is wonderful — a rich reddish sienna.

And then, I came upon a patch of lavender Johnny-jump-ups and I thought at once of the wood-pecker picture long ago planned.  So I set up my easel in a good spot, and then studied the idea note I had made after which I ate lunch.  I set up the table in the woods, and ate with the warm sunlight pouring down and listening to the various woods sounds.

Most of the afternoon spent on the sketch.  When I was through and packed up, I dug up a clump of fringed polygala which I had seen earlier, then moved to the east end of the woods.  Here I had a pleasant time gathering well rotted leaves for the wild-flower garden.  The wooded slope here was entirely in shadow; enchanting were the great quantities of wild bleeding hearts, whose delicate white flower clusters, rising from the pale blue green feathery leaves, seemed like white candles, or again, little fairy sprites — From the low hill to the east, bathed in golden sunlight, came the constant songs of robins.

I then drove to the junction of 18A and the Woodside Rd, where I ate my lunch in the light of the setting sun.  I decided to take the roundabout route over Woodside to New Oregon Rd.  On the latter road, in the twilight, I saw literally thousands of white trilliums glowing in the hillside woods like stars –

Bertha thought the sketch a beauty, which made me feel happy.

Charles E. Burchfield, April 22, 1955