Paul B. Travis (1891-1975)

In August 1920, Charles E. Burchfield took an extensive bicycle trip in Ohio, stopping to visit Paul Travis, his Cleveland School of Art colleague. They may have traded artworks later, and this one might have brought back memories of that visit to Travis family farm. This journal entry capatures the atmosphere that Burchfield found pleasing:

     Wednesday – Start out at 10:30 – The exhilaration of leaving for an indefinite period into the unknown;
     Road to Lisbon – Terrific power of August mid-day with piling up clouds towards the sun —
     Lunch south of Lisbon on bacon sandwiches and sweet corn & fresh tomatoes – The lunch agreed well with the ripening season with its ironweed and cicadas’ songs -
     Arrival at Travis’ – talk to Paul while he is unloading oats in barns – We talk at random on incoherent subjects — Late summer season would not be complete without a visit here. We ate supper in the kitchen & in the windows came the sounds of various farm doings and the different colored glows of plants and flowers —
     They go to party in the evening while I stay and read, and occasionally look out on the vast hillsides which are in moonlight –
     Thursday – After a hearty breakfast in the cool morning air, and a short talk with Paul I start out on my trip. For a space the road was rocky but I soon struck smooth & felt the cold morning wind on my face as I sped along up hill & down.