Charles Burchfield, Journals, May 12, 1949

A few miles beyond Java Village, an open wood attracted me and I stopped to look at it. Here I the wood there was little evidence of the dry weather and the freeze—All was a maze of yellow-green and emerald leaves, shot with golden yellow sunlight. Gradually I came to the decision to paint here. An idea I had last year of showing the transition of spring to summer came to me; using fading trilliums & spring beauties & hepaticas gone to seed in the foreground, with a vista showing early summer. I set up my easel and ate lunch with great happiness and content. A cool north wind tempered the warm sunlight.

As I proceeded with my sketch, it occurred to me to make the extreme foreground & sides to represent very early spring. Shortly after I started I heard highly individual (but scarcely charming) call of a scarlet tanager, —& I decided to introduce a motive of vivid red & black in the upper branches to denote the swift & elusive passage of this gorgeous bird.

Once, when I was growing tired, I lay down on a patch of dry dead leaves and let the sun flood me with heat & light. It was a delicious sensation.

Finish after five—

Charles Burchfield, May 12, 1949