Edge of Woods in Sunlight

1915
Watercolor and graphite on paper

Born in Ashtabula Harbor, Ohio in 1893, Charles Burchfield and his family moved to Salem, Ohio – his mother’s hometown – after the death of his father in 1898.  Upon completion of high school, Burchfield held various summer jobs at the W.H. Mullins Company, a manufacturer of steel and wood boats.  He graduated from the Cleveland School of Art in 1916.

As a child, Burchfield spent much time exploring the outdoors near his home, observing the seasonal changes and often making sketches of the landscape.  He had a special love for trees, one that he expressed in his journal:  “I have never learned to talk and have only listened to the trees.”

Executed in June 1915, Edge of Woods in Sunlight, captures the essence of Burchfield’s love affair with nature, and displays his unique talents as a colorist.  At center, a stately tree with a deep blue trunk and branches casts a dark green shadow along the foreground.  The foliage is depicted through brushy strokes in a vibrant blue-green.  The eye travels easily back in receding space by bouncing from tree to tree; the verdancy of the foliage lightens as the progression continues.  A split rail fence provides a staccato horizontal to the composition, and is the only sign of man in the work.  Beyond the fence, the field and trees are awash in sunlight.  The pale green of the sunlit grass and trees evokes the new growth of early summer.  

Burchfield outlined the trees in pencil and brushed in the watercolors; the execution is simple and yet the way he captures the warmth and smells of early summer is masterful.