A Fresh Look: Burchfield and Me

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Above is my vine charcoal drawing, Darkening Cove, 8x 12" and a freshly painted Darkening Cove oil, 24 x 36" I based on the earlier drawing.

When I was invited to be the Artist In Residence at the Burchfield Penney Art Center (BPAC) in Buffalo, NY for this year I imagined it would lead to some unexpected benefits. One I didn't foresee came from examining the museum's impressive holdings of Charles Burschfield's drawings. Burchfield did tons of drawings, many in preparation for his wildly imaginative paintings. His drawings made a deep impression on me..

Returning to my Baltimore studio from my October stay at BPAC  I was struck by a vine charcoal drawing I'd made back in 1997 of a tidal marsh near Edward Hopper's studio in Truro, MA. The drawing had led to an oil painting some years later. Fresh from the recent BPAC experience, my original drawing whispered at me to go back into the oil painting. With many freshly repainted passages, the oil has new wind in its sails. On Monday it will be headed to Button Gallery in Douglas, MI.

Here are some Burchfield drawings that I particularly enjoyed from the museum's Burchfield Archives:












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