Mining the Burchfield Archives
Charles Burchfield, drawing (undated) panoramic view of Gardenville, NY Catholic church steeple, Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY Charles Burchfield's expressiveness grew out of his highly-trained eye. I am convinced his life-long habit of making drawings, lots of them, sharpened his remarkable imagination. He knew his art depended on an empathetic responsiveness and a finely-tuned selectivity. By making drawings he strengthened these attributes. His 20,000+ drawings at the Burchfield Penney Art Center (BPAC) attest to the seriousness he attached to his task. Philip Koch, Gardenville, NY, vine charcoal, 9 x 12 inches, 2015 This is the same church Burchfield drew in the illustration at the beginning of this post. Ironically it was the fist artwork I made when I began my Residency at BPAC. The vast majority of his drawings in the Archives are quick studies, often done in rapid succession from the same source. Clearly he valued th