PBS 45/49 to air program on Burchfieldlocal artist

KENT -- A documentary about the life and art of Charles E. Burchfield, who grew up in Salem, will air on PBS channels 45/49 at 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Burchfield lived in Salem from age 5 in 1898 to age 28 in 1921.
The artist developed his own private vocabulary of brushstrokes to convey nature's most delicate moods. He once said, "As an artist, it is impossible for me to imagine anything better or more beautiful than painting this world." The half-hour documentary that features the visionary painter's life is part of the American Artist Series of films produced by Linda Freeman of Chappaqua, N.Y.
Richard Wootten, executive director of the Burchfield Homestead Museum in Salem, said, "This film defines Burchfield as a man who saw life as full of wonders. He saw the ordinary and he made it extraordinary. I think this film gives an indication of his positive outlook on the world."
The museum tells the story of the artist's transformation from small-town mill clerk to "Best U.S. Watercolorist," as Time magazine declared in 1956. The museum is the only artists' home museum in Ohio that is listed in the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Located at 867 E. Fourth St., the Burchfield Homestead Museum is open on weekend afternoons from mid-April through October, and at other times throughout the year by appointment by calling (330) 332-8601.