RSW's Diary Comments

"Painted in Sept. 1941. View from Heath Pasture, with left branches (not trunk) of Beech Tree taking up the 1/3 of top of canvas. Bought April, 1951, by Mr. and Mrs. E.W. Benjamin of Shelburne Falls, Mass."

From below the Beech Tree... this is the reverse view
of the subject of this painting. But it also illustrates what
appealed most to Woodward's attraction for this property.
It is the natural ledge formation and placement of the
Beech tree to create a natural, well shaded picnicking
area (highlighted in pink) for his favorite recreation.

Also, to offer a perspective of the tree. The bench is
approximately 5 - 6 feet long and the trunk roughly 3.5
to 4 ft in diameter making the tree about 115 years old!

Comments on the back of a sepia print:

"Unusual branch composition."

Under the Pasture Beech, Pastel

There is also a chalk drawing of the same scene but slightly different in its composition. It appears that Woodward sat closer to the scene and more to the left of the Beech tree to focus more on the distant hills which seem to be farther away.

Note the hill right in the middle of both paintings... Woodward painted that hill awash in radiant sunlight in the 1938 painting, The Hills AND we have a photo of him painting the artwork!

Sometimes it seems Woodward made paintings just for himself. This painting might be a good example. He paints it in Sept. of 1941, it exhibits in March of 1942 at GCAG, and then disappears for six years before being lent to the Gardner, MA Women's Club where they organized a show in the town's city hall. It would be another three years before he sold it in 1951 just as he is near retirement.