"The hills are very lovely, even in November. Say 'even in November' to Mr. Woodward, and he will expostulate. He loves November as it touches his hills, and thinks it is a much-abused month, for it brings many a scene which invites the artist's eye as forcefully by its very wistfulness, as does the frisky joy of the springtime, or the quiet peace of winter's snow-bound fields, or the hilarity of the gay-colored autumn."

Boston Evening Post, Dec. 8, 1920, by Margaret C. Getchell

The importance of November to Woodward has not been emphasized enough by us. Note the quote above and Gethell's use of the word "wistfulness." The Collins Dictionary describes it as, "Someone who is wistful is rather sad because they want something and know that they cannot have it," It would not be unfair to say Woodward is intimately familiar with these sort of sentiments, they are perhaps the driving force behind the artistic expression of all of his work. But there is more to November than meets the eye. It is the culmination of a harvest of the year's hard work. The time to give thanks for ones blessing and find gratitude for what one has. It is a time to prepare for the long winter ahead and celebrate the holidays and welcome the new year. It is a time of reflection and repose. It possesses its own stillness and quiet comtemplation.

Note some of the paintings in this gallery. They are a collection of Woodward's most loved and famous paintings... At Peace, New England Hertitage, The Golden Barn, From Old Deerfield, Heath Horizon, In November, and The Old House and the Young Tree, just to name a few. See how many of the paintings are from "Burnt Hill" in Heath. It is a critical aesthetic to Woodward's poetic approach.