Tree Spirits by David Cutrell

David Cutrell. Detail of Tree Spirits, ca. 1990. Acrylic on canvas board. 18 x 14 in. Courtesy of the artist.

Large brown trees with greenish tones fill the background of this homage to nature, their tops only partially visible as they reach beyond the canvas. The scene is filled with ‘forest spirits.’ Off center, a burgundy-colored spirit hovers between two of the trees. Its elongated head features round eyes, a long nose, and a small mouth. It does not have arms. Instead, it’s torso is formed of a single line from which two more lines – perhaps its legs – emerge. In the left side of the canvas, there is a green spirit of the same size, but it is closer to the foreground, and only some of its facial features appear. It is as if this spirit is moving away or into the image. Three small spirits, which are made in the style of stick figures, hover in between the burgundy and green spirits. They follow the same pallet of the painting, which is dominated by hues of brown and green, and the colors in between. They are not detailed. The brush strokes range from long lines to quick specs of paint, like dots.