The Holiday Season is a time we are reminded of trees. I recently had the opportunity to paint under the branches of an entire grove of Cypress trees along the windswept cliffs of Davenport, California. You can feel the presence of spirit, similar to Redwood Trees, as you stand beneath the gnarly branches that form a very high canopy. Cypress are very interesting trees because they respond to the elements that bombard them by growing to accommodate the movement of the air past them. So on windswept cliffs such as these, the trees form beautifully sculptured branches that follow the wind away from the cliffs. While painting these beauties I am reminded that they teach us to trust in the flow of life and allow our own branches to be shaped by the wind. As artists, we must learn to let go and let our own spirit be molded by the idea or scene before us. When we give in to a spirit that is greater than ourselves we soar and become a thing of beauty ourselves. The symbolism of a very ordinary Cypress tree can transform your painting experience into something extraordinary.