Cecil Collins (1908-1989) worked both as a painter and designer. He studied at the Plymouth School of art between 1923 and 1927 and the Royal College of Art, London from 1927-1931. In the early 1930s the artist became exposed to the work of artists Picasso (1881-1973) and Klee (1879-1940). In 1936 he participated in the International Surrealist Exhibition, London, before moving away from the movement. The artist returned to his native Devon to teach at Dartington Hall from 1939 to 1943. He believed in art being created through visionary experience and spiritual quest and his works from the 1940s echo the mystical feel of the artists Samuel Palmer (1805-1881) and Odilon Redon (1840-1916).

This sheet contains sketches in pen and ink for an illustration for the book The Bridal Tree, by the Scottish poet J. F. Hendry (1912-1986), which Collins was working on in 1946. In the centre of the page the trunk of a tree twists up to a stylized triangular branch on which there are three tents. The triangular form of the branch is echoed in a cloud of smoke that comes out of the right hand tent. The organic feel of the tree trunk twisting up is reflected in the spiralling lines around the tent, suggesting the form of a whirlwind. Collins has explored the motif of the tents in other sketches on the page. The page has also been turned around to allow the artist to create different lettering for the title of the book against a thick band of grey wash. On the verso of the sheet is a study in pen and ink for the form of a whirlwind.