David Butler’s deep spirituality manifested in his art. His work was a product of his dreaming, which he viewed as a God-given gift: “I dream about things I’m gonna paint and then I do it. Dreams tell me what to do, but God gave me the gift.” In order to give form to his dreams, Butler often worked with tin, cutting out objects and decorating them with house paint in unmixed primary and secondary colors. This cutout depicts a boat with two monkeys clinging to its mast and a squirrel on its prow. Butler used intense colors and patterns and forceful curves and diagonals to animate this whimsical piece.