The Snow Sprites, or The Snow Spirit is an early painting by Anne Savage depicting a quiet woodland interior, built from a simple vertical rhythm of tree trunks rising across the surface of the panel. The composition is loosely organized around a few slightly larger warmer brown trunks, which anchor the scene, while thinner, saplings create a delicate screen in front of the forest beyond. Through these verticals, muted masses of foliage—deep greens and subdued purples—form soft shapes in the middle ground, suggesting dense undergrowth. The composition is punctuated with vibrant red sap buckets.

The ground plane is treated broadly and simply. Warm brown earth dominates the foreground, but scattered across it are irregular patches of pale white snow likely implying late spring. These small, melting snow patches break up the surface and introduce a cool contrast. The atmosphere is quiet and subdued, the trees lightly veiled against a pale sky, conveying the transitional moment of late spring when the forest floor is mostly bare but traces of snow still linger in shaded places.

Although one does get a sense of immediacy suggesting that the artist was working direct and plein air, we do have a few drawings by her which may have served as studies prior to resolving it on the spot. Like some of Tom Thomson's sketches which have a vertical tree rhythm, the tree trunks run almost the entire height of the panel, and instead of the distance opening onto a horizon the view remains inside the woods. In the spirit of Tom Thomson the brushwork tends to be quick directional and economical resulting in an atmospheric and somewhat lyrical woodland interior. Stylistically this painting shows the artist as close to Tom Thomson as Anne Savage painted.

The Snow Sprites/The Snow Spirit has remained until recently in the family of the original owners, who were friends of the artist. Located in the United Kingdom for three generations, it was originally acquired by the grandmother of the most recent custodian. It is photographed here in its original presentation, though a fine new frame is also included.

The word “Trafalgar” is faintly decipherable under the remnant of the Art Association of Montreal label on the reverse. Since Anne Savage lived on Trafalgar Ave only for one year, that being 1917-18, that would date the painting to that vintage. Looking at her contribution to the Art Association at that timeframe, we find a painting listed as “The Snow Sprites” and then the same year at the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts, in Toronto, this time properly spelled as “The Snow Spirit”.

Paintings by Anne Savage were included in the British Empire Exhibitions at Wembley, England in 1924 and 1925, evidence that she was regarded as among the most accomplished artists of her generation. She was a leading member of the friendship group of women commonly referred to as the Beaver Hall Group. Her lyrical interpretations of the Laurentian landscape occupy a distinctive place in early twentieth-century Canadian art. In addition, like Arthur Lismer, she was an important Canadian art educator in the classroom and on the radio.

We are grateful to Concordia University for the generous access to the Anne Savage Archive.