Art Seasons
Sowing reaping and resting in our art. Post by Jess Ruliffson
Art Seasons
(Rest from Work (After Millet) 1890, Van Gogh)
Hi, Friends!
How was your week last week? Here we are at the start of a new one, nearing the end of the Graphic Novel Intensive. I noticed a really lovely post in our free SAW Network that got me thinking about the different seasons we encounter in making work.
Van Gogh painted a series of paintings after Millet that described the harvest season, and the work before and rest afterward. I always think about these paintings in relation to being less productive than I thought I would be. There is a season, as they say, for every thing.
It's also interesting to note that Van Gogh painted a lot of copies of other artworks when he was convalescing in wintertime in an asylum (winter blues, but still trying!)
(Sower, After Millet)
At the beginning here, perhaps we were sowing ideas, throwing seeds of doodles across pages.
(Reaper, After Millet--also I love this loosey goosey butt moment here)
Then perhaps we were like the reaper, cutting those grown up ideas into further iterations like a script or layouts or maybe loose pencils. Early drafts! Making ideas manifest on the page.
(Thresher, After Millet)
Then we did the hard work of editing and distilling ideas, scripts, drawings further into developed iterations, maybe trying color or ink or thinking about dialogue or details lost in earlier, faster drafts.
(Peasant Woman Binding Sheaves, After Millet)
On a farming level I think this step precedes threshing, but it reminds me of zine-stapling or producing files for print for the anthology!
And perhaps my favorite part of the work: REST.
Let your field lay fallow a season, so you're not plucking your earth so much that it can't grow more things later. Aka, cut yourself a break.
(Noon, Rest from Work)
I think this scene happens in the middle of the harvest, when the workers take a break from all their labor, take stock, DREAM AGAIN.
This could be you!
I hope wherever you find yourself, recognize you're doing the work, no matter the season.
Happy Making,
Jess
Happy new year!
Jess teaching a course on nonfiction comics beginning January 17th 2024 and a Guide to Freelancing beginning March 20th 2024!