There is something enormously enchanting about exploring the seasonability of life — of human life, of all life — in visual narratives, from French graphic artist Blexbolex’s thoughtful Seasons to Italian illustrator Alessandro Sanna’s The River, one of the most breathtaking books I’ve ever seen. In Collect Raindrops: The Seasons Gathered (public library), cut-paper artist Nikki McClure extends her singular sensibility of stark yet sensitive illustrations to the question of how we flow through life, how life flows through us, and how we flow together. McClure captures the essence of each season by pairing word and image in subtle, minimalist vignettes exploring the rhythms of community, solitude, parenting, planting, reaping, and all the other everyday ways in which we anchor ourselves to the present.

The book, sixteen years in the making, is based on the calendars McClure has been publishing since 1998 as “necessary, yet gentle reminders, made for kitchens and breakfast conversation.” She makes her pictures by cutting away black paper with a knife, creating an intricate black-and-white lace, to which she later adds color and words. McClure writes of the spirit behind the project:

There is always something to celebrate, whether it is the first green tip of a snowdrop pushing up or the gathering of sun-crisped shirts fresh off the clothesline. There are flowers to count and fruit to harvest.

Be conscious and hold on as we spin around the sun one more time.

McClure, more than a spectacular artist, is also a beautiful writer. Here is a taste of that enchanted spin, beginning with Winter:

Begin to search for a new direction, but first keep the warm air trapped under the comforter for a few more sleepy minutes. Eyes open and close and open. Branches slowly come into focus and a list is made of all the things to make and do for the next 1,000 years. . . .

From Spring:

The sky opens up and the world is winged. . . . Listen! The air is alive with flight.

From Summer:

We welcome the world. A bounty of light is received: strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, black. . . . The outside becomes inside. Tables are set in the shade of trees and we cook outside. We wander, hiking, picnicking, exploring the terrain. We search for the best watermelon, the most perfect nectarine. Summer is canned, frozen, preserved to remember.

From Fall:

There is a quickness to everything now. First slippers, first sweater, first blankets wrapped around while reading. . . . Close the windows, turn on the stove, brew hot tea to hold. Winter is coming, winter dark, winter cold, winter hunger. Harvest the moon and be prepared.

Collect Raindrops: The Seasons Gathered, published by Abrams — who also gave us Mapping Manhattan, Much Loved, and The Art of Rube Goldberg — is absolutely beautiful in its entirety. Complement it with Alessandro Sanna’s The River.

Images © 2007, 2014 Nikki McClure courtesy of Abrams