Depression Arc in Paint

I most enjoyed the graphic story Paint by Vivien McDermid because I was able to identify and empathized with the depression arc in the story. It may not have been clear to everyone but I could clearly recognize the undercurrents of mental illness that were present in this piece.

Firstly I enjoyed how the use of color throughout the images seemed to directly conflict with the sad nature of the story. This resonated with me in how the images portrayed the struggle of people with mental illness to cover their issues with false happiness. The depression in this piece is masked by bright colors and the female character is also masking her sadness from her family trying her best to continue about her day. I found this to be an excellent use of the art of the graphic to convey a complicated concept that words cannot entirely express.

From the beginning of this piece there are indicators of a depression arc that continues throughout the piece. The mother gives her child to what seems like daycare and instantly feels guilty and awful blaming it on her ‘motherly anxieties’ and not wanting to give in to these anxieties. Anxiety is often coupled with depression where the littlest thing can become the point of severe stress that then contributes more to the anxiety.

The symptoms continue from here with the female character saying her back is ‘sore and tight’ indicators of physical manifestations of mental symptoms. This happens again when she says she is ‘aching all over’ I associated these specific types of symptoms as related to depression. Her pain doesn’t seem to have a specific cause and is located in multiple parts of her body. The feelings are of soreness and aches are very commonly reported by people with depressive disorders.

The middle section that takes place in the past then could seem contradictory but instead I believe it supports this reading. She talks about this time that was 4 years in the past where she seems very happy. She reports feeling ‘weightless’ during this time, or more importantly she ‘imagines she felt weightless’ she is trying to remember feelings she might of had of happiness but can only imagine these feelings because she doesn’t have them anymore. Saying she may have once felt weightless implies that she now feels heavy instead adding to the evidence of depression. The scene with Errol and the pond also interested me and I wonder if the darkness of the pond is a type of metaphor for the dark sadness she is going to eventually fall into. This may be reaching though.

There are a few more subtle indicators of a depressive disorder in this piece. In the scene with her painting the still life the female narrator says that ‘one of these days’ she will throw a party. This to me is very recognizable, a person with depression wanting to one day do things when they are happy. She also comments how the objects around her are merely ‘anchors’ this seems a blatant reference to putting emotions into objects when relationships and people are harder to connect with. Thee frame in which she is lying in a fetal position she comments that she could lie there all day but has to ‘get some work done’ the only thing seeming to keep her from sleeping all the time is the fear of failure and the need to support her family. She later comments that she ‘can’t get up’ and her husband only brushes her off saying she just needs to shower and she’ll feel better. This is common in those around someone with mental illness, there is a sense that someone can just snap out of their depression. She even tries to employ this method when she comments ‘I’m going to be laid back and whimsical today’ if she just tries to be happy it will naturally come. This sadly is common and hardly ever works.

The final scene when she chooses to join in with her daughter’s painting is then a really powerful moment. In this moment she is actually able to be momentarily happy she welcomes this feeling an embraces it, painting with her daughter trying to be happy. This, to me, aids in making this a depression arc and not just a story of depression. She tells of when she was happy then the present and then ends with a moment where she seems to be able to embrace happiness again even if just momentarily. In the process of recovering from mental illness every little victory is important and this comic shows the importance of her little moment painting with her daughter.