Talking It Over … with Jules Feiffer

Artist Reflects on Illustrious Career

By DANIEL FRANCIS
RICHFIELD SPRINGS

I sat at a large sketching desk in a sundrenched studio, flipping through an endless pile of sketches and illustrations.

Across the desk from me was Jules Feiffer, the man who had put these figures to paper. As I marveled at his creations, moving from one page to the next, Jules explained the idea, the meaning, behind each of the works laid out on the desk. Not because he had to; it was because he wanted to. I quickly came to learn that Jules puts careful thought into everything he works on, however long that list may be, and every stroke of his pen, pencil, and marker carries with it a story, an idea, that he wishes the audience to understand. This framework, applied to all aspects of his career, was adopted at the very beginning.