Click on the 3 images below to study them upclose!

Learning To See
Word Art 

Inspired by FOTM Documented Artist Beverly Decker

Many of Beverly Decker’s artworks are written words, layered and colored with paint, ink and mixed media.  She creates peaceful and thoughtful art.  In one painting, Beverly repeats “With the thought of peace let me contemplate the world… with compassion, joy and love.”  The same words are written over and over again in a spiral shape (like a circle).  Learn more about Beverly HERE.

What’s so great about circles?

The circle is everywhere!  The sun, earth, an egg, a bouncing ball, a spinning top.  A hug!  We know that when people move in a circle, they become calmer.  You are invited to work in a circle like Beverly Decker with your own creative writing.  Start at the center of your paper and write your way around.  OR!  Design you sentence into Word Art by writing your sentence in your own straight, curving or angled lines like Gary Lang.  See below!

MORE WORD ART!

Inspired by FOTM Documented Artist Gary Lang
He is another artist who loves to write and paint and use words in his art, too.  He does not follow the rules of writing.  He doesn’t put spaces between his words and sentences, use proper upper and lower case letters or punctuation!  It is ART!

Portrait of Gary Lang by Donna Granata from the Focus on the Masters Portrait Series

Directions

1.  Set the mood!  Start by tracing your finger around the circle of a cup or just in the air.  As your finger keeps circling, take a slow breath and let it out.  Repeat this a few times.  Notice how you are feeling.
2.  Now, write down some thoughts, words or sentences about how you felt when making those circles.  Don’t worry about spelling or ‘doing it right’.  These are YOUR thoughts and feelings.
3.  On another piece of paper, draw a light spiral for a guideline.
4.  Start copying your words onto the paper.  To make a word art like Beverly Decker, start in the center and follow the spiral curve around and around as it gets bigger.  To make it like Gary Lang, start at the top, writing left to right with no spaces between words and no punctuation.

Supplies

2 pieces of paper
pencil
Your choice of whatever you have!  – markers, colored pencils, crayons, oil pastels…

YES, YOU MAY –

• use any colors you want.
• add a light background of color before you start writing.
• switch colors at any time.
• make all the words the same or different sizes.
• use any combination of materials.
• write words on top of other words.
• whisper the words to yourself as you write or just think about them.