Martin Luther King, Jr., a central figure in the Civil Rights Movement, preached peace in the face of brutality and died a violent death at the age of 39. His methods, shared by Mahatma Gandhi and other well-known leaders, have been praised long after his death, and he lives on through his quotes. Color your living room with the words of a great man who continues to influence millions.

These art prints evoke a sense of hope and security, even through less vibrant colors like black and white. Although simple, they remind us that the words are the focal point by refraining from using graphics that can distract from them. This provides a calming contrast to more colorful decorations in your living room. If there aren’t many other decorations, it emphasizes the minimalism in a very classy way. Martin Luther King art prints fit in just about anywhere, no matter the environment.

Just Words

Some of the most bare bones art can be the most potent. Veruca Salt’s “Hate Cannot Drive Out Hate” proves this with black, cursive-like scripts against a plain white background. Featuring only four lines of text, it offers a quote that’s easy to remember. Capitalizing the word “LOVE”’ creates a focal point near the bottom center, and it also drives home the point of the quote and reminds us of how much power love really has. This is a great print to hang in the living room to bring your family together. Family love can turn into love for your fellow man for the people who live alone. “Hate Cannot Drive Out Hate” inspires warmth and simple goodness through its minimalistic approach.

This approach is repeated for Veruca Salt’s “You Have to Keep Moving Forward – Martin Luther King Jr,” which sets King's words in a variety of texts (most frequently block text) against a dark gray background. Using large letters that take up the entire space of the poster, it is easily readable. Capitalized verbs accentuate the importance of actions, while the word “forward” is italicized to create a forward slant. Different words are bolded to add emphasis.

Words And Simple Graphics

Taylor Greene’s “Martin” uses large capitalized white print over a generic silhouette. Rather than taking away from the text, the graphic enhances it, giving King’s words an ideological context by placing it within a person’s head. That it isn’t Martin Luther King’s head isn’t a problem: rather, it echoes the belief that his approaches are universal and that anyone can benefit from using them. With this print in their living areas people can challenge themselves to put King’s ideas into practice and bring him back to life through the realization of his ideas.

Martin Luther King, Jr. art prints can bring hope and positive energy to people’s homes and provide constant motivation to love one another and work for a better future. Treat yourself to a happier life by hanging Martin Luther King’s words on your wall.

Showing your love for someone special during Couples Appreciation Month doesn't have to include fattening foods, overpowering perfumes and expensive flowers that eventually wilt and die. There is a better option, love art. Love art comes in different forms to match the personalities of those you appreciate the most. For instance, there are heart paintings, romantic art and love prints to choose from at our gallery. Created by a variety of accomplished artists, they’d fit into a wide array of interior designs too. Let’s take contemporary interiors and pop art fans as examples. They may enjoy art by Roy Lichtenstein.

Roy Lichtenstein’s artwork often features comic book characters kissing or pining away for a loved one. His romantic yet contemporary scenes may be placed on to canvas, framed or laminated to suit your loved one’s design sensibilities. We've even heard of couples who display the comic book lovers alongside of memory boxes filled with souvenirs of their first date, engagement or wedding.

Word art also tends to be quite popular among Couples Appreciation Month celebrants.

This is especially the case with prints that include romantic poems or sayings. Artist Louise Carey has several pieces of art that fall into that category. The sayings that she uses in her artwork often talk about unending love, true happiness and friendship. They tend to have a contemporary, youthful vibe that many people adore. Those that prefer a more mature feel to their artwork may prefer prints by artist Bonnie Mohr instead. Her paintings include complete romantic poems and verses that touch on issues like fate, spiritual love, marriage, new beginnings and the joy found in sharing life’s journey with another.

Those are just a few of the art themes lovers will find among our holidays collection.

Properly aligning framed art on the walls of your home may seem a daunting task. Should the pictures line up according to the top or bottom edge? Or the middle? Or should they be hung salon style with the entire wall covered by art? The answers to these questions vary greatly depending on personal preference, room aesthetics, and the size of the art. Use these easy to follow decorating tips to achieve the best look for your space:

Aligning Art by the Top or Bottom Edges

For many folks, aligning art by either the top of bottom edges of the frame is the simplest and easiest method. The sizes of the pieces do not need to be the same and it's easy to interchange one piece for another at a later date.

Best place to use: Align art by the top edges when displaying art beneath a shelf or row of upper windows. Align art by the bottom edges for display just above a large piece of furniture such as a sofa or sideboard.

Aligning Art by the Middle Point

Aligning art by the middle point of the picture is a more complicated approach. However, it is the one most frequently used in museums and galleries. An exact method of measurement can be performed to achieve expert results, or many at-home decorators just "eyeball" it.

Best place to use: Align art by the middle point for display in long hallways or great ballrooms with little furniture.

Salon Style Art Wall

A large mass of art displayed on one wall space is considered the "salon style." Overall, the shape of the group may form a square or rectangle, but this shape is not absolutely necessary. The key to perfecting the salon style is making sure the frames complement each other nicely. Placing an ultra modern industrial style frame next to a French scroll work piece may seem out of place.

Best place to use: Align art in a salon style when the sizes of the art vary widely or are generally small. Use in the main gathering room where a large open wall space exists.

Align Art in a Vertical Orientation

Aligning art in a vertical orientation is the most uncommon of all display methods. However, this style can work well in small spaces. Generally, the width of each piece should be the same or nearly the same for the best look.

Which of the above decorating and aligning tips will you use next?

Read more about our frames!

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and with it, the mad dash for the perfect gift for your Valentine. You want to show them how much you love them while also giving them something they can actually use in their day-to-day life. What better gift then, than the gift of art? In this Valentine's Day Post, check out some of the beautiful art prints available from love art to romantic and heart art. A gift that gives all year-long, art is the perfect way to say, "I love you" this Valentine's day. 

Love Art

There are a lot of options for love art, you can go with something as simple as a Chris Paschke print with the oriental symbol for love that has a quiet elegance or if you want to get a Jack Vettriano print "Dance Me to the End of Love", a stunning print of an elegant couple dancing. You can also go a more whimsical route with a cute print by Marla Rae with two beautifully painted owls and words, "Owl Always Love You". 

Romantic Art

If you want to be more romantic and still show your love for your valentine, than a piece of art from this romantic collection is perfect. It is a showcase of more elegant pieces that are still fun. Including David Bromstad's piece, "Pucker Up!" which features a vibrant pair of red lips and a stunning piece by Laurie Cooper of a man kissing his love while wrapped in beautiful green leaves. These pieces are all stand out art that will add a luscious and romantic feel to any room it hangs in.

Heart Art

Nothing says I love you quite like a heart so why not choose a beautiful and vibrant piece from the Heart Art collection to gift to someone you love? There are many pieces to choose from, the "Three of Hearts" by Liz Jardine is a simple, but gorgeous piece of heart art or the piece "Love in 44 Languages" by LA Pop is a wonderful piece for Valentine's Day because it expresses your love perfectly with the 44 ways to say love in a heart shape.  

The choices for art to give on Valentine's day are truly endless. You can choose a piece that expresses your live in an elegant, timeless way or you can go for a more fun and whimsical look. Whatever matches your valentine's personality, art is the perfect gift for your Valentine this year.

Even before Facebook, artists were creating art from a combination of words and images. Such a combination was used to identify Roman coins, books from a particular college (using a famous quotation), and historical figures. The ornate script identifying the subject of the portrait in the frontispiece of this book (published in 1663) leaves no doubt that it was intended as part of the decoration.

Today, a collage of random words can make an interesting pattern, but when it comes to something that will hang on the wall, most people opt for meaning. After all, if it’s something you’re going to look at every day, you want it to speak to you. Literally.

Of all the rooms in the house, this communication seems to happen most frequently in the kitchen. People talk when they eat, and the cook is going to have her say, regardless. What does your kitchen communicate? A welcome? A blessing? An invitation to laugh? Or maybe just a promise.

Religious subjects are natural for this type of art, of many cultures and languages. Artists use the co-mingling of language with portraits to express the philosophies closest to their hearts. Most importantly, this is art that comforts.

 Even art that was once informational, as this amazing world map, is used to inspire and enlighten. Poetry that moves us when it’s just words on a page becomes doubly meaningful when rendered in a painting that we can identify with.

Above all, some combinations of beloved art and meaningful words become classics that deserve reproduction for many years to come.

If you're into thrift store shopping and bargain hunting, chances are your home features a mix-and-match collection of treasures from the past. You're not ashamed that your dishes come in all colors, shapes, and sizes; you embrace it! Enhance the look you already have going by adding some retro art your walls. Remember, art doesn't have to match the couch and the couch doesn't have to match anything else.

Looking for a place to begin? You may or may not be able to remember the days when you could get a hot fudge sundae for 20¢, or an order of fries for 25¢, but with the great variety of attractive vintage food advertisements to be found, the kitchen is a great place to start your retro transformation. Look for retro-style patterned fabrics to make curtains, napkins and tea towels. Go to thrift stores and see what sort of old kitchen gadgets you can find. Even it they're no longer in full working order, you may be able to use them as decorative accents. With a little luck, you'll be able to track down an old-fashioned set of malt shop or Coca-Cola glasses at a second-hand shop to help complete the look. 

It's easy to find art to go with a retro theme that doesn't necessary scream retro on its own. Keep an eye out for inspirational quotes or text-based posters with an aged, weathered look. For example, here are some distressed text posters that might make lovers of New York. Chicago, and Boston a bit nostalgic.

Contact us to find more great decor ideas for your style! 

 As summer rushes on with all the fun activities, school is not too far off. Back to school season can trigger a flurry of activities – time to get new shoes, new clothes, new lunch bags, new backpacks, and new school supplies. For the educator, a new school year gives you the chance to decorate the room for a new batch of students. For the parents, you may be looking to decorate your child’s room with educational art. If you’re looking to use educational wall art, consider these pointers:

School is Cool

As a teacher, you want school to be enjoyable and fun for the students. You want to create an environment where the student is constantly learning, in obvious ways or not. A classroom that has eye-catching visuals will not only appeal to the students, but it will spark interest in them to learn.  Cleverly chosen posters can make the classroom conducive to learning, even without the child knowing it. From the alphabet poster to the history of the United States, you can make your classroom a learning haven.  And the best teacher ever!

Classroom Chic

If you’re into themes for classrooms and don’t mind changing the decorative art from time to time, you can transform the room to reflect the theme you’ve in mind. Want to take the kids to outer space, introduce them to the magic of math, or the wonder of science? Whatever theme you pick, there’s bound to be a category of educational wall art for it.

Grade Appropriate

An elementary student may enjoy the magical world of make-believe while a middle-school student may need to learn about the rules of self-respect. Age-appropriate educational posters abound. Take your pick – the selection is as varied as your students’ needs.

Your Kid’s Personal Space

Perhaps you’re a parent hoping to jump start your kid’s school year to a great start. You want to create a learning environment for your kid, right in his own space. Choose an eclectic assortment of educational posters or a cohesive theme of ideas. Surrounding your kid with educational posters will foster learning without trying too hard. The visual presence will impart knowledge, stimulate creativity and motivate your child.

Barn Owl Primitives started out small. Christi, the creator, started out making handcrafted Christmas gifts, specifically hand-painted, door-hanging snowman, when money was tight. Friends and families became her first customers but, then, the word got out…and friends of friends started placing orders as well. Since snowman is rather synonymous with winter, Christi started other ideas that weathered seasons: word art that are perennially appealing. Barn Owl Primitives was born and “signs to decorate your life” becomes her signature motto. Since then, her Barn Owl Primitives has birthed various categories of word art:

Family Rules

It’s true every family has its own rules, but some rules seem to be universal. Short of repeating yourself often, it would be neat to have these rules written out and place in strategic places as reminders. Need help to maintain order in the playroom? Enlist the help of Playroom rules word art – all the gentle reminders conveniently placed on the canvas (or neatly framed) – a great way to reinforce rules without nagging. How about kitchen rules? Barn Owl has a series of that too: Sit up Straight or simply entitled “Kitchen.”

Encouragement

We could all use a little “pep” talk now and then, a little pick-me-up encouragement. What better way to motivate yourself or others than a word art décor? Whether you want to be brave (or reminded you’re brave), strive to be real or just want to love and be loved, Barn Owl primitives have a range of selection to cater to your needs.

Holiday Signs

Want to create a festive mood? Or get into the holiday spirit? Holiday word art can help you do that without really trying too hard. Hang one up and allow the magic to diffuse the room with that seasonal joy and longing, a little nostalgia or warmth. Christmas, Halloween or just to welcome a new season, take your pick. Order up some holiday cheer, it's that time of the year.

Sports

Know a husband, a father, a son, a brother or a friend who loves sports? They live, eat and breathe sports and you may experience a little neglect when the sports season is on? They would love one of the word art on sports. Football or soccer, these word art will make great gifts for sports fans.

Using Barn Owl Primitives word art for decor is a great way to add character, swag or mood. Buy them for yourself or to give away as gifts. Feel free to browse our website or contact us for more information.