Black Bear (Smoky Mountains) - Word Mosaic Art Print

Word Mosaic Art Print by Curtis Epperson

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE ARTWORK

The Smokies have a way of making you look twice.

A black bear belongs to the forest so completely that seeing one can feel like the landscape suddenly decided to move.

Curtis built this Smoky Mountains bear entirely from 90 different words and phrases connected to the animal and its world.

Forest. Smoky Mountains. Great Hearing. Excellent Sense Of Smell. Loves Berries. Great Swimmers. Symbol Of Strength And Courage.

He spent 18 hours drawing and arranging that language until the words became the bear itself.

What looks solid from several feet away begins to break apart when you get closer.

Up close, the Smokies are written in its fur.

$30.00 USD

Your print includes

A certificate of authenticity with the complete word list, together on one sheet.

Unframed art print. The white border is part of the print.

Printed on premium luster photo paper.

WORDS WITHIN BLACK BEAR

Start with a word.
Find it in the picture.

“Smoky Mountains” · “Excellent Sense Of Smell” · “Symbol Of Strength And Courage”

These are only a few of the 90 different words and phrases Curtis used to create this Black Bear. The complete list comes with your print on its certificate of authenticity.

View Black Bear’s certificate and word list →

INSIDE THE ARTWORK

I wanted the words to carry some of the mountains with them.

Detail of the original hand-drawn lettering in Black Bear (Smoky Mountains)

Lettering detail from Black Bear (Smoky Mountains).

The Black Bear gave me two different kinds of words to work with.

There are the animal words: Powerful. Protective. Resourceful. Sharp Claws. Excellent Sense Of Smell.

Then there are the words that put the bear somewhere: Forest. Smoky Mountains. Lives In The Wild. Loves Berries.

I used 90 different words and phrases and spent 18 hours drawing them into the finished piece.

I like that you can see the bear first and discover its world later.

The closer you get, the more the portrait starts telling you where this animal belongs.

— Curtis

Meet the artist →

Black Bear (Smoky Mountains) - Word Mosaic Art Print

The Smokies have a way of making you look twice.

Start with a word.Find it in the picture.

I wanted the words to carry some of the mountains with them.

A few helpful answers

Start with a word.
Find it in the picture.