When Art Takes Up Space: The Meaning of Scale in Art Therapy

Photo by Ashley Batz on Unsplash

In art therapy, every creative choice tells a story — not only through colors and symbols, but also through the space the artwork occupies. The size of the paper, the openness of composition, and the way clients use the surface can reveal much about how they perceive themselves and their relationship with the external world.

1. The Symbolism of Scale

The scale of an artwork often mirrors a client’s inner sense of presence and boundaries.When a client begins to draw or paint on a larger sheet of paper, this can be seen as more than a simple aesthetic choice. It may represent a readiness to be seen — a growing confidence to take up space both literally and metaphorically. Expansive compositions can indicate a desire to explore, to assert oneself, and to engage with life more openly.

Conversely, small, confined drawings may reflect an inward focus, self-protection, or a sense of limitation. In this way, scale becomes a silent but powerful language through which clients communicate their comfort with visibility and self-expression.

2. Emotional Expression and Visibility

Art therapy provides a unique avenue for expressing what words cannot.Choosing to work on a large scale may symbolise a turning point — a moment when the client feels ready to make their inner world visible. This act can be empowering, helping individuals to step out from the margins of their emotional experience and occupy more space in their healing journey. It is, in essence, a creative declaration: “I am here, and I am ready to be seen.”

3. Therapeutic Implications

For art therapists, noticing the scale and material choices can offer valuable insight during assessment and ongoing sessions.A client’s comfort with larger formats might indicate an openness to explore broader themes or more complex emotional experiences. Therapists can use this awareness to tailor interventions that encourage visibility, confidence, and self-expression — supporting the client’s movement from the inner world to active engagement with the outer one.

4. Supported by Research

Research supports the idea that formal and material aspects of artwork — such as space usage, structure, and material interaction — reflect psychological processes:

• The Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale (FEATS) (Gantt & Anderson) shows that the way space is used in artwork carries information about the client’s psychological state.

• The ArTA Method (Pénzes, 2024) describes how material interaction and space-taking in artwork reveal the balance between thinking, feeling, and adaptability.

• Studies in developmental art therapy also suggest that larger surfaces and open material use can encourage confidence and emotional exploration, especially in children and adolescents.

Together, these perspectives affirm that taking up more artistic space often parallels taking up more emotional and psychological space in life.

In Summary

In art therapy, working on a larger scale is not merely about the physical size of the paper. It can reflect deeper internal shifts — a readiness to be seen, to engage, and to express oneself more boldly in the world.Through creative expansion, clients often discover that visibility, courage, and connection begin with one simple act: allowing themselves to take up space.

References

• Gantt, L., & Anderson, F. (2009). The Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale: A Measurement System for Global Variables in Art. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

• Pénzes, I. (2024). Art Therapy Observation and Assessment in Clinical Practice: The ArTA Method. Routledge.

• Art Therapy Resources. (n.d.). Art Therapy Across Different Developmental Stages. Retrieved from arttherapyresources.com.au

• “The Self in Art Therapy – Brain-Based Assessment of the Drawing Process.” (2020). Frontiers in Psychology.