Salvaged Mixed Media Art by Dolan Geiman

We got our first Dolan Geiman piece a few years ago, and still every year since, his booth is the one we most look forward to at all the local art fairs. Using recycled paints and salvaged wood, Geiman’s pieces are textural, beautiful and one of a kind…

Using recycled materials is nothing new to Dolan Geiman, “Cutting up old clothes for rags and floor rugs, pulling hardware from rotting doors and floorboards, and making toys from tin and string, I was taught at an early age that everything around me could have multiple purposes. These tenets provided a solid foundation on which to build a career as a found object and mixed media artist, satisfying a deep-rooted appreciation for turning the discarded and ordinary into the extraordinary.”

The artwork has a rustic, rural vibe with an urban twist and almost every piece includes a bird, cowboy or horse. The artwork ranges from silkscreen prints, mirrors, and large scale collages.

Top Row:
• Fence Row Songbird Collection, $250
• Red Clay, Green Tangerine, $125
• Songbird Mirror Collection, $450
• Onita Cigar Company, $2200
• Bluebird, $550

Bottom Row:
• Do Re Mi (Blue), $275
• Paperdoll VII, $99
• Blackbird (Dime Store Paperback), $600
• April Evening I and II Set, $100
• Field Guide Riverbank, $650

Geiman uses paint from the City of Chicago's paint exchange program, which is typically silkscreened onto wood salvaged from fallen barns, scraps found in alleys and other abandoned structures. Other materials come from textbook and magazine cutouts, discarded junk and discarded donations.

Geiman will be at this weekend's Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago, booth 281 on the South side of Division Street between Hermitage Avenue and Paulina Street. Otherwise, his artwork is available online via Etsy, at various nationwide art fairs, and through online and storefront retailers. Check out his website and blog for more info!