THE VISIONARY OWL original metal wall sculpture


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Size & Details

Size & Details

A wall sculpture of a wise old owl on a tree stump memorialized in hand-cut salvaged metal on a painted vintage music sheet wood backing. Finished with contemporary wood frame with silver metallic finish.

  • Medium: salvaged metal on wood
  • Size: 41.75" H x 29.75" W x 2.75" D (framed)
  • Hardware: ready to hang with wire on back
  • Frame: silver wood frame
  • Part of a limited series each produced with a unique set of rescued materials
Story

Story

He moved his hand to feel the edge of his hair but where his hand used to be, there were now... feathers? - Dolan Geiman

He got off work at the sawmill, climbed into the Pontiac. He sat there and drank a beer, admiring the key which was shaped like the head of an Indian Chief. He finished that one, popped the top on another one. It was raining. He put the key into the ignition and turned on the radio. He didn’t know the singer but she sounded like Loretta Lynn. Was it Loretta Lynn? The station was fuzzy but he liked how the sound came and went and he could hear snippets of her voice. He drove in the direction of home but halfway there decided to drive up the old logging road. He drove, drinking another beer. He felt warm and numb even though the air was cool, crisp. The rain slowed so he pulled onto a side road and turned off the car. He was sleepy.

As the rain stopped and the sun started to peek out from behind a gray whale of a cloud, he climbed out, grabbed another beer and started walking, going nowhere. He was humming the song from the radio. It has to be Loretta Lynn, he thought. The words were coming back to him.

Suddenly he slipped. Before he could get his hands out, he landed squarely, cracking his head on the edge of a stump. He must have blacked out because when he awoke he noticed the sun was hot on his face. His head still hurt so he moved his hand to feel the edge of his hair but where his hand used to be there were now…feathers? He looked around and found that his head just kept turning, almost all the way around. Moving both arms quickly, almost in a panic, he lifted himself off the ground. He landed back down with a thud on two chunky dinosaur-like feet with protruding claws. He opened his mouth to speak but only a hissssss came out, a guttural sound that was more like a barking dog than a voice. Bewildered, he sat, crouched, his newfound wings tucked into his sides. He blinked and looked at the surrounding tree stumps, ferns, rusted beer cans, mushrooms. His old two legged body was nowhere to be found. He would have to get used to his new feathered vehicle.

Process

Process

Most of my metal collages begin with an iteration first created in paper. The original Visionary was a paper collage created to celebrate this mighty creature. I enjoy the unique challenge of translating a detailed paper collage into a metal version. Like with the original paper collage, the metal version of The Visionary began with a background of vintage papers affixed to a wood panel and lightly white-washed. Then, I created the collage using a variety of hand-cut salvaged metals.

Cutting and collaging these metals by hand is much more challenging than with paper and does limit some of the possible detail, as you can see in the botanical accents. But, using metal gives the resulting artwork a fascinating texture, tactile quality and heavier presence in the room. The reflective quality of the metal pulls in light and literally demands attention. Each metal piece of the collage must be affixed to the back with small screws. It’s a grueling but rewarding process

process
Limited Series

Limited Series

Each work in Dolan Geiman’s portfolio is unique and hand-crafted. Works indicated with “limited series” are reiterations of a recurring theme or concept.

A Certificate of Authenticity is available upon request.

  • Each piece in a limited series is created with an inimitable collection of found materials: no two are exactly alike, although they may look similar at a glance.
  • Details, colors, specific materials, typography and frame will differ from work to work.

Learn More

Dolan Geiman Metal Wall Sculpture

Contemporary assemblage mixed media artist Dolan Geiman uses intricately cut salvaged metal to create a different type of found object artwork in upcycled materials. These original artworks hang as highly tactile metal wall sculptures, echoing some of Dolan's other artworks available in paper collage. Bold in color and rich in detail, discover some of the atypical materials given new life for these metal creations, like car doors, kitchen utensils, oil cans and antique farming equipment.