Originals

ALWAYS EVERYTHING original paper collage


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Size & Details

Size & Details

Original collage over 8' in length features a Native American portrait with floral and feather headdress accompanied by a swirling symphony of birds in flight.

  • Medium: vintage papers on wood
  • Size: 57.75" H x 105.5" W (framed)
  • Frame: hand-built salvaged metal with feather accents
Story

Story

Through the connection with the earth... I have derived much of my inspiration for my artwork. - Dolan Geiman

I grew up in a forest service cabin in the mountains of Virginia, where my father worked as a forest service administrator. My mother was, and still is, an artist. When I was young enough to walk, she would take my siblings and I into the woods while my father worked and she would show us all of the interesting insects, snakes, lizards, minks, weasels, shrubs, berries, and trees (you name it, we saw it). So at a very early age, I became intrigued and connected with the wildlife around me. She would also tell us stories about the Native Americans who roamed the woods and forests of that area, and of their spiritual and natural connection to the wild, and I fancied myself similar in those regards. Through the connection with the earth and the connection to the energy that one finds when spending time in the woods, I have derived much of my inspiration for my artwork. This piece, in particular, reminds us to stay connected with the natural energy of the wild, and to remember those who came before us, who made those paths that we now walk in the woods, who talked to the birds and animals, and the connection, appreciation, and reverence they had for all things natural.

Learn More

Dolan Geiman Paper Collages

Dolan's signature paper collage artwork celebrates America's West and Southwest. Color, composition, and detail come to life in hand-cut vintage materials, many salvaged in Dolan's cross-country travels.

Creating the original collage starts with a wood panel. Dolan pulls vintage sheet music from his vast collection and applies these to the wood, first with glue, then with a top layer of whitewash paint. In many prints, this background layer of sheet music peeks through.

Next, Dolan draws the outline for the original collage in graphite atop the sheet music.

Dolan returns to his extensive trove of collected papers – think magazines, antique textbooks, handwritten letters salvaged from abandoned farmsteads - and begins pulling the ideal colors for the piece. He cuts each piece of material by hand and carefully layers into the artwork. These collages are carefully crafted from thousands of small papers: no two are exactly alike.

Dolan's paper collages are finished in a handmade frame constructed from salvaged metal or a modern, minimal wood or metal frame.