Environmental Artist John Dahlsen

An appreciation for art is a commendable trait in any individual. Art in all forms is about expression, feelings, thoughts, and moods – and conveying those to others. Environmental art takes all of those things and combines it with a passion to be good to our Earth – and that is truly commendable. John Dahlsen is an environmental artist who creates sculptures and ‘paintings’ with found objects, typically from Australian beaches. For more than ten years, John has been combing the beaches for plastic, driftwood, glass and other objects. Using his passion to reduce litter washing up on the shores, John creates gorgeous works of art with it. Plastics Art: Using bits of found plastic bags and other kinds of plastic, John creates amazing paintings like the ones below, entitled Plastic Bag Abstraction and Self Portrait from Found Plastic 2009. The plastics enhance the paintings and bring them to life, while turning ugly trash into pure beauty. Driftwood Art: The driftwood art John creates from the driftwood he has spent years collecting. Below, you’ll see how John has turned that driftwood into gorgeous art pieces in works (6 Driftwood Totems and Driftwood Sculpture Trio.) Found Object Art: Using other objects that are found and recycled, John creates commissioned pieces for cities, parks and businesses. The objects differ depending upon what John finds and could range from recycled surf boards to concrete and metal. Below are examples of those commissioned pieces. The first, entitled ‘The Guardian’ is made from scraps of steel guardrails and concrete pipe. The second, entitled ‘Convention Centre Jewell Sculpture’ is created from found objects such as fibre optics and stainless steel.

John is a perfect example of an artist contributing to both the beauty of the world and the health of our Earth! All photos belong to and are courtesy of www.JohnDahlsen.com