ABOUT THAD GEER
Thad's Personal Biography
About Thad Geer
As an artist, I have been painting on and off for 50 years while acting, writing, landscaping, making trails, and experiencing fatherhood with three children. Whew, got that out of the way.
Art is something that has many labels. To me, it is a way to let out what’s inside. Acting gives you that space as well, but in a physical framework.
I work mostly with oils on canvas, along with acrylics. The worlds or spaces fermenting in my imagination are left to grow in their own way.
I was brought up in a folk-singing, acting family. My father, Will Geer, traveled about with Woody Guthrie, Cisco Houston, and Lead Belly—the list goes on. I later produced many Woody Guthrie benefit concerts after he died of Huntington’s disease, which is inherited.
As a child, I went to approximately 15 schools. My mother, Herta Ware, was a gypsy, a wonderful folk singer, and an actress.
The paintings I make are simply what’s stewing in my brain at the time. In life, you incorporate what’s around you and what you dream.
That’s my work in a nutshell.
— Thad Geer
Thad with his father, Will Geer.
FAMILY & EARLY LIFE
Thad with his parents and sisters: Will Geer, Herta Ware, Ellen Geer, and Kate Geer.
Thad with his mother, Herta Ware.
Biography
Thad Geer has spent over five decades painting while also working as an actor, writer, and craftsman. He works primarily in oil and acrylic, creating intuitive pieces that explore the interplay between imagination and lived experience.
FAMILY
Thad, Miriam, Benar, Dawn, and Orin.
Thad and family. A loving moment.
Thad with family.
THAD & MIRIAM
Thad with his wife, Miriam, in front of the Woody Shack, where their first-born son, Benar Geer, was conceived.
1980
Background
Raised in a family of folk musicians and actors, Geer was influenced by his father, Will Geer, who performed with Woody Guthrie, Cisco Houston, and Lead Belly, and his mother, Herta Ware, a traveling folk singer and actress. His early life, marked by frequent moves and varied experiences, continues to shape his artistic vision.
ON STAGE
Thad’s artistic life extends beyond painting into acting and performance.
Thad Geer as Pyramus in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
2021
Thad playing Captain Jack in Will Geer's Folksay.
Archival document
WOODY GUTHRIE BENEFIT CONCERTS
A flyer created by Thad Geer to promote the Woody Guthrie benefit concerts—one of many concerts he produced.
Click the flyer to examine it at full size
Artistic Approach
Geer’s work draws from what he describes as what is “stewing” in his mind—an evolving blend of memory, observation, and dream. His paintings emerge organically, reflecting both his inner landscape and the world around him.