Artist Profile

Malcolm William Doran
Born February 3, 1935 in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.

Attended Parsons School of Design New York, Kent State University in Ohio and the Art Students League in New York City.

Lived and painted in New York City, 1960 – 1970.
Exhibited in group and loft shows.

Relocated to Los Angeles in 1971. Participated in group shows.


Interview with the Artist
Q. What inspires you?
A. Beautiful people inspire me because I see their physical beauty as a reflection of a spiritual awareness which communicates to me.
Q. How has your work evolved?
A. Painting the figure has always been paramount with me but how I went about it has changed over the years. Early on Dekooning’s action painting influenced me, and later the child like freshness of Picasso’s drawing helped me to render the figure the way I wanted to portray it. In reality there have been many artists that have helped my art to evolve. The Dutch painters Rembrandt and VanGogh taught me a lot about portrait painting. From the French painters Cézanne and Bonnard I learned about structure and color. Now I’m using all of these to convey my message in the pictures I paint.
Q. What do you consider most important in your current paintings?
A. The message being communicated. I use the formal elements of painting to create a visual statement that will communicate to the viewer in such a way that he or she can contribute something to the viewing experience.
Q. How important is color in your work?
A. Color is very important in my work I use color to create the over-all harmony of the work as well as the emotional impact of what I’m trying to say. In addition, I use color to control the imagined space in a painting. I do this through depth perception that different colors can produce.
Q. What one word best describes you philosophical outlook?
A. Create
Q. What is your favorite pastime?
A. I like to help people enhance their sense of beauty. This can be done by raising ones perceptions. Getting someone to view their environment in a new unit of time often causes a person to have a new realization about it. Then, of course, there is my gardening. I’m especially proud of my roses.
Q. Any last words?
A. I enjoyed this interview because it gave me the opportunity to voice my ideas not only about my art, but about life in general. I’m a firm believer in having fun. Conversely, if it isn’t fun, don’t do it. That’s the way I view my art. I may have something I want to say, but I insist on having fun while saying it.