Doug Malmstrom

This Wizard of Weird, Wacky and Whimsical visual art, Doug Malmstrom has been producing powerful imagery for decades – to share with collectors who have great appreciation for his uniquely startling and beautiful brand of artwork. One must have a taste for the exotic cultures in far-reaches of the globe and universe to understand the humor and teaching (sometimes scary) stories which lie behind the mask.

Paired with pottery, ceramics, wood, and a multitude of colors, silver and gold leaf, bangles, rope, yarn, bone and leather – these outlandishly gorgeous wall-hangings are fascinating to the eye and close to the heart of the collector and artisan.

Art this delightful to behold takes time to produce, and a head full of creative buzzing and inspiration to deliver. It’s a mind-shift like no other to have the patience, desire, vision and talent to pull off the wide variety of symbolism of these masks.

Doug’s keen eye for color and iconic images are reminiscent of Native American and African cultures, but also crosses the continents to touch on both Egyptian and Spanish artistic representations. When his imagination runs wild to include a world packed with animal totems or insect-like creatures and robust robotic faces, you can feel your own countenance brighten into a broad smile. Fetishes and festivals, humans and demons, gods and children…Doug proves that they – and we – can happily coexist in this artist’s fantasy.

Doug began his artistic journey as a young man whose interactions with peers and professionals was at once quirky yet unforgettable. With a lean physique, his slower, rhythmic gait and appearance was that of a John Lennon look-alike. Bespectacled, with circular lenses resting nearly to the tip of his nose, and thick, curly dark hair – his laughing blue eyes and wry smile denoted a sense of humor and love of music and art that made him an unmistakable and likable fellow. A Hippie child of the 70s, who later moved to the sun-drenched landscapes of New Mexico to indulge his passion for art and adventure, his work has appeared in many Southwestern galleries, and collectors wait and watch for the next magical piece to appear.

Each one of these masks is one-of-a-kind. Crafted with love by a  wizard who possesses a sense of what defines eccentric artistic tastes that accentuate your home and capture your imagination.  WebrandWest is pleased to present a sampling direct from the artist’s studio.