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I am an interdisciplinary artist from Baltimore, Maryland. I make tiny dioramas with paper, wood and ink drawings. I compose and record music. I am a stop-motion animator and experimental filmmaker. My favorite themes to explore include metaphysics, identity, and humor.

I earned my B.A. in music composition from Washington College, a certificate in computer programming from the Community College of Baltimore County, a graduate certificate in information technology from Johns Hopkins University, and an M.F.A. from Towson University.

My creative work has been exhibited across the USA, in Europe and in the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. I am fortunate to have been featured on many websites, including This is Colossal, Beautiful Decay, The Order of the Good Death and even CSS-Tricks.

My intention is to lead a creative life, every single day. Making Art is my Joie de Vivre.

My approach to the materials I use aligns with the philosophy of Les Arts Modestes (the Modest Arts). I am inspired by and place particular value on everyday, ordinary, and humble objects.

Equipped with these simple objects and containers, I then explore and combine the following themes throughout all my work:

  • What happens after Death
  • Metaphysics
  • Identity
  • Humor
  • Scale, Material, Time
  • Mythology
  • Linear Narrative
  • Sobriety

In my music, I examine:

  • Improvisation
  • Rhythm, texture, microtonality
  • Approaches in serial composition
  • Musique concrète (loops, DIY audio, Lo-fi production)
  • Non-diegetic sound, found audio
  • Rethinking tonality and musical purpose

In my animation, I combine all of the above.

I identify as a surrealist, an optimist, and a pescatarian.

I started this website (at that time it was jimdoran.net) in 2001. Over the years, it’s evolved, expanded and contracted as a long experiment in Web publishing.

I began using WordPress as a content management system in 2007. I immediately fell in love with the software and the community that supports it. It freed me up to make and share my work without having to hand-code web pages and it became part of my professional life. Most important of all, it gave me a platform with which to document, share and grow my work.

This website is, then, is a key part of my artistic process. Many pieces don’t seem finished until I post them here.

Grants and Selected Commissions

  • Maryland State Arts Council Creativity Grant, 2022
  • Maryland State Arts Council Artist Grant, Works on Paper, 2013
  • Wrigley/Altoids Corporation – “Curiously Strong” Hall of Curiosity commission for charity auction, 2011

Discography

  • Jim Doran, A Chop off the Old Block, Scientifically Sound Records, 2023
  • Jim Doran, Found and Chosen, Scientifically Sound Records, 2022
  • Jim Doran, The Old San Juan, Scientifically Sound Records, 2022
  • Jim Doran, Goldberg Variations, Scientifically Sound Records, 2022
  • Jim Doran, Music to Hear Blindfolded, Vol. 1, Scientifically Sound Records, 2021
  • Jim Doran, The Septic Blank, Scientifically Sound Records, 2020
  • Jim Doran, The Septic Bank, Scientifically Sound Records, 2019
  • Patrick O’Donnell, Cold Drinks with the Most Beautiful View, Skoda Records, 2008
  • Soundtrack, Façade video game, 2005
  • Patrick O’Donnell, Then I Woke Up, Skoda Records 2003
  • Paul Rose Fishers of Men, Bullfrog Media, 2002
  • Sun Safety CD-ROM Adventures with the Shady Characters HealthMark Multimedia, 2002
  • Patrick O’Donnell, Limbo, Skoda Records, 2001
  • Diana Froley Pet My Kitty, Mr. New York City Skoda Records, 1998
  • Bazooka Joe Imbalance Skoda Records 1995
  • Honeypump, Lava, Hat Factory Records, 1994
  • Blister Freak Circus, Flaming Poet Roadside Pisshole, Beef Platter Records, 1993
  • The Infected, Whisker Biscuit/Back Alley Scotch. AOK Tape Recordings, 1988

Web Development

I make my living as a Web developer/designer. I’ve worked with the following clients over the years: Johns Hopkins University, O’Reilly Media, The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), Towson University, The Maryland Department of Education, The Maryland State Arts Council, and over a hundred small businesses, artists, and writers.

I teach (or have taught) Web design, Web coding, WordPress, Art, and Animation at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC), The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Towson University, and The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).