Dorian McGowan

Obituary—Dorian Stephen McGowan (1933-2026)

Born in Fairfax, Vermont, in 1933, Dorian Stephen McGowan knew from the age of eight that he wanted to be an artist. He attended the local Catholic School, where there was little support for his artistic endeavors. He wrote a letter to Norman Rockwell, explaining his predicament. Rockwell wrote back and suggested Pratt Institute, Cooper Union and The Art Students League. Dorian chose Pratt Institute because it was first on the list. After Pratt, he went on to receive his Teaching Degree from Columbia University.

In 1957, Dorian met Kari Kise from Skien, Norway, at Santa's Village in the Adirondacks, where both had summer jobs. He was “Santa’s Elf,” dressed in green tights and in charge of painting backdrops for the theme park. Kari often compared Dorian to the Ashlad, a character from Norwegian folklore, who won over the princess and the entire kingdom through a brilliant series of upcycled objects retrieved along the roadside en route to the palace. "Jeg fant! Jeg fant!" (I found it! I found it!) said the Ashlad, repeatedly, an expression that sums up Dorian's lifelong enthusiasm for discovering overlooked treasures and incorporating them into his artwork. He transformed the landscape of their home on Brook Rd. in Lyndon into a series of stonewalls, terraced gardens, and shrines. Norwegian friends called their home “Trollheimen,” or the home of the trolls.

Dorian taught at Lyndon State College (now Vermont State University) for almost 50 years until his retirement in 2006. He encouraged students to think creatively-- “I want them to trust their impulses and intuition. In any life situation, you must act on impulses and intuition, because there are no answers.” As professor emeritus, he delighted in revisiting the campus and drawing portraits of students, faculty, staff --"whoever sits long enough to have their likeness drawn." Later, he frequented the Cobleigh Library and Café Lotti to do portraits of people in the community. He painted portraits at the Community Library of all the residents of East Burke. His exhibitions of upcycled constructions and portraits, real and imagined, popped up everywhere in galleries around the campus and in the neighboring area. He also had exhibitions at the Fleming Museum in Burlington, VT; Hopkins Center in Hanover, NH; Currier Gallery in Manchester, NH; and the Satellite Gallery in Lyndonville, VT.

The artistic outlet he shared most with Kari, his wife of 56 years, was knitting, often incorporating Norwegian rose-painting or complex designs that only Kari could knit. He continued writing letters to her every day after her death in 2013. He is survived by their children--Nicolas, Kaja, Martin, and Tara; grandchildren--Kai Eiji Okada, Bekk Michal McGowan, Mary-Amanda and Anne-Sofie Albretsen, and Kadek Surya Nawiana; and one great grandchild: Arthur Christopher Barfield.

Memories and condolences may be shared with family at CaledoniaLifeServices.com.