Mullican developed a unique "striation" technique, using a printer’s palette knife to apply thousands of thin, vertical lines of paint. This created a shimmering, textured surface that evoked both aerial topographies and mystical energy.

• Formative Influences: His service as a topographical draftsman in the U.S. Army during World War II profoundly shaped his perspective, leading him to view the world from a "bird's-eye" vantage point that later informed his abstract patterns.

• Dynaton Movement: Along with Wolfgang Paalen and Gordon Onslow Ford, he participated in the landmark 1951 Dynaton exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The group focused on "the possible," drawing inspiration from Indigenous American art, Zen Buddhism, and physics.

• Academic Career: Mullican was a dedicated educator, teaching at UCLA for nearly 30 years (1961–1990) and mentoring a new generation of artists.

• Digital Pioneer: Late in his life, at age 67, he became an early experimenter with digital art, exploring how his signature linear style could be translated into computer-generated imagery.

‍His work is held in major permanent collections, including MoMA, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and LACMA. He was married to the painter Luchita Hurtado, and his son, Matt Mullican, is also a prominent artist.

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