Malcolm Childers was born on the 19th of February 1945, in Riverside, California.

His natural curiosity as a child gave him experiences that showed up in his adolescent years as an inclination to make art. Riverside in the late 40's, 50's and 60's was a landscape of inspiring contrasts. Within easy viewing were wide vistas ringed with majestic mountains, rolling foothills, fields, and citrus orchards. Even his early drawings show a strong influence of land. His interest in art continued through childhood with encouragement from many sources. By the time he was 20, he had developed an impressive drawing and painting skill.

Malcolm began his formal art training at Riverside Community College in Southern California after he returned from Viet Nam in 1968. He completed work for his Bachelor of Arts degree at Humboldt State University. During his last two undergraduate years, he began to focus his studies on drawing, printmaking, and photography. He continued that focus while completing his Master of Arts degree at Fullerton State University, California in 1973.

In 1974, he took a position as art instructor at Southern College, near Chattanooga, Tennessee. In addition to his regular schedule, he taught adjunct classes at Cleveland State College and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. During the 13 years he taught college, Malcolm became an Associate Professor and created the most recent 16 images in his book. He also traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and Canada, getting a feel for the land, its diverse nature, and our current human condition.