Four Inane Questions with painter/illustrator Evan “Doodle Dood” Brown regarding sunrises and expensive ladders
Courtesy Evan “Doodle Dood” Brown
Ask KC-based painter and illustrator Evan “Doodle Dood” Brown and he’ll be the first to admit he has “an absolute and utter obsession with what I do,” he says. “My business centers around my desire to use creativity to promote positivity, growth and change in the minds of kids and adults alike.”
Whimsical in nature, his work often showcases his signature style of fine-art-meets-contemporary-cartoon-illustration. When he’s not busy being a staple at various high-end art fairs around the Midwest, you can spy Dood’s hyper-colorful murals sprinkled around the city. (Fun fact: he often weaves in KC’s iconic skyline into his works.) “I want nothing more than to create stuff that makes people smile!” he tells us.
The KU grad tells us he’s energized by his Native American roots and a deep passion and respect for the outdoors. “I find my inspiration in the optical intricacies and vibrant color palettes found in the natural world,” he adds. “I exclusively paint my work by hand, mixing all of my colors out of the primaries in order to keep my work as consistent with nature as possible.”
We caught up the omnipresent artist in between shows to inundate him with our inane questions. We also discovered we have a newfound appreciation for paint fumes. Bless.
Courtesy Evan “Doodle Dood” Brown
The Pitch: Would you rather watch the sunrise or sunset?
Evan “Doodle Dood” Brown: I’d rather watch the sunrise because it marks the start to a brand-new day with fresh opportunities. I’m a “take things one day at a time” kind of guy, so the sunrise is actually a very personal thing for me. In fact, I incorporate the sunrise into a good deal of my paintings to hint at this theme and hopefully subconsciously inspire others to see the world from the same positive lens.
Will there be a rift in the time-space continuum in 2024? Your thoughts?
Courtesy Evan “Doodle Dood” Brown
Definitely. The way that everything is going societally it’s obvious that the rift is already in motion. I’m currently just waiting for a nice cordial election cycle to kick things into full swing. I then expect the space aliens to finally realize how hard we’ve worked to come together and earn our keep in the universe and accept us into their galactic family with open arms. But—I dunno—that’s just me.
In terms of being an artist, what’s been your best/biggest “happy accident?”
My biggest happy accident as an artist is definitely when I came across a motivational speech about creativity and style development by the famous designer Milton Glaser. This speech really got me interested in developing my own art style rather than imitating my favorite artists. It also kickstarted my interest in business and motivational content on YouTube which is actually what inspired me to start my own business as a student rather than to apply for design jobs out of college.
Finish this sentence. Shhh, tell no one, but my biggest splurge was …
… a $350 ladder.
Bonus 5th Question: Personally speaking, name an absolutely iconic doodle, famous or otherwise.
I’d say that the work of M.C. Escher is the most iconic form of doodling in my eyes.
