Evan Brown, an Overland Park-based muralist who goes by Doodle Dood, painted a piece of his “doodle-verse” for one lucky art enthusiast.
His piece, entitled Skylines and Scenic Views, is part of the Prairie Village Arts Council’s fundraiser — an Adirondack chair exhibit currently on display at Corinth Square.
About Brown: As a young child and into adolescence, Brown says he doodled in sketchbooks and margins. When he got to college at the University of Kansas — with intentions of becoming an architect — he found illustration design instead.
- After an internship in Washington, D.C., showed Brown what he didn’t want out of a career, he began to hone in on his own business: Doodle Dood.
- He spent about four years posting a drawing a day on his Instagram, which led him to grow a following of more than 13,000.
- Slowly but surely, interest from clients started to take off. Now, Brown is being booked for art fairs and public pieces.
- Brown said his work can be seen in North Kansas City, Strang Hall’s office space lobby, Parlor KC and Social in Waldo.
- Recently, his Parade of Hearts statue landed the second-highest bid of $17,000, he said.
What’s the doodle-verse? The doodle-verse, a play on the word “multiverse,” is what Brown calls his vision for his hyper-focused style of artwork. He uses his doodle style to recreate elements of the real world.
- Everything, from parks and buildings to city skylines, can be part of Brown’s doodle-verse, he said.
- In fact, that’s the goal — to “doodle-ize” everything he can through projects, so he can leave behind a comprehensive universe for people to enjoy.
- His doodle-verse work has included parts of the Kansas City skyline, including a portion painted on his Adirondack chair on display in Prairie Village.
- Brown said he is also working on his own line of children’s books, which he said will be an extension of the doodle-verse and give readers a further vignette into the doodle-verse and its stories.
Key quote: “Push hard for free, because at a certain point what’s free starts to become sustainable,” Brown said, when asked to give a piece of advice to young arts entrepreneurs. “I never would have imagined that — I’m year five (into his business) and I’m making maybe a little more than a graphic designer would make for a design firm. It’s patience and persistence for sure.”
The Adirondack chair exhibit: Brown isn’t the only artist whose Adirondack chair is up for bids, though.
- There are eight other Adirondack chairs on display at Corinth Square.
- Brown’s chair is currently the one with the highest bid of more than $800.
- To bid on one of the chairs, visit this online platform.
- Bids to own the chairs will benefit the Prairie Village Arts Council. General donations are also accepted, and will benefit Corinth Square.
- The highest bidder at 5 p.m. on July 31 will win the corresponding chair.
