These doodlewashes come to use from Eli Dorman, an amateur watercolorist in Akron, Ohio, who started painting in August 2013 (follow his wonderful blog by clicking here!). Many of Eli’s recent pieces are inspired by various masters of abstract painting from Willem de Kooning to Paul Klee.
The piece at the top is titled “Crossing Lines” and the next piece is titled “Map” (click the image to see it larger!) Both are inspired by Eli’s recent exploration of de Kooning. “De Kooning’s work speaks to me,” Eli says, “and has sent me on a journey of new inspiration that has given birth to 8-10 new pieces that are a departure from my more structured geometric abstract pieces.”
Abstract expressionism, is a post–World War II art movement in American painting, developed in New York in the 1940s and led by de Kooning in the 1950s. It’s of note for being the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence. During its reign it put New York City at the center of the western art world, a role formerly filled by Paris.
This next piece is inspired by an earlier painting of Paul Klee entitled, “Portal of a Mosque” which was painted in 1931 (click to see it larger!). “Klee is one of my strongest art influencers. I love his work and find it greatly inspires my own work.”
Eli has always sought out channels for creative expression and discovered a deep connection to painting that has become an insatiable passion. Eli started his blog “Simple Thoughts About Life & Stuff” (follow him!!) initially as a writing blog and as his passion for painting grew it became a way of sharing his work with his now global community of artist & art enthusiast friends.
Eli works primarily with watercolor paint and illustrator’s ink and focuses mostly on paintings that express in abstract form the beautiful convergence of line, shape, and color. The last piece shown here is titled, “Subterranean.” (click the image to see it larger!)
“Most of my paintings begin as simple sketches,” Eli says, “to which I add color and painted lines to enhance and deepen the sketch’s expressive potential. I attempt to go into every painting with no agenda or prescribed outcome in mind allowing the moment to guide me.”
Thank you so much for sharing your amazing doodlewashes with us Eli, and giving us a new way to see. Please take a moment to visit “Simple Thoughts About Life & Stuff” to see more work by this amazing artist! (and follow him! I did mention that bit right?)
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I’m a followin’! Thanks!
Yay! Awesome! 😃👍🏻
Those are really magnificent! Subterranean is like the most beautiful zentangle painting ever. I love the homage to Klee, too!
Glad you like it Teresa! ❤️😃Wanted to show a full range of the doodlewash world and Eli’s work is really amazing!!
Nice work Eli! The mosaic- it grabs me! Charlie, thanks for being open minded and featuring all different types of art on your blog.
Jessica thank you so much, that is great to hear! I appreciate the way Charlie is bringing people together through the doodlewash community! Good stuff. Thanks again!
Yay! Love making these connections! And thanks so much for the kind words Jessica and Eli!
I love Eli’s very free art style. Thanks Charlie for including him in the doodlewash community. I’m now following Eli!
Sharon, thanks for the follow and for taking a look at some of my work. Grateful we’re now connected!
Yay! Excellent!! 😃
These are so amazing! I love patterns and colors. Will definitely be following. Thanks!
Kari, thanks for your kind comment and for following my site. So glad we are connected!
Yay Kari!! Glad you liked! 😃
Abstracts, can be for me, like listening to music sung in a foreign language, I may not ‘understand’ it all, but I can take pleasure in the color of the notes and be moved by the rhythm and tones. These paintings are beautiful, and am loving the variety shown here. The colors and design, along with the ebb and flow of movement and energy, a treat to the senses. Thank you Charlie for a delightful feature.
What wonderful words Haunani! ❤️I agree completely! And Eli is a master at making that kind of music. 😉😃
Charlie thanks, appreciate what you said here.
What a lovely comment, greatly encouraging to receive your feedback. Moves me to hear how my work connects! Thank you so very much!
Love THESE! Thanks for the intro to Eli!
You’re quite welcome Jodi! 😃Follow! Follow! Hehe… Eli is awesome!!
I am. I am. ➕➕
Thanks Jodi! Thanks for coming by my site, appreciate the follow and additional likes on my posts! Grateful for the connection.
Wow what wonderful stuff!
Isn’t it Kirk? I love seeing Eli’s work come up in my feed! 😉
Thanks so much Kirk!
Well you know how I feel about grids…(K.)
Hehe…yes! So you like this Kerfe! 😉I thought of you when I was posting it!
Eli is wonderful; I’ve been following him for some time. Very inspirational abstract work!! I’m glad you featured him, Charlie.
Yay! I hoped you had already…his abstracts are so wonderful!
Charlie, I love what this community has the potential of becoming. What a great way of pulling artists and creatives together to support and encourage each other on the journey. Art can be so subjective and at times the act of creating can seem a bit isolating so to have somewhere to share what is birthed out of that process is a tremendous gift!
Thanks so much Eli!! You described exactly the reason why I started doing these features. When I started blogging I immediately got lonely…hehe… and as a Creative Director in my day life, I have a habit of always wanting to surround myself with people better than me! 😉 Spread the word!! Would love to grow this community. It’s also more open than some groups, as it doesn’t require a specific method or have rules…just a “drop of water color” and whatever you made is a doodlewash! 👍🏻😃
That’s fantastic Charlie and it is what I love about the doodlewash community too! We’ll have to plan a gathering sometime so we can all meet, lol!!
Yes!! That would be SO awesome, Eli!!
We could do a doodlewash gallery show while we’re gathered to enjoy each other’s work!
That’s an awesome idea! Okay man…I think you just signed up for the planning! Lol…I stink at that. By the way… I just realized you were my 100th WordPress follower on Doodlewash! I had scrawled a note when it happened a few weeks ago! 😊😉
I’ll be happy to help with that! So cool to be the hundredth!
Laura that is an incredibly sweet thing to say and I appreciate your on-going support and encouragement. Glad to count you among my doodlewash/blog buddies! Your work inspires me as well! 🙂
Thank you, Eli! I’m thrilled to hear that! :))