Elijah Watson

Elijah’s body of work is made up of two distinctive styles: prehistoric bird-like creatures and tree forms.   

The prehistoric bird-like creatures reveal themselves through the drawing process. Elijah often starts with the eyes and works from there, usually moving to the mouth or beak and then teeth.  Each of the ‘spotty, dotty’ creatures has a unique personality.  Although the creature drawings are very detailed, Elijah works quickly and spontaneously.    

With the tree drawings, Elijah’s process is much slower and draws from his imagination. Elijah renders the tree’s bark in fine lines or lines and dots that create a patterning system, where different forms can emerge from. It captures an experience of pareidolia, where a particular image reveals itself amongst a seemingly ambiguous pattern of lines and dots. The work also reflects the importance of trees in our ecosystem – at its essence, Elijah’s work reflects the affinity he feels with nature.  

“It’s easier to draw a creature because it doesn’t exist, so you don’t have to make it look like it is. With the trees, I’m trying to capture the biological Algorithms that exist in nature.” 

Elijah