Watercolor artist is inspired by rural and urban places

Home Style: Self-taught painter Cody Heichel often draws on inspiration from the spaces he’s most familiar with

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Self-taught painter Cody Heichel often draws on inspiration from the spaces he’s most familiar with, and this can get interesting when these spaces range from rural Ohio to downtown Columbus.

Heichel, represented by Brandt-Roberts Galleries, mainly works with watercolors, and he is often inspired by where he is living. He grew up in the small town of Shreve, Ohio and moved to Columbus in 2010. Now that he’s a full-time artist, he’s begun to delve into how these contrasting areas can complement each other.

“It’s a pretty big gap between desolate, rural Ohio and Columbus, Ohio, but I still think that there’s always a common thread in the landscape that can kind of tie together,” Heichel says. “I’m trying to do that right now.”

Though he says he couldn’t imagine going back to live in his hometown after moving to the city, Heichel often goes back to Shreve to recharge and draw inspiration. He and his parents have always enjoyed taking drives around town, and this offers Heichel a good opportunity to collect photo references.

This tendency to wander could explain why Heichel is inspired by the subjects that he chooses.

“My work is kind of a physical documentation of my surroundings, and kind of a visual commentary on the people and scenes that I see in my day-to-day life,” Heichel says.

While many of Heichel’s paintings showcase popular spots around Columbus, he’s trying to capture the areas that are not seen as often. He does this by taking deliberate trips outside of where he normally goes for reference.

“More and more, I’ve started to be interested in these spaces that are kind of on the periphery,” Heichel says.

Not only has Heichel recently been experimenting with different subject matter, he has also dabbled in different media. Watercolor is his preferred method, but he also works with oil and acrylic paints when he wants to try a new approach.

Heichel says the process of trying new materials can be difficult because he is so used to working with watercolors, which require a different technique than oil and acrylic.

“I always experiment a little and then come back to what I know, and eventually it can inform the process,” Heichel says.

My work is kind of a physical documentation of my surroundings, and kind of a visual commentary on the people and scenes that I see in my day-to-day life.

Through all this experimentation with subject matter and media, one thing does tend to remain the same. Heichel says he works mainly in realism.

“I try to make work that is generally representational of life, but there’s still some room for interpretation,” he says.

Heichel will soon be able to expand the spaces he’s inspired by, as he will be part of the Greater Columbus Arts Council 2018 Artist Exchange in Dresden, Germany. The council chooses two artists each year to participate in this two- to three-month residency in Columbus’ sister city.

Heichel is excited for the opportunity because residencies are becoming increasingly important for artists. He also has German heritage, so this will be another way to get in touch with his roots and incorporate that into his paintings.

Heichel will be painting on location, which is something he looks forward to because it pushes him out of his comfort zone.

“It always invites dialogue between strangers or people passing by in a way that working in your studio doesn’t,” Heichel says. “When I work in my studio, it is very isolated.”

Heichel is working on a body of work for his first solo exhibition, which will be on view in March at Brandt-Roberts, where some of his work is already on display. His work can also be found online at www.codyheichel.com.

Cody Heichel's Awards and Honors

  • Visual Arts Fellowship Recipient, Greater Columbus Arts Council and Columbus Museum of Art
  • Individual Excellence Award, Ohio Arts Council
  • Artist in the Community Grant, Greater Columbus Arts Council
  • First Place in Water Media, 25th Annual Piqua Fine Arts Exhibition
  • Best of Show, Dublin Area Art League 14th Annual Paint Out
  • First Place Plein Air Award, Ohio State Fair

Emily Hetterscheidt is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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