When the pandemic hit, painter Cody Heichel found himself confined mostly to his home and studio. Rather than idly waiting for the pandemic to pass, he turned to his surrounding environment and landscape for artistic inspiration.
He created his series Cody Heichel: Amid the Greens, a solo exhibition of 25 pieces which is presently on view at Brandt-Roberts Galleries.
Heichel, a prolific, award-winning artist, was selected in 2019 for a residency in Dresden, Germany as part of the Greater Columbus Arts Council’s Artist Exchange Program. He is also a signature member of both the Ohio Watercolor Society and the National Watercolor Society.
His paintings in the series depict subject matter that may have been overlooked pre-pandemic such as a lone house, a single chair and a naked tree. The focus of the series lies not in the details of the specific subjects, but rather in the forms of shape and tone.
“Heichel uses a somewhat limited palette, relying more on value, temperature and subtle hues than on chroma or high-key color,” says Brandt-Roberts Galleries in a press release. “By applying an overall tone, he is able to evoke a sense of emotionalism over realism. This distillation of both palette and composition is not simply a reductionist technique, but a genuine search for a redescription of his subject, allowing for a subjective interpretation of nature.”
The works are predominantly small scale, and though Heichel is acclaimed as a watercolor painter, the works in his collection are not limited to that media. Heichel uses oil paint and changes up his canvas by using muslin and panel.
Cody Heichel: Amid the Greens is on view now until April 25 during the gallery’s hours, Friday-Sunday 1-5 p.m. Private appointments are also available by emailing info@brandtroberstsgalleries.com or via phone. The exhibit can be viewed virtually at www.brandtrobertsgalleries.com/exhibitions.
Upcoming at Brandt- Roberts Galleries
The Secret Lives of Color will be coming to Brand-Roberts April 30. This exhibition of multiple artists’ pieces is inspired by the book of the same title by Kassia St. Clair.
“The book explores specific hues and the stories behind how they received their names,” says Brandt-Roberts Galleries in a press release. “Each artist in this group exhibition received a color and a book and was prompted to create an artwork based on that color.”
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