About the Artist

Cody Vance

Artist

Being around Cody, you might observe his constant juggling of multiple physical projects, an array of mediums and styles to fit his vision. Running parallel to the tangible work is his mental capacity to consider details about the next project in line or to concoct an entirely new work of art, designing the details in his mind so it moves quickly when he’s ready to begin. To the outsider, this creative process may seem chaotic. To Cody, this is as natural as breathing and is key to what keeps him energized and excited to learn new mediums, materials and techniques. 

Cody’s knack for anything artistic started very early in life, drawing what he saw around him or working from his imagination. With no formal training, he’s relied on acute observation, focus and a natural ability to quickly grasp new ideas or processes.

An Air Force veteran, Cody enlisted in 1985 and traveled throughout parts of Western Europe, viewing firsthand some of the world’s greatest art and architecture. A desire to spread the beauty of art, he often requested permission from military leadership to create murals and other pieces of artwork at various Air Force bases. Those creative installations, some still intact almost 40 years later, brightened normally drab military surroundings and brought his fellow servicemen a sense of pride. 

Post-retirement, Cody began to feel a change in creative direction was needed; he was fortunate to learn stone carving under the expert guidance of the late Rachman Ulmer. To say he was hooked immediately is an understatement. Unaccustomed to creating in abstract form, to his surprise he quickly started shaping each stone into beautifully sinuous and flowing pieces. With years of creative experimentation as his foundation, he realized that everything he had learned up to that point had prepared him for sculpting. 

Now, over 16 years have passed and with over 200 individual sculptures created, he continues to expand his creative boundaries, recently adding steel sculpture, bronze and printmaking to his toolbox of creative disciplines.