[Artist] Cody Cochrane

Cody Cochrane finds inspiration where many only see the mundane. For example, she has collected enough Catholic art over the years to fill her apartment. She likes the garishness of it, an element that she transfers to her paintings. Her work reflects a diverse array of influences, ranging from mythology and religion to sword fights and Super Mario. These elements combine to create powerful, layered pieces that are enhanced by bright colours and intricate details.

Cody approaches all of her work with a sense of humour and a desire to entertain her viewers, a fact that is evident in the playfulness of her paintings. “I’ve always admired artists that I can look at their work and be blown away by the technical aspect, but also find a lot of humour in it,” she says. “I think it’s best if people can, if nothing else, get a kick out of what you’re doing.”

Cody grew up in Toronto where she developed a love of art at an early age. She studied printmaking for three years at the Ontario College of Art & Design before deciding that art school wasn’t really her scene. She left Canada in search of an entirely different scene and ended up in Glasgow as one half of the design duo Whitehaus. “We had a guerilla-style poster company that we set up out of our flat,” Cody explains. She spent two and a half years using her printmaking skills to design posters for bands like Mogwai, Low and Arab Strap.
After returning to Canada she became interested in developing a method of painting that reflected her love of printmaking and silk screening. She started working with gouache, which is a highly pigmented watercolour that can be incredibly finicky. “I love it,” she says. “The colours are really vibrant and you can do beautiful layering effects that resemble the aesthetic to printmaking.”

Cody’s style of painting shares similarities with artists such as Richard Colman and Maya Hayuk. Some of these similarities were recently called into question by California-based art blogger, Eric Trine. In April, Eric posted an article that accused Cody’s work of being too similar to Colman. Within a matter of weeks, Trine received close to 1000 hits on the topic with online critics everywhere chiming in to voice their opinions. Cody herself even commented on the article. The discussion that followed Eric’s post evolved into a debate that was about far more than just Cody’s work. Many of the comments addressed the issue of ownership in art, with the ultimate question being: can anyone really own an idea?

Cody was surprised by how many people responded to the article but she was more than happy to address the debate. “I think that the dialogue between artists and the viewing public should be open. People should be able to voice their opinions and not feel like it’s some sort of exclusive club,” she says.

The issue of originality within art is a topic of constant scrutiny, which even established artists, such as Shepard Fairey, are incapable of avoiding. Cody acknowledges that this is part of the growing process for an artist and in order to maintain a dialogue between artists and viewers she’s willing to take a few knocks along the way.

With the growth of an online art community there is also an increasing number of online art critics, many of whom are anonymous. “I think that the problem with the cyber critics is that they’re faceless. They don’t have to be held accountable so they can just say, ‘You suck’ and not back it up with anything,” she says. “A lot of the time it’s just people being angry and you don’t know if it’s because they had a shitty day or if it’s because you’re shit.”

For the most part, Cody tries to avoid all of the negativity that can arise amongst the online critics. The light-hearted approach that she takes to her work also infuses the other avenues of her life. “I think that taking yourself too seriously is one of the worst things for your mind, body and spirit,” she says. “And if you can’t laugh at yourself you’re kind of doomed.”

For the time being, Cody has a few projects on the go including a solo show at the 107 Shaw Gallery in Toronto. The show, titled Our Forgotten Ancestors, will open in August and feature an array of new work. The show’s opening will coincide with a mural painting jam in the alley outside of the gallery. Cody will be organizing and designing the mural, which she will then paint with the help of a few friends. In addition to painting a number of new pieces for the show, Cody is also planning on creating an installation piece. “This is the first time I’m really going to utilize the space, so I’m pretty excited about the prospect of decking out that space.”

www.codycochrane.com

Words: Samantha Langdorf