Cody Kuehl Plexi Originals

Cody Kuehl paints moment of impact paintings of the west that capture the western spirit with his unique blend of painting and illustration.  All of Cody's art begins as drawings from imagination, reference photos, and inspiration from different moments in pop culture. These moment of impact images are designed to use the tropes of the western genre to tell the stories without using specific characters or pop culture images, but instead let the viewer tell their own tale.  

The next step in the artistic process includes inking the drawing digitally using Procreate and a drawing stylus.  When the drawing is rendered into the black lines from the drawing, Cody finalizes the black lines of the drawing in multiple digital layers. The next step is to digitally print the black lines onto multiple layers of the plexiglass panels in reverse.  After Cody has the panels prepared with the black lines he assembles the panels in reverse with hardware attached to the hardwood backer that has been painted with an abstract acrylic pour.   

All the originals are then reverse painted onto the plexiglass.  The interesting thing with reverse painting is that it requires all contrast to be painted in on the first pass.  The first marks that are made on the back of the plexi are the last marks that the audience sees.  There is only one shot to get the initial tones of the painting correct.   

Once the reverse painting is complete, the panels are turned back to the front facing orientation and bolted together.  For most of the originals, Cody will add highlights and motion splatter to the front to add a final element of action to the image.  The result is a three dimensional cell-shaded original that captures the life and depth of the west.  

There are other versions of limited edition digital mixed media pieces.  These are very limited multi layer prints that have been fully digitally drawn.  These prints have the same style and action as the original art, and are highly limited to 5 of the larger images and 25 of the smaller ones.  The fully digital mixed media pieces have the same feel as the originals but have a different level of detail and approach that sometimes can't be replicated with analog paint.
Cody Kuehl is a self-taught contemporary painter known for his dynamic “moment of impact” interpretations of the American West. Born and raised in Northern Colorado, Cody spent his formative years raising, training, and showing draft horses with his family—a foundation that deeply informs the themes of grit, tension, and myth in his work.

After honing his skills with pop-surreal mini paintings in college, Cody shifted his focus to building an art career.  His paintings explore and challenge the ethos of the American character, offering a stylized, modern lens on frontier iconography.

Cody now lives and paints in Longmont, Colorado, and serves as the board president of the A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art.
9 products
  • New
    Stylized cowboy in teal hat and vest aiming a revolver in a desert cactus landscape, with vibrant swirling skies, painted by Cody Kuehl on layered plexiglass.
    $1,400.00
    $1,400.00
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  • New
    Cowboy mid-ride on a bucking skeletal horse, surrounded by chaotic energy and motion, painted by Cody Kuehl on layered plexiglass in vibrant Western-surrealist style.
    $675.00
    $675.00
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  • New
    Cowboy warrior with multiple arms and revolvers battles through swirling dimensional portals in a surreal forest blaze, painted by Cody Kuehl on layered plexiglass.
    $2,750.00
    $2,750.00
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  • New
    Western gunslinger pinned down in a dramatic shootout amid a burning frontier town, in Cody Kuehl’s layered plexiglass painting titled “Pinned.”
    $2,950.00
    $2,950.00
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  • New
    Two Western musicians play banjos in front of a log cabin in this layered plexiglass painting titled “Pickin’” by artist Cody Kuehl.
    $525.00
    $525.00
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  • New
    Close-up of a gunslinger aiming a revolver directly at the viewer, in an explosive comic-style Western scene — “Jab” by Cody Kuehl, 18x36 layered plexiglass painting.
    $2,500.00
    $2,500.00
    Sold out
  • New
    “Dramatic Western scene of a cowboy struck by arrows, surrounded by chaos and gunfire – ‘His Heart Was in the Right Place’ by Cody Kuehl, 24x30 layered plexiglass painting.”
    $2,750.00
    $2,750.00
    Sold out
  • New
    “Stylized cowboy with downcast expression, painted in vibrant layered colors against a surreal sky – ‘Devastated’ by Cody Kuehl, 12x12 inch original Western artwork on plexiglass.”
    $500.00
    $500.00
    Sold out
  • New
    “Surreal Western gunslinger with five arms firing pistols in all directions during a chaotic town shootout – ‘Ol Five Hands’ by Cody Kuehl, 20x30 inch layered plexiglass painting.”
    $2,500.00
    $2,500.00
    Sold out