Cody Richardson is the owner and mastermind behind Cody’s Fish. His creations are made of license plates from around the globe that are mounted on wood to align with the species caught in those areas. Think salmon in Alaska, Tarpon from Florida, Golden Dorado from Bolivia, and the list goes on.
Cody was born to artistic parents, while his father was on tour opening for Jerry Jeff Walker. He grew up exploring the rocky mountains of Colorado, where his inspiration was struck, and continues to inspire his work to this day.
Where are you from and how does that affect your work, or when did you first become interested in art?
I’m a Colorado native out of Ft. Collins. Being close to many superb fisheries in the Rockies I am spoiled to be able to fish an array of rivers on a regular basis. This helps to provide an opportunity to understand the variety of vibes/cultures of the areas. Then I am able to create pieces to represent areas akin to the nostalgic bucking cowboys from Wyoming, colorful Big Sky from Montana, iconic green/white Colorado mountains, or Utah skiers to name a few.
Creativity has been a focus in my house. My father was a country artist and a woodworker, and my mother enjoys painting. You can say I grew up with right-side brain thinkers. I’m not a ‘traditional’ artist because creating unusual pieces with different mediums has been an interest for me since high school. I began my focus on woodworking (furniture, bar tops, carved artwork) in my twenties. It was in my thirties when the license plate artwork started.
What about fishing inspires you as an artist? / Why fish? What inspired your work within the fishing industry?
Chasing elusive fish in beautiful locations is the inspiration for my artwork. It’s cool to commemorate experiences with the fish species and license plates of their location.
Do you have an art ritual of sorts? And,are there any art trends currently inspire your work?
As far as rituals . . . a full kegerator with Coors Banquet helps.
Current trends that inspire my work are doing a totally custom design/layout with rare license plates. This challenges me as an artist to track down the obscure often leading me to new countries with some epic stories.
What type of art/medium do you create?
I use license plates from around the globe that are mounted on wood to align with the species caught in those areas. For example a bright turquoise/yellow Bahamas plates as a bonefish, rusty Rocky Mountain states as a trout, colorful Florida plates as a tarpon, Louisiana ‘sportsmans paradise’ plates as a redfish, or mid-century Cuban plates as a permit. All plates are 100% authentic, and most date back before the 1980’s. I try my best to only use plates from counties, regions, or islands where these fish are found.
How long have you been practicing in this medium?
This adventure began in 2015. The first piece created was a green/white Colorado license plate trout just for decoration in my home. People kept commenting that I should sell these license plate trout. When I reached out to fly shops I was told ‘these are cool, however art doesn’t sell well in fly shops.’ Three Colorado shops took an initial chance on me with a total of 6 pieces, and 4 sold before even being hung on the wall. The business grew organically from there in Colorado and are now in fly shops across the United States.
How has your style changed over time?
The intricacies and types of fish have evolved over time. In the beginning, Rocky Mountain states and trout were primarily made because that was what I knew. Requests grew for other species and locations, so I had the opportunity to ‘to go location’ and hunt for plates while chasing these fish. It has been an epic experience to make a golden dorado piece in the jungle of Bolivia, a tarpon deep in the wild interior of Costa Rica, or a barracuda on a dock in the Bahamas.
How do you manage your work-life balance as an artist? / Is your artwork a full-time job, or do you have a daily gig too?
Previously I was a firefighter, however in 2015 I switched over to being an artist as my full-time job.
Juggling the work-life balance has been a learning process especially since I have young children with the shop/studio in the home. This was also difficult as my wife traveled a lot with work when my business was starting up. Now the family is amazing and engrained themselves into the business. The kids do their homework in the shop while I am making art pieces, I fix bike tires in between painting fish, and my wife joined full time in 2021 which has helped the business management aspects exponentially. I think my daughter has visited more fly shops in a car seat than most people in a lifetime. They are supportive of the late nights, many phone calls, and long trips to seek out license plates. I cannot explain what an amazing feeling it is knowing that we are on the same team with the same goals.
Favorite fish to paint/draw/create?
The more unusual the better! Most art pieces are custom, so I love the challenge of seeking obscure plates to commemorate someone’s special experience. I get excited about the beautiful mixes of the plates and the stories they hold from finding in a foreign junk yard, personal collection of a war hero, or out the back door of a DMV.
Most artfully inspiring place you have fished?
My own backyard of the Rocky Mountains. After traveling the world fishing and scavenging license plates, there’s a lot to be said about getting inspiration in the everyday beauty of snow capped mountains with the vibrant native fish they hold.
What was your first fishing experience?
My earliest true fishing experiences are camping with my father around Cameron Pass in Colorado. I’ll always remember hiking into pristine alpine lakes to catch trout and cook over an open fire for dinner.
When did you begin fishing?
For as long as I can remember fishing has been a part of my family’s culture. There are even pictures with me in diapers with a cane pole in hand.
Who is your biggest inspiration/mentor both in art and personally? How did they impact your life?
My art inspiration are the people and places they represent, that is why I really enjoy fishing all over for lots of different types of fish. This channels my creativity and desire for specific license plates. I seek out plates that have special significance
The personal inspiration would be my wife Ann. She has supported me from the first art piece until today. It’s humbling that she left a corporate position with a Fortune 500 Company after 20-years to help pursue my goals. It’s amazing to have her share the same goals of being amazing parents, solid marriage, and pushing to see how far we can creatively take the business.
Do you listen to anything when you are creating art? If so, what?
Growing up in a musical household, music is a staple when I’m creating art. Actually I was born on tour while my father was opening for Jerry Jeff Walker.
I’ve never really thought of it, but the music I listen to ironically melds into the pieces I’m doing. Usually it’s red dirt country (Robert Earl Keen, Turnpike Troubadours, Cody Jinks), outlaw country (Willie, Waylon, and the boys), or classic rock (Neil Young, Stones, Skynard, Chili Peppers-crazy they’re now considered ‘classic’), which corresponds with the creation of trout, steelhead, and redfish. To get into the saltwater fish vibe, it’s usually reggae or Jimmy Buffet. There’s always the off-shoot fish and that may be music like the Beastie Boys, Motley Crue, or The Cure.
Where can people find your artwork? (Retail store, online store, social media handles, etc)
The artwork can be found at www.codysfish.com, Instagram at @codyscreations, and select fly shops throughout the country. Anything custom please reach out to me at contact@codysfish.com to make it happen.
Any parting thoughts you’d like us to add?
“People need art in their houses. They don’t need Bed Bath and Beyond dentist-office art. They need weird stuff.”-Ezra Croft
