Dr. John Cody's love for art started at a young age, with him beginning to document nature through sketches at 8. While attending medical school and starting a career as a psychiatrist, he kept his passion for art. Along with his talent for art and psychiatry, Cody also was an avid writer. He went on to write biographies about Emily Dickinson and Richard Wagner. His writings included painting, anatomy, psychiatry, and entomology. He was often described as a "Renaissance man." His art has been featured and shown throughout the country, and he found much acclaim as an artist. In 1997, he received the Governor's Arts Award for Individual Artist Lifetime Achievement Award in the State of Kansas. He passed away in 2016 and left behind hundreds of original art pieces and a rich legacy.