By Jodi Miesen
WKTV Contributing Writer

When Rockford resident Kathie Van Hekken learned about the death of Kent County Sheriff K9 officer Axel, it spurred her into action.

“I saw it on TV the day he died,” said the 76-year-old artist of Axel, who died from an undiagnosed heart condition while tracking a suspect in August of 2021. “And I love dogs. I love pets. I know I have the skill to draw them…And I thought you know what? I could take something so sad and I can do some good with this.”

Her something good was the creation of a 44- by 44-inch color pencil portrait of Axel that is currently part of the 2022 ArtPrize exhibit. The piece hangs at the First (Park) Congregational Church, 10 E. Park Place NE.

A late bloomer in art

Van Hekken discovered her passion for art later in life, after stumbling upon it about seven years ago. Her mother was an artist who dabbled in oil paintings. Van Hekken had inherited her mother’s art supplies when she passed away in 2005, but it wasn’t until years into her retirement that Van Hekken finally got them out.

“I went to one of those wine and women kind of things,” she said. “I took my paintings and I showed them to the teacher, and I asked if he could teach me what I was missing. And that’s when I started learning.”

She shared her desire to be “good enough” someday to be an ArtPrize artist and with encouragement from that teacher it happened in 2015 when Van Hekken entered her hand drawn, nine feet tall sunflowers.

Making a connection

Through a mutual acquaintance, Van Hekken reached out to Axel’s handler, Kent County Sheriff Officer Krystal Stuart about getting permission to create the piece.

“She told me how big it was going to be and I was like, ‘What?’” Stuart said. “Like, I didn’t even know that was possible, especially for like color pencil, like a drawing, you know. I was like, ‘How is this even going to be a thing?’”

Van Hekken admitted once she got Stuart’s permission, the project was a little nerve wracking as she wanted to do “a really good job.” Stuart was with her every step of the way, coming over regularly to see the piece as it progressed in its various stages and to let Van Hekken know she was heading in the right direction.

 

“The first conversation we had, we talked,” Van Hekken said. “She told me stories. I’ve learned that I have to know what I’m drawing. If I have an emotional attachment, it will come out. You know, when people say that I captured Axel, that’s because she made sure I knew Axel, even though I had never met him.

‘Hi, Axel’

Through this process and utilizing one of Stuart’s favorite pictures of Axel, slowly he emerged through the drawing.

“I think I had his ears and a little bit of his face,” she said. “And I had sketched in his mouth and I could see him for the first time for me, other than a photograph. And it was like, ‘Hi Axel.’ And I cried for him. It was just really emotional. It still is.”

It took Van Hekken about seven months to complete the massive art piece and as soon as it was, the first person she had to see it was Stuart.

 

“She was quiet,” Van Hekken said. “She just stood quietly and looked at it. It was very, very touching.”

And for Van Hekken, Stuart’s reaction was payment enough.

“She did a phenomenal job capturing his essence,” Stuart said. “He had that, like I say, twinkle in his eye, which sounds so cliché, but he really did when he was not in work mode. He had this goofy, like ‘I’m a big doofus look in his eye.’ And then when he was working, it just went black.”

Celebrating Kent County Sheriff’s K9 unit

Van Hekken said she chose Axel not only to honor him, but to raise awareness and money for the donation-based K9 Unit. Currently, there are 10 Kent County Sheriff K9s covering most of the county. The animals are trained to detect explosives, track suspects, secure buildings, or may be used as a compliance tool. Axel was the department’s first explosive detection dog.

Van Hekken said she had cards made with Axel’s portrait on them that she handed out when people visit her exhibit. The cards include a QR code to make a donation directly to the Kent County K9 Unit.

“She wanted to tell Axel’s story,” Stuart said. “She wanted to explain what the process was of getting Axel, what happened to Axel, the work that we put in and how much these K-9s actually do for our community.

“Because it’s not just having them and showing off and whatnot. I mean, they find missing children, they find vulnerable adults, suspects in places that we won’t. They protect our officers in different everyday situations.”

Sharing with the community who loved him

After ArtPrize, VanHekken will give the piece to Stuart, who hopes to donate it to the Kent County Sheriff’s Department. Stuart said she wants to share Axel with the community since he was “everybody’s dog.” Stuart is hoping to get approval to have it installed in the new North substation, which is scheduled to open in 2023 in Cedar Springs. Stuart said the location is fitting since northern Kent County was their home base “and those are the residents that had seen him the most.”

Van Hekken said she’s proud to be a part of the project. For her, it was a labor of love.

 

“I never entered ArtPrize thinking I would win, she said. “I just wanted to do something good. I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to call attention to the K9 Unit and Axel.”

And with a satisfied smile adding. “I’m already the winner.”