HBy Lexie Wasinger
University Relations and Marketing
Most college students don’t paint a self-portrait of themselves getting punched in the face, but Layke Heimerman isn’t your ordinary college student.
Art is a hobby for the Fort Hays State University sophomore student-athlete. He is active on campus in a variety of ways, but his two main passions are art and football.
The portrait that he painted for an art class is gritty and a little hard-hitting, much like the sport he loves. For this Tiger linebacker, his affinity for football and creating artwork began at an early age.
“I grew up doing art work,” Heimerman said. “My mom is a graphic designer and always encouraged my brother and me to paint when we were younger.”
During his high school days at Halstead, he took art classes for four years while at the same time starring on the football field, where he earned all-state honors his junior and senior years.
“My art teacher in high school was a really cool dude,” Heimerman said. “He got me into the kind of paintings that I do now and inspired me on how to paint.”
Portraits are Heimerman’s favorite painting subjects, whether it be his own or a comedian with a distinct look that he liked.
However, when his high school art teacher introduced him to “thrift store paintings,” they became another favorite. To create a “thrift store painting,” Heimerman finds an old painting from a thrift shop and paints pop culture figures or local references into the scene.
In the past, he has painted the sinking Titanic and a UFO into a lake landscape. Currently, he is working on a European street scene, which features Colonel Sanders, an octopus and a sign from a local bar.
Just as his mom initially encouraged Heimerman’s artwork, family ties also influenced his decision to attend school at FHSU.
“Football and my family brought me to Fort Hays State,” Heimerman said. “Both my parents, one of my grandparents, and my brother, Gentry, all went to Fort Hays, so I always kind of had my eyes set on playing football there.”
Football is just one of Heimerman’s many activities in which he participates at FHSU.
He is a student success coach for a freshman seminar class. He has been chosen as one of the 2019-20 VIP Student Ambassadors, a prestigious group of student leaders chosen to represent FHSU at official campus events. And he even has ventured into cutting fellow students’ hair, including members of the football team, thanks to a high school best friend with a man bun.
“(His hair) didn’t look good, so I asked him if I could at least shave the sides and give him a top knot,” Heimerman said. “It looked alright, so I kept cutting his hair like that. From there, I started cutting a lot of my friends’ hair back home, and when I got to Fort Hays State, I started cutting a bunch of people’s hair here. It’s become a cool hobby.”
Whether he’s holding a paint brush or hair clippers, Heimerman continues to find ways to express his creativity.
But right now, his focus is on football as the Tigers prepare for Saturday’s spring game. For more information on activities surrounding the game, which begins at 1 p.m. at Lewis Field Stadium, go to the football page at fhsuahtletics.com.
After two eventful seasons on the football team, Heimerman is excited to see what is in store for the Tigers this fall.
As a redshirt freshman last year, Heimerman appeared in all 12 games – mostly on special teams, during a special season.
The Tigers won their second consecutive MIAA title in 2018, qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs for a second straight year and finished 9-3 overall. That was the one of the best records in school history, second only to the 11-1 mark of the year before.
It all begins again Saturday for Heimerman and the Tigers.
“I’m looking forward to getting back into it,” he said, “and competing for another MIAA title.”
