Wylie Caudill, ’18, is the official artist of the 2024 Kentucky Derby.
“Since before I can remember, my parents tell me I have been drawing,” he said.
As Caudill grew up, he started exploring various art forms on all kinds of surfaces. He made the world his canvas, using sidewalks, canvases, whiskey bottles, horse statues and more.
Many recall Caudill’s Pokémon chalk art in front of the Keen Johnson Building while he was a student at EKU. For a while, though, art was just a hobby for Caudill. After graduating from EKU and doing art on the side, he began getting consistent work making murals and logos for companies around Lexington, Kentucky.
In 2019, Caudill decided to pursue art as a career and began to develop his own style, which he calls “organic repetition.”
After gaining a strong following on social media, Caudill was chosen as the official artist of the 150th Kentucky Derby.
Caudill said working with the Derby has been an incredible experience. He hopes it leads to new opportunities in the future, including one day having his own gallery show.
By Ethan Sirles