After less than three years as a full-time artist, this Kentucky muralist has already made a mark on Lexington
Lexington artist Wylie Caudill has one of the best studio spaces an artist could imagine: the great outdoors. Noted for a whimsical style characterized by lots of color and texture, the mural artist can often be found high on a lift working on a new “canvas” that can range from a 30-foot side of a building to a residential retaining wall. (He also does interior work for businesses and individuals.) At age 25, Caudill has been working as a full-time artist for fewer than three years but has already created his mark on Lexington, with murals adorning the walls of several high-profile local businesses, including Soundbar, the Distillery District’s Crank & Boom Craft Ice Cream and the Kentucky for Kentucky warehouse/Kentucky Fun Mall on Loudon Avenue.
Few places in Lexington, however, showcase the transformative power that a large-scale mural can have on a space more effectively than the downtown courtyard of the multi-business concept The Grove. Located on the corner of Main and Upper streets, the space has recently been transformed into a lush urban oasis, thanks in no small part to a striking three-story mural installation by Caudill. To step off the busy street and enter the courtyard through the Upper Street garden gate entrance is to be transported to a different world. Tables, chairs, potted plants and twinkle lights dot the intimate outdoor space, which is flanked on one side by a massive mural that encapsulates the feeling of being enmeshed in a grove of trees in a magical, fairy tale forest.
Owner Avena Kiely explained she had always wanted a mural in the space to help unite the various businesses that compose The Grove, which include a wine and cocktail bar, beer garden, food truck and charcuterie business.
Caudill’s prominent mural in the courtyard of The Grove serves to help unite the various elements of the multi-concept business, which houses a food truck, charcuterie business, wine and cocktail bar and more. Photo furnished
“When we were introduced to Wylie, we knew he would come up with something wonderful,” she said. “He knew we wanted something whimsical that would bring each business into the mural.”
To that end, the large moon in the mural is a nod to Luna, the vintage airstream food truck that remains permanently parked in The Grove’s courtyard. A fox and crow represent characters from Aesop’s Fables, in tribute to The Grove’s in-house wine and charcuterie business, Fable. As for Harvey’s, the longstanding bar that serves as an anchor for The Grove, the rabbit represents the cinematic namesake of the bar – the 1950 film “Harvey,” which stars Jimmy Stewart and centers on the friendship between his character and an invisible six-foot-tall rabbit named Harvey.
“I can’t imagine The Grove’s Beer Garden without the mural now,” said Kiely, who added that people stop by all day long, even outside business hours, to take look or snap photos. “He really added magic to our downtown space.”
Liza Betz, the owner of neighboring business Failte Irish Imports, commented on how much the mural brightened the block.
“It was so exciting to watch Wylie create the mural,” she said. “I love looking at it every day.”
Originally from Cynthiana, Caudill comes from a line of artists, including a grandmother who was a portrait and landscape artist and other relatives who are quilters, musicians and actors. But despite that family background and even his own talent for drawing, which was revealed at an early age, he says he initially resisted following an artistic path.
“I’m a bit rebellious,” he said with a laugh. “I sort of denied art for a while and wanted to move in another direction.” Caudill studied broadcasting and electronic media at Eastern Kentucky University but soon realized he was not passionate about that field. After working on the sets of several movies that were being filmed in Kentucky, he briefly considered a career in filmmaking but reconsidered after realizing the limitations of related opportunities in Kentucky.
“Art kept coming back around in my life,” he explained. On a lark, Caudill started making chalk drawings around campus. While not always well received by the administration, his work was very popular with the students. He began tagging his drawings on Instagram, and his followers quickly grew from a few hundred to thousands. He didn’t realize it at the time, but his calling as a mural artist was revealing itself.
After graduating, Caudill began working for Kentucky for Kentucky, a local company that creates often-cheeky Kentucky-themed merchandise and is known for having coined the catchphrase “Kentucky Kicks Ass.” A 2019 assignment had him painting a rainbow mural outside the company’s warehouse, and when the company was contacted by the owner of the Frankfort-based restaurant The Stave, who was seeking a Kentucky Kicks Ass mural for her restaurant, the company knew who to send.
Caudill enjoyed that project so much he knew he wanted to do more.
“I posted some stuff to my Instagram, and it took off quickly,” he said, adding, “I can’t credit social media enough for how quickly people were aware of my work.” Inquiries rolled in and his phone started buzzing.
Caudill says while his parents always encouraged his creativity, they had some initial concerns about him taking the leap to full-time artist. Caudill’s father, who works in the financial industry, felt compelled to weigh in with some practical advice.
“My dad made out a budget outlining what it would take to cover all necessities,” Caudill said. “I think he was trying to point out it wouldn’t be a good idea to quit my job, but I met those financial goals my first year.”
He added, “I just wanted to pay my bills and be able to eat, but it has turned into a sustaining career that I love. It’s incredible.”
And Caudill shows no sign of slowing down. If you follow his Instagram or his popular TikTok, you can watch him making magic all over central Kentucky – on a ladder, paintbrush in hand, making magic for now and for generations to come.
Photo furnished
Lexington mural artist Wylie Caudill recently took some time to answer some questions for Smiley Pete writer Celeste Lewis.
When did you know you wanted to be an artist? In 2019, when I figured out I could start paying the bills with my talent. It was a little scary quitting my job and taking the leap to full-time artist, but I have zero regrets.
When did you begin working large scale and making murals? I started making some large chalk art in college around 2015. By late 2019, I had done my first large-scale mural with paint, and I was hooked.
What are some of the challenges you run into as a mural artist? Every mural is a new challenge, from locations, to weather, to the content I’m painting. I’ll never stop running into problems, but I guess that’s what keeps it interesting.
Is there a dream project you haven’t taken on yet? Something out of state! Traveling would really add a new layer to the experience!
What’s something in your work you can’t live without? Color! I love color and lots of it. I would never describe myself as subtle.
Tell me about your process. Break it down for us a little. I start with the location. How is the wall shaped; how can I orient the artwork to best suit it on the wall? Then I usually start designing on my iPad. I draw things out over top of a photo of the wall on an app called Procreate. Then I start painting. I prefer free handing everything I can. The grid technique is most useful. I definitely prefer brush painting as opposed to spray painting, but I use both sometimes. My style allows me to not have to project a lot [a technique used by many mural artists to project the image on the wall and trace and paint it]. I like to get right to the wall and get going.
What inspires you? Where do you get ideas? This is vague, but, the internet. I’m inspired by things I see online mostly. A wide range of imagery appeals to me from Renaissance art to video game animation. I also get a lot of inspiration from my clients. People usually have given some thought to a mural, and it’s fun to partner on their vision and work out details.
What’s the nicest comment you’ve received about your work? The compliments that mean the most to me are the ones I accidentally overhear. The things people say when they think I can’t hear are the most genuine. So, when they are good, it feels wonderful.
What do you hope people get out of your work? I want it to be simple. I want it to make people happy and maybe a little astounded. It’s an experience. I hope they walk up to the art and say “wow!”
Are there other art forms you enjoy? I really enjoy acting and set design. I love Shakespeare, and I perform every summer at the Appalachian Shakespeare Center at EKU. I’ve gotten to appear in every production they have done. I keep my eye out for local productions that sound like fun, and I audition here and there.
Do you have a favorite place in Lexington? Broomwagon.
Lexington has become a mural town. What role do you think the arts play in Lexington’s future? This is a big question, and I think the only answer I have is that it is our job as artists to continue to create and give back to the community as long as the community will have us. Lexington has welcomed public art with open arms, and I hope that continues.
Who are some of your favorite artists? I follow many mural artists. Kalulfart is a favorite. I also really like Kelsey Montague, one of the first interactive mural artists. Her wings murals are very interesting public art.
How important is social media for artists? What social media platforms work best for you? It is by far the most valuable platform for connecting with new clients and for people to find me and see what I do. I credit Instagram for how I have been able to grow so quickly in two years.
What’s next for you? I am working on painting a room in my house, top to bottom. The entire room will be painted. It’s the first time I have painted something 100%. Also, I’ve got a big and exciting project coming up at The Greyline. I’m doing multiple murals both interior and exterior. Stay tuned for that!
Photo by Emily Giancarlo