Wylie Caudill paints a 7,200-square-foot futsal court in Louisville with blue and red roses

# What happened Wylie Caudill, a Lexington muralist known for painting roses across Kentucky since 2024, completed one of his largest projects to date: a 7,200-square-foot futsal court in Clifton Park, Louisville. He hand-painted dozens of blue and red roses across the asphalt surface, creating a court meant to be both playable and visually distinctive.

# Why it matters locally Caudill has produced notable Derby-related work — he created most of the art for the 150th Kentucky Derby and designed a commemorative Woodford Reserve bottle — and his rose imagery has become a visible element in Louisville. This court is a public, interactive example of that motif placed directly in a neighborhood park.

# How he did it Caudill said the scale felt like "a four or five-story building just on the ground." The work took about three weeks and required adapting to weather and material constraints. In August the court surface reached roughly 140°F, so Caudill painted at night and into early mornings to avoid overheated pavement and to meet a tight deadline.

# Why he paints roses

# Project partners and context Studio Worldwide contacted Caudill to paint the court as part of its program that brings futsal courts and artists to cities. Caudill had wanted to paint a sports court and took the commission after Studio Worldwide asked him to do roses.

# Practical details for similar projects

• Surface temperature matters: Caudill avoided painting when the court exceeded about 110°F and scheduled work overnight when daytime surface temperatures reached about 140°F.
• Use the right product: Street Bond is formulated for pedestrian and vehicle traffic and includes sand for texture and durability.
• Mixing window: Some street paints require on-site mixing and must be used within a limited time (Caudill cited a 24-hour window after mixing).

# What Caudill said "I always loved interactive murals, but I always felt like 'stand in front of this and take a photo' was not quite my style. Whereas painting a court is like the perfect combination," Caudill said in an interview with LPM. He described living at the park while meeting the two- to three-week timeline and sometimes napping in his car between shifts.

# Where this sits in his work The court follows recent Caudill projects in Louisville, including a "disco ball pegasus" mural off Jefferson Street and other rose-themed installations tied to Derby commissions. The court adds an interactive, community-facing canvas to that body of work.