Portland Artist Earns Coveted KDF Poster Commission

With Derby season already upon us, whenever you see this year’s Kentucky Derby Festival poster around town know that the artwork originated from a studio on Bank Street in Portland. The artist, Richard Sullivan, had been renting space at the Dolfinger building on Montgomery Street since 2016, but bought his new studio (and after extensive remodeling, his new home) in 2020, and has lived and worked there ever since.

In early February it was announced that Sullivan’s work, “Liberated”, had been chosen to symbolize the pageantry and passion of the Derby, an honor placing his works alongside an annual legacy of prestigious artistic creations. In fact, for the 150th Run for the Roses, KDF reached out to him in October, as opposed to applying and beating out other applicants. His reputation as a specialist in equine and sports artwork – with clients such as Churchill Downs, Woodford Reserve, Brown Foreman and Coca Cola — led to his earning the commission. Images of Liberated will adorn not only posters, but hoodies, t-shirts, postcards and other Derby memorabilia.

“I’m super excited to be chosen” to be part of such a huge tradition, he said. “Everybody is so ready for spring. The excitement and magic are in the air.”

He said he went back to gain inspiration from posters from the early 2000s, but his main goal was “incorporating the beauty of the Pegasus.”

Sullivan, who has been professional artist for about 10 years, is from Louisville, attended Meyzeek Middle and then Ballard High School, before pursuing the rare combination of fine arts and baseball. At Savannah College of Art and Design, as a left-handed pitcher he became a prospect for the Atlanta Braves and played six years of minor league baseball.

While he stopped playing recreational softball a few years ago (and has a hard time sitting through a three-hour long baseball game, even the Braves), he still draws from the high level of competition and elite preparation that his necessary in professional sports, as well as the equestrian events and horse racing.

“As an artist, I get into a flow, and put myself in their shoes,” he said. “I know what it was like.”

His baseball connections extend not only to his former team the Braves, but also clients such as major league franchises the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies and also NFL team the Atlanta Falcons, as well as Topps baseball cards.

“Baseball is still very much a part of who I am.”

He said his Portland building used to be an old dry goods store. He’s turned the downstairs into his art studio, with the upstairs transformed into a well-appointed two-bedroom apartment, with a new deck built on the back. The two distinct spaces have perhaps made him more introverted — he joked that he doesn’t have to leave the building — but “once I go down the steps there’s a transition,” he said. “It definitely feels like two different spaces.”

At the Dolfinger building, also former home of Squallis Puppeteers, he realized how important it was to be around other artists, but his new location has been important to his evolution as an individual and helped him grow.

When we met in mid-February he was finishing up the life-size model for his entry in the Gallopalooza display of equine artwork all over town, another KDF event. His creation will reside at the KDF headquarters on Kentucky Street.

He said he’s got a busy 15 days in March and April with all kinds of KDF events, including an appearance in the grand Pegasus Parade and a reservation at the Galt House for prime viewing of Thunder Over Louisville.

Back in 2016, when Sullivan was renting his space at the Dolfinger he was living in Boston, Massachusetts. And now that he’s a Portland resident he sees both the charm and the struggles of the neighborhood up close.

“I just try to be kind, he said. “And it’s good to have hope.”

In addition to his KDF duties, Sullivan has an upcoming show (when?) at the Kore Gallery in Shelby Park, featuring his equine artwork. His work was also featured in the Portland Museum’s showcase of local artists.