I didn’t get to sit for long because I was immediately introduced to several of the Park’s most well known faces and was received incredibly well as an integral part of documenting this night. As the night unfolded we were treated to a wonderful dinner including a dinner salad, prime rib, mashed potatoes, asparagus and a decadent piece of chocolate cake. Then the awards began and it took only a few minutes to realize what I was really witnessing. This night was recognition for years worth of work for first class horses, trainers, breeders and jockey’s that have created the identity of Oklahoma horse racing by their hard work, dedication and commitment.

Each inductee was more than deserving of the honor and recognition they received on this night and there were several very moving moments, even for an onlooker like myself; this really changed how I see the track. During the recognition of “You and Me Partners” I was taken aback by the sheer emotion in these grown cowboy’s voices. It was moving to see that these men are not just owners and breeders but a family pursuing excellence for Oklahoma. As a long term resident of this state I was beaming with pride! Another very moving and emotional time was the recognition of Jacky Martin. What an amazing jockey and an even more amazing man. The below paragraphs were taken from the Remington Park website describing Martin.

“A seven-time winner of the prestigious All American Futurity, Martin has also been voted the AQHA Champion Jockey twice (2000, 2010). A native of Arkansas, Martin has been the leading rider at Remington Park three times and has won over 2,900 races in his career, victorious aboard more than 20% of his career mounts, while posting earnings above $45 million.

Martin was critically injured in a riding mishap at Ruidoso Downs, N.M. in 2011, during All American weekend. He was slated to ride Ochoa, the eventual winner of the All American Futurity on Labor Day.”

I think the most amazing part about this evening was realizing what a large family the horse racing family is. There is so much passion and respect associated with the men and women in the horse racing world and I now see it as so much more than I used to. It is not just a weekend of spectator fun; it is a lifetime of community and commitment.

-Jerrod

To see the full list of inductees and their bios visit Remington Parks page HERE.

I had an opening reception scheduled at STASH for the second Friday art walk that happens in Norman, OK.  I headed down there last week, got the work hung and packed up.  However, when I wen to leave I ended up in an F3 tornado and had to abandon my care to run inside a random supply store.  There I waited out the tornado in a small bathroom with about 15 other people.  Needless to say the show did not happen and know the art walk has been rescheduled for April, 2oth from 6-9pm.  Come hang out and check out some new stuff I have been working on!

For more check out the FACEBOOK EVENT.

We arrive early in the evening, take advantage of their free valet and head inside; we pick up our program for the races and head upstairs to Silks, Remington’s fine dining restaurant.  The third floor of Remington is incredible-they have massive panoramic windows looking straight onto the track which allows you to have a perfect view of the action.

The hostess leads us to our table, which is dead center with the finish line.  Best seat in the house!  The higher tables at Silks have an individual monitor at each table in order to not miss anything during the races.  We are promptly greeted by our waiter and order drinks and an appetizer.  I have to be careful to not write solely about the food, because let me tell you-it was incredible.

When I need to impress someone, this is where I am going to take them!  The food, the view, the entertainment, the excitement-doesn’t get any better.  We were enjoying our food and had a clear view to watch the ponies run, but it was time to start betting!

There is a balcony on the same floor as Silks that you can step out onto with a clear view of the paddock.

We scope out the horses from above, pick the ones we like and head to the windows.  Every teller that we went to was very helpful and friendly-no need to be intimidated if you don’t really know what you are doing!  We place our bets and head back to our table to watch them run.  And they’re off!  I love Remington’s tagline of ‘Let your heart race’ because it is so fitting-you get nervous, you get excited, your blood is pumping, heart is beating, you jump up and down and holler for your horse to come in.  And everyone alongside you feels the exact same thing.  We win a couple bucks and do it all over again.

We are in the middle of the Quarter Horse season at Remington Park.  Oklahoma has been known to be called the ‘Kentucky’ of Quarter Horse racing, meaning that this is the top place for quarter horses to race.  I grew up around horses and have had a deep love for the animal my entire life.  There is something about watching animals of this stature and power compete that I find incredible.  This particular weekend they were running trials for the Oklahoma Futurity; this meant that a lot of the horses had never even raced before.  Quarter horse races are very short distances and almost always include a ‘photo finish’.  With all these variables, we were not doing too hot on our bets.  So, we order some dessert and sit the next couple races out.  All of their desserts are made at their in house bakery and are phenomenal.

When you reserve a table at Silks, you have it for the duration of the evening.  You can view the paddock, place your bets, eat, drink, and see the track all from the same floor.  We had extraordinary service the entire night, even with us running around placing bets and only being at the table half the time, every detail was attended to.

(our waiter John Wood)

With only a couple races left, we decided to make a few larger bets in hopes of taking home some money.  Again, up to the window to place my bets and back down to the table to watch.  The excitement sets in and off they go…….WE WIN!!  We more than triple our money and view the night as a victory!  We decide to head outside on the plaza to visit with some friends and watch the last race up close.  It is a gorgeous night, and the plaza is packed.

One of our friends is there with his 8 year old daughter; she loves being so close to the horses and watching them race.  There is no other place in the city that you can find a night of free entertainment-that is family friendly, exciting, and tons of fun.  Not to be cliché, but there is truly something for everyone at Remington Park.

Stay tuned for a time lapse video of the process.

CAPTURE  /  48″x96″  /  sold  /  (prints available)

Also, you won’t want to miss TOKOPHOBIA , a show that the studio space I founded, (THE SOCIETY) @theSOCIETYokc is hosting March 8th.  Cinematographer Patrick Lawler will be here to capture that on his Red Epic and shoot several other artistic films with us while he’s here.

Keep your eyes peeled for my next endeavor coming in April involving great design and inspired home pieces you won’t want to live without!  Thanks for taking some time to catch up with me!

Dylan Bradway

Dylan Bradway

Dylan Bradway

Jerrod Smith

Jerrod Smith

Jerrod Smith/Dylan Bradway

This piece was started at an event called Mustache Bash, hosted by  a local shop called  Shop Good.  I finished the initial sketch of Buffalo Bill but did not get to finish the piece completely.  I had some friends over to my studio who ended up tweaking it a bit with the skeleton, the dark black outline, the Ziggy Stardust lightening bolt and the Conquistador at the bottom left.  AH, the beauty of COLLABORATION!

Patrons, Art Lovers, Christmas present shoppers, Wheelers & dealers…here’s your chance to help raise money for our Community Driven art space in a show with all original works, ranging from oil paintings to pottery, starting under $100. The funds raised will be used to continue providing a comfortable work environment for OKC artists as well as building out more space, creating storage and assisting in community efforts such as Oklahoma’s Foster Care Program and other local endeavors.

It will be an atmosphere with warm drink, specialty foods and local acoustic acts including Matt Lowery. These artists are some of OKC’s finest and rarely ever have original pieces offered at these prices. Want to buy local for a loved one’s X-mas gift? Here’s your chance! Resident artists Phillip Danner, Joe Garcia, Tommy Poole, Kaleen Ezelle, Jerrod Smith and TIm Krause will be featuring their works. In addition we will have “Friends of The Society” participating as well. These artists will include Andy Boatman, Julie Robertson, Ryan Cunningham, Bjorn Bauer, Amanda Christine, Dylan and Amanda Bradway and other wonderful OKC artists.

DEC. 9TH DURING LIVE ON THE PLAZA.

5PM-7PM BEAT THE RUSH AND COME BID ON YOUR FAVORITE PIECE DURING OUR 2 HOUR “CHILL” TEMPO BIDDING. PIECES BIDDED ON DURING THESE TWO HOURS WILL BE FROZEN ON THE LAST BID RIGHT AT 7PM SO THAT MEANS *****FIRST COME FIRST SERVE*******

7PM-11PM WE’LL START OUR MORE UP TEMPO TIME AND GET THE REMAINING WORKS OF ART FLYING OFF THE WALL.

Here’s a nice little comment from a blog I found about buying local art: So true.

“Without the support of the immediate market in this city, artists who are not independently wealthy will find it almost impossible to spread out and find success in other comparable markets like Kansas City & Dallas, or larger markets like Chicago and New York. Thinking about this in economic terms helps by envisioning a single artist like a start up company. As the smart company begins selling product, they allocate money towards advertising outside of their immediate market, thus stimulating interest. An artist does this by entering national juried shows, and being a part of group shows in galleries. When a company is doing well in one market, it may have the available funding to expand business in another region. This would correspond in the art world to an artist being represented by a gallery or dealer in another city. Without the initial capital being raised in this market, many Oklahoma City artists will never be able to take their ability to higher levels and “export” their work from Oklahoma City into different markets.”