One of the most influential equine novels is Walter Farley’s 1941 classic “The Black Stallion,” which transports readers into the story of young Alec Ramsey and his adventures with a magnificent black Arabian stallion. It took readers from being shipwrecked to horse racing. In 1953, Marjorie Burger of the New York Times stated, “The Black Stallion is about the most famous fictional horse of the century.”

The 2019 Del Mar program cover, “Dark Horses” (Courtesy of Amy Treadway)

Farley’s book created a longing for a connection to horses and horse racing for Amy Treadway, a little girl growing up in Georgia. Her parents encouraged her artistic talent from the time she was able to hold a marker and a pencil. She remembers, “I was always drawing. I was attracted to color. My stuff is very flamboyant, very bright, with movement and splatter. Color captures emotion and that was evident in my art as a kid.”

There was no horse racing in Georgia but there were books, so she read the entire “Black Stallion” series. “I would live through the books. I loved the history of the Thoroughbred coming from Arabians. It was ‘The Black Stallion’ that introduced me to racing. The only way I could own a horse was to paint them.” 

For her senior graduation trip, Treadway’s dad took her to Barbaro’s Kentucky Derby. She studied at Reinhardt University and is grateful for an amazing instructor who developed her drawing skills. She transferred to Shorter University to study color theory. She graduated with a degree in mathematics so she could teach art and math at high school.

A defining moment in her art career was when a primary painting instructor asked, “Who is your favorite artist?” He said, “You should be your favorite artist.”  Treadway took this to heart and explained that if “you own a Chevy dealership, don’t drive a Ford.”  This still resonates with her. She wants her work to reflect her journey and passion.

“Riding to the Tunnel” (Courtesy of Amy Treadway)

Another instructor encouraged her to “love the process as much as the end result. You need to go discover your brand, discover what you like.”  That is when Treadway bought some giant canvasses and started embracing what she calls “unrealistic colors that imply realistic color.” She explored working with bright colors, splatters, and deleting the background. “I don’t paint a lot of backgrounds because the focus is the horse.”  She transitioned from oils and acrylics to watercolor. “That’s really when my brand took off, because I was using watercolor in a very unnatural way.”

She has mastered a dry brush technique using tube watercolors with a minimum of water.  “It’s almost like you are painting with acrylic paints but with the looseness that watercolor affords. I can get darker pigments faster. It’s on dry paper with a dry brush and that allows me more control for details.”

One of her tools is masking fluid, which gives her a unique style and definition. Once she has her sketch on paper, she will outline the entire sketch in masking fluid and then paint layers on top. When the paint is dry, she peels the masking fluid off. “You will get this beautiful stark white outline that’s sketched basically on top of the painting. It tightens up so it’s not just this loose smear of color.” She takes black ink and sketches details to get a hand drawn look on top of the white lines. “It blends the balance of contrast for me. It gets me realistic shapes and proportions and lets the water color do what it does best, which is run and create movement.” 

Now a resident of Southern California, Treadway knew that she had found her artistic home the first time she visited Del Mar. “There is history on these walls. I’m so excited to finally be around horse racing. It’s a dream come true to stand in the paddock with the trainers and horses. It’s like I was living in the books I have read and what I have been painting.”

“Opening Day” (Courtesy of Amy Treadway)

Del Mar has featured her in their “Artist of the Week” programs. She won their art competition in 2019 with her painting “Dark Horse,” which was displayed as Del Mar’s cover piece on their program. She won again in 2025 with her painting “Across the Board” of a bold chestnut with a big white blaze charging forward. The jockey is wearing Del Mar’s recognizable blue and yellow diamond pattern on his silks. Her paintings often feature a “dark horse,” which is her tribute to “The Black Stallion” (often in the prominent position of winning!).

She has developed many fans throughout the years, one of which is Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith. He says, “Not only is her work brilliant but it comes to life!”

Treadway is thankful to the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. “They opened the gate for me. When I do a painting, my heart is on the paper. I want to capture every angle I can from the paddock to where they walk the horses under the archway. The walkway is beautifully lined with flowers. I feel like my love for the location is in every single one of my paintings. It’s a way for me to express my gratitude.”

Mac McBride, director of media for Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, frames her work beautifully. “Amy Treadway is bright and colorful, just like her art. She’s a pleasure to work with and has brought Del Mar some beautiful pieces over the years. Her latest — and some would say greatest — nicely adorns our programs and Media Guides this summer at Del Mar, and we’ll hope she comes back for more in the future.”