Richard Pathomsiri ’21, director of video production for University of Idaho Athletics, had a vision for creating a different kind of promotion for this year’s Vandal football team.
He reached out to Emma Cuddy, a senior majoring in studio art and design in U of I’s College of Art and Architecture and whose paintings caught Pathomsiri’s eye, to see if she was interested in collaborating with him.
The results have gone viral, garnering attention not only locally, but up to, and including, The New York Times.
Cuddy is creating an original oil painting for each football game this year, featuring a Vandal player and a landscape that references Idaho’s opponent for that week.
“Emma is an incredible figure painter – she really captivates you with her realism and emotion,” said Pathomsiri, currently studying in U of I’s emerging media master’s program. “I told her my idea was to do this with football players and to make the paintings look like they came from the Renaissance. She said yes, and we went to work.”
Picture perfect
Pathomsiri, who received his degree in film and television, is a movie buff. His inspiration for this project came from a dream of sorts. Specifically, the movie “Dreams” by acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa.
Thinking about a section of the movie where characters walked into Van Gogh paintings and became part of the background, Pathomsiri wondered about the possibility of using an older creative medium to market a modern product.
“Richard has a knack for using his artistic lens to combine different aspects he sees in order to create something new,” Cuddy said.
Cuddy, Pathomsiri and Charlei Harwood, creative content graduate assistant for the athletic department, spent time this summer coming up with rough outlines of portraits for all 12 football games, including which player would be featured, the background and the concept.
During the team’s media day, the featured players were asked to pose in the specific way Cuddy saw the painting coming to life. Sometimes extremely specific.
“I asked them to pose while they were holding a spear or sword in the air or leaning on an axe or whatever the scene required,” Cuddy said. “Even the lighting for each shot had to be a specific way to make it work.”
That’s when I realized that what Emma created and what we had worked on was resonating with people. I think we’ve helped a new audience connect with Vandal football.
Richard Pathomsiri
Vandal Athletics director of video production
Cuddy’s attention to detail paid off. The first four paintings (quarterback Joshua Wood week one against Cal Poly, linebacker Cruz Hepburn week two against Utah, defensive end Jamarion Augustus week three against Lamar and safety Zach Wusstig week four against Abilene Christian) have all received positive feedback.
The accolades were a relief to Pathomsiri, as a few of the student-athletes being painted questioned what the end product would look like.
“Some of them did say that they felt a little weird hitting the different poses,” he said. “But we explained our vision to them and ultimately they trusted what we were doing.”
Life imitating art
Cuddy, who is scheduled to graduate in winter 2026, was in the middle of her senior studio work when she was approached by Pathomsiri about this opportunity. Although she didn’t need the extra work, and even though there were several components of the project where she questioned her level of experience, the desire to improve as an artist fueled her to take it on.
“Emma is a great painter who has always been interested in painting figures and using those in her storytelling,” said Aaron Johnson, associate professor of painting and drawing. “She’s now gaining experience in using additional images with figures to enhance a story. It’s been a good exercise for her to gain new skills and turn them into strengths.”
Cuddy, originally from Lewiston, started oil painting in high school. While listening to Pathomsiri’s pitch, she agreed that using oil paintings to promote the football team could grab people’s attention because it would be different.
“I don’t think many people look at oil paintings that often, especially in a space dominated by graphic design like athletics,” she said. “I think oil is seen as more of a classical art form. Combining it with a modern concept like football makes it unique.”
Cuddy, who estimates she has spent between 20 to 30 hours on each of her first three paintings, is being compensated by the athletic department for her time.
Additionally, she will receive a portion of the proceeds as her original paintings are sold through an Idaho Athletics Auction, with the remaining amount of the sale price going to funds supporting the athletic department, student-athletes and the Vandal community.
For an endeavor that might have seemed like a gamble, both Pathomsiri and Cuddy are pleased – and surprised – at the amount of attention the paintings have received.
“I was promoting the first painting on social media, then went to the gym that morning,” Pathomsiri said. “My phone kept buzzing from all of the feedback I was getting. The next day, we heard from The New York Times. That’s when I realized that what Emma created and what we had worked on was resonating with people. I think we’ve helped a new audience connect with Vandal football.”