See You Later
On daily walks with their dog, Pete, Dallas-based sculptors and husband-and-wife team Brad Oldham and Christy Coltrin couldn’t help but notice Pete’s fascination with the squirrels in their neighborhood. Those dog-versus-squirrel battles later became the inspiration behind the See You Later sculpture that now lives in Easton Park’s Pilot Park neighborhood. We sat down with Brad and Christy to find out how they translate ideals into metal and what they wanted to give back to Easton Park.
A community built around parks
When Brad and Christy came on their scouting mission to explore Easton Park, one of the first things they noticed was that the community was very family oriented. “Driving through Easton Park, we could tell this is a community built around being outside,” Christy says. “It’s a lot like Austin in general. Easton Park is a tight community, and it was fun to imagine that people are going to walk around the sculpture we’ve created and take photos with it.”
Dogs versus squirrels
When the team spotted all the dogs in the neighborhood, they were reminded of their own dog, Pete. “Pete loved squirrels,” Christy says. “He never caught one, but he always wanted to chase them. But the squirrel always wins! With this piece, we took a fantastical view at capturing that dog-squirrel dynamic by putting a dog in a remote-control plane being flown by a clever squirrel.”
A plane for Pliot Park
The piece also pays homage to Austin’s aeronautical history. Christy and Brad did some deep-dive research into the planes based at Austin-Bergstrom back when it was an Air Force base .“Because this piece was going in Pilot Park, we looked up what planes would have been flying into Austin Bergstrom when the airport began,” Christy says. “The dog is flying in a P51 Mustang, which was one of those original planes!”
Good luck, y’all
Squirrels also have a tradition of being good luck around these parts. “There’s a tradition on the UT campus that if you see an albino squirrel on exam day, it will bring good luck,” Christy says. “So our stainless steel squirrel also serves as a source of inspiration for ingenious problem solving and adds a sprinkle of good luck. We like that it’s a secret nod for people who have gone there!”
The See You Later sculpture was officially installed in Easton Park’s Pilot Park June, 2024. Come by anytime to see it and take a selfie with the squirrel and dog. And if you want to live within walking distance, come find your home and be our neighbor!
