We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Monty Montgomery a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Monty, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I realized that I wanted to be an Artist in Mrs. Jackson’s 3rd grade class at Mineral Elementary in Virginia. There was a poster contest in my class and I remember realizing that I not only wanted to win the poster contest at the local bank but that I wanted to create a piece of art that people would enjoy looking at. I knew that it would be displayed in the local bank and that folks would be seeing my poster. I realized that I needed to make it extra special and I felt the competition of my fellow 3rd graders. This was the moment where i not only wanted to succeed in the creation of the piece but I knew that I wanted to make things for folks to see and feel and experience.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have enjoyed being creative since I was a little boy playing with Tonka trucks and building towns in my sandbox. It seems that I was destined to create. I grew up beside my Mom and Dad who were both so creative in different ways. My Mom was a Kindergarten teacher for over 40 years and my Dad has always been a craftsman of various sorts. I always loved sports and art and through my entire life it has been these two things that guided my path. The discipline associated with growing up as an athlete always taught me things about my artistic vision and how to this day I am able to focus in on goals and achieving through staying focused.

I actually blew out my knee in college playing football and after that devastating experience my artistic world became everything! I began to use all of my energy and focus towards creating and this lead me down many creative paths professionally through the years. I began as a Graphic Designer and started my own clothing line. I then worked in the music industry and then went on to owning and curating an Art Gallery. In 2008 I decided to truly focus in on painting and murals and launched www.montymontgomeryart.com .

The journey has been amazing and I hope to continue creating and building for many years to come. I enjoy working with all sorts of clients with all different types of ideas and visions, i always stay open to what may be possible and enjoy bringing interesting projects to life. In 2019 I created a 176ft suspending mural for the San Diego Museum of Art. This project is surely one of my proudest moments as it is the largest solo piece of art to date in the history of the Museum. I enjoy splitting time now between California and Virginia with studios in both locations which enables me to travel and take in energy that I eventually turn into ART!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is truly being able to bring something to life in your own way. I enjoy so much working with others, sharing thoughts and ideas and listening to what others see and feel. I always share with folks that things can always be different, the sky doesn’t always have to be blue and the grass is not always green… Being creative is powerful and it becomes even more powerful when you are truly you with the decisions you make!

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

NFT’s….. I struggled with this for a while and just recently came to peace. For some time I was contacted by companies to produce NFT’s and started to play a bit with the idea but it just never felt right for me personally. I chose to answer this question because i feel that you as an artist need to look at what it is to you! Don’t worry about others. At this point in my career I fully enjoy working with paint, drawing, using physical elements for my work and to create digitally is just not soothing for me. I’d say it also has something to do with being a Graphic Designer for many years and letting that world go. I think that NFT’s are wonderful if it is the right direction for you but don’t lose sight on what you feel is your true creative process.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.montymontgomeryart.com
• Instagram: montymontgomery
• Facebook: montymontgomeryart
• Linkedin: montymontgomery
• Twitter: montyart

Image Credits
“Geo #115” Triangular mural photo credit: Holly Jane Sutor