Life & Work with Mark Montgomery of Springfield

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Montgomery.

Hi Mark, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I was born in Kansas City and raised in Belton, MO. I am eternally grateful to my parents, aunts and uncles, and the amazing teachers who awakened my love for art through support, mentorship, private lessons, and high school classes. I attended a small Christian school in Belton called Heartland High School. I had a lot of interests, including music, sports, and theatre. Still, after my junior year, my parents took me into KC to visit my uncle John “Q” Harrington’s advertising agency where he introduced me to graphic design and sent me home with a carload of illustration annuals. From that day, I I knew I wanted to study commercial art. After graduation, I moved 2.5 hours south to Springfield to study illustration and graphic design with some internationally renowned professors at Missouri State University. I got a design job, got married right after graduation, and decided to stay in Springfield. I have been a graphic designer for the City of Springfield, MO, local government since 2003.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
There are many struggles to being an artist– many of them internal. How do I narrow my interests and specialize? What’s the business side of creativity? Should I go all-in freelance or keep it on the side? How can I make money while doing what I love? These all sound like book titles! As time passes, some of those anxieties weaken, and I gradually become comfortable composing my identity from different life influences. Not just what I do for a living. I believe it is important to be open to learning new things from every situation. Growing up in a small school where I could participate in various activities helped me be well-rounded and develop empathy and emotional intelligence. Attending a large, 4-year university helped me narrow my focus while finding my place among my peers in other fields of study. While working for local government, I’ve learned to be creative on a budget, and that art can make a difference in a community. What I learned from living in the Ozarks is a love for family heritage and folk music while finding a sense of place. What I learned from my family is a love of storytelling. What I learned from a few years of live-event caricature drawing is that I don’t like people staring at me while I draw. Ha! So, as I pick up various pieces and interests, my style develops, and I become more focused on how I like to tell stories.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I love telling stories with my illustrations– adding a bit of history through shapes and texture. This year I have been working on a display for a Route 66-themed bowling alley inside my church, so I am drawing pieces that tell different parts of the history and culture surrounding the historic highway. I am probably most known for my illustrated portraits and caricature illustrations. I have been able to do freelance illustration projects for magazines, music packaging and band merchandise artwork, advertising, film posters, children’s books, character design, and private commission. I also sell limited edition prints of musician portraits at the Acoustic Shoppe (theacousticshoppe.com) in Springfield. Since 2020, I have been developing a retro advertising painting style influenced by 1930s pulp magazine covers, film posters, and WWI propaganda posters. I’ve used this style for COVID response posters for our Health Department, Birthplace of Route 66 Festival displays, and music packaging for bands in St. Louis and Nashville. In my time at the City of Springfield, I have had opportunities to use my illustration skills for a variety of media, including Jazz festival posters, newsletter caricatures, a baseball mural, various cartoon mascots for kids programs, the African-American Heritage Trail logo, and all the branding for the City and the annual Birthplace of Route 66 Festival: comprised of T-shirt designs and other official merchandise for sale, illustrated maps, event and concert posters, logos, ads, street banners, and even parade floats. The variety of work keeps me on my toes!

So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why?
Being creative, consistent, and true to myself. I feel a deep responsibility to pass along family values and my love of cultural history to my kids. This includes being proud of the work I do and being able to share what I’m working on with my teenage son and daughter. This also includes learning to play the mandolin, hanging my artwork on the walls, watching old movies and TV shows together, visiting family, dragging my kids to antique stores, dressing up in group costumes for Halloween, and creating custom Valentine’s mix-tape CDs of important music.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.markamontgomery.com/illo/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markymopictureshow/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monkeymarx
• Other: https://montgomerydesign.myportfolio.com/work

Image Credits
Header photo credit, Christopher Akins, ExtraOrdinary Image.