KELSEY MONTAGUE
INTERVIEW.
I’m grateful to all of the people who have seen one of my pieces, stopped, and interacted with it. That is what it is all about.
INTERVIEWED — INTERVIEW19 JUNE 2026
KELSEY MONTAGUE INTERVIEW
About 5 years ago I completed my first interactive mural and Taylor Swift posted it on her Instagram. This exposure helped to initially launch my career.
BY SIAN TROMBLEY
COUTEUR. Question 01
Few moments can transform an artist's career overnight, and yours came when Taylor Swift shared one of your interactive murals with millions of people around the world. Years later, she once again played a pivotal role in your journey. What was it like discovering that Taylor had not only continued following your work, but had secretly commissioned you for such a meaningful project? Why do you feel such deep gratitude toward her?
→ Kelsey Montague
About 5 years ago I completed my first interactive mural and Taylor Swift posted it on her Instagram. This exposure helped to initially launch my career. Learning this week that she has followed my career and secretly commissioned a mural from me to help launch her new song has left me stunned. When I talked to her she let me know that she was proud of me and that I've "grown so much." The gratitude I feel is hard to describe. She's changed my life twice. I am determined to pay these gifts forward. This is what we, as artists, should be doing for each other. Lifting each other up.
COUTEUR. Question 02
Your mural for Taylor Swift's single ME! became one of the most talked-about public art moments of the year, filled with hidden clues and playful symbolism for fans to discover. How did the collaboration come together, and what was it like bringing such a highly anticipated project to life?
→ Kelsey Montague
Throughout the process I actually worked with ABC on what, I thought, was a project for the NFL Draft. I now know that the feedback on the mural was probably coming from her. It was a dream project because I was allowed to be completely creative and only given basic guidelines (pastels, 13 hearts, 2 cats, 1 kitten etc.). It was a wonderful collaboration from start to finish.
Throughout the process I actually worked with ABC on what, I thought, was a project for the NFL Draft.
— KELSEY MONTAGUE
COUTEUR. Question 03
Your murals have an incredible sense of movement and spontaneity, despite their intricate detail and large scale. How much planning goes into a piece before you begin, and how important is creative freedom once the painting process is underway?
→ Kelsey Montague
I do mockups so everyone is on the same general page before I start a piece, but if I have a wonderful client that isn't too prescriptive, I find that freedom works its way into a piece in wonderful ways. If I can just create, I completely lose myself in the painting and drawing process, and I'm always so much happier with the result.
COUTEUR. Question 04
From sketching in notebooks as a young artist to creating internationally recognized public artworks, you've experienced an incredible creative journey. What advice would you give to aspiring artists who are still searching for their own voice and place in the world?
→ Kelsey Montague
Keep going! Keep trying new mediums and styles. Push yourself. Don't give up. Don't listen to people that discourage you—surround yourself with people that will lift you up and encourage you.
COUTEUR. Question 05
Your interactive murals invite people to step inside the artwork and become part of the story. Through that simple act of participation, you've created moments of joy, connection, confidence, and self-expression for countless people around the world. How do you view the impact your work has on others?
→ Kelsey Montague
Grateful! I'm grateful I get to be a full-time artist. I'm grateful I get to work with amazing clients. I'm grateful I get to work with my sister (who's the business side of Montague Art). But most of all, I'm grateful to all of the people who have seen one of my pieces, stopped, and interacted with it. That is what it is all about. I feel so grateful that I get to create art that gives people an opportunity to express their own creativity. Or to feel strong. Or beautiful. Or connected. Or to stop and really consider what is most important to them in their life—what lifts them? What a huge gift it is to create this work.
