Few artists are as closely associated with the visual identity of Saratoga Race Course as Greg Montgomery.
For over 40 years, Montgomery has created imagery that has become inseparable from the experience of summer in Saratoga Springs. His work does not simply document the racing season, it defines how it is remembered.
Recognized by collectors and racing enthusiasts across the country, his annual Travers Stakes posters have become a tradition in their own right. The series holds a historic distinction as the longest-running poster series by a single artist for a single sporting event, placing Montgomery in rare company.
His work has been widely published and collected, with books and curated collections dedicated to the breadth of his poster designs. These publications have helped solidify his role not only as an artist, but as a visual historian of Saratoga’s most celebrated traditions.
His posters are collected not only as works of art, but as annual markers of the racing season. Over time, they have found their way into private collections, racing venues, and publications that celebrate the sport and its history. Drawing influence from early 20th-century poster design, he reduces complex scenes into bold shapes and controlled color, creating imagery that is immediate, memorable, and enduring.
The Making of the Travers Poster
Each year’s Travers poster begins well in advance of racing season, long before the finished image is released to the public. By the time summer arrives in Saratoga, the work has already moved through months of development, with final editing often taking place in March or April.
The process begins with an image, or more often a collection of images, carefully selected and brought together to form a single composed scene. Drawing from photographs, observation, and memory, Montgomery constructs each composition with intention before the drawing process even begins.
From there, the work is redrawn by hand using vector-based software, where every shape, edge, and color is deliberately refined. What begins as a complex, layered scene is gradually reduced into bold forms and controlled color with the clarity and restraint that define his work.
As Montgomery has often noted, the challenge is not in what to include, but in what to leave out. That careful process of reduction is what gives each poster its sense of balance, immediacy, and lasting impact.
This approach, combined with decades of consistency, has made his work instantly recognizable within the world of thoroughbred racing. For many collectors, a Montgomery poster is not just an artwork, it is part of the Saratoga experience itself.
Select Travers Stake posters 1994-2019
Continue reading for an exclusive 2022 interview with Greg Montgomery...
Q: How did you get started with your style of art?
"I have loved poster art since I was a child. Its bold, rich colors and hard edges appealed to me. I particularly love the British Railway Art of the 1920s, ‘30s, and ‘40s.
In art classes I was introduced to Color-aid papers - a package of more than 200 incredibly rich, velvety colors on pieces of paper. I would cut various shapes and glue the pieces to create scenes with hard edges and intense colors.
It occurred to me that I could use the screen printing process to create similar images - solid colors, hard edges- and I would be able to create more than the one single cut-paper copy.
It was while I was taking a college screen printing course that I created my first poster."
Greg Montgomery with his pressman, John at Snyder Printer
Q: Can you tell us about the process of making your work?
"It all begins with taking photos of some scene or person. There will be something about how the scene or person is framed, how the light sets elements off, and how balanced or unbalanced the scene is that appeals to me.
Then I need to compose the scene to bring the viewer into the picture frame, move the eye to the object of interest, and create a path back out of the scene.
People ask if I draw from a photograph. Almost always I am drawing from a scene that I have constructed out of many different photos. “Winner’s Circle”, the 2011 Travers poster art was drawn from a photomontage of nine different images. Even “Pink Hat,” the fine art edition print featuring a stylish lady in a Saratoga box seat as seen from above, was an assembled image.
My art is about reducing images to simple, bold shapes. The process of the reduction is the hard work."
Montgomery, “Pink Hat” (Fine Art Print)
Q: How does the Saratoga and Horse Racing Communities inspire your work?
"There are very good reasons why people have flocked to Saratoga for hundreds of years - and probably more. There is nowhere quite like it.
I love that the best race horses on earth, the most gifted trainers, jockeys, grooms, and their families all come to Saratoga each year - and remarkable people from all over the globe come here to see them. I am fascinated by, and so grateful for, the exotic world that comes to visit us every summer. It is not just the world-class racing that interests me artistically, it’s the entire social sporting fashion scene. It’s amazing."
(Above) Montgomery, “Benches” (Fine Art Print)
(Below) Sketch and final poster from the original 1986 Travers Celebration poster. Both have long since sold, but seeing the concept beside the finished piece tells the story beautifully.
Q: Do you have any favorite Travers Posters that you have done?
"Actually, I have different favorites for different reasons.
- From a pure iconic, bold, simple, and memorable image, I have to say the the original Travers Silks is still my favorite.
- I also love the 2001 jockey graphic so close up that he or she is almost out of the frame!
- I love 2010 “Roommates” for the way all three horses are intently watch the veteran groom make lunch!!
- 2003 “First Race” is the best table, on the best day.
- For Special Event poster I love 2005 “Stormbird.” If you were there, you’ll never forget that storm.
- Finally, the poster that’s on my wall where I can see it everyday is the 2016 “August Light.” I drew it in homage to one of my artistic idols Bernie Fuchs (pronounces “fewks”). I love the depth, the shadows on the tent, the light in the trees, and the warm glow of summer in the world’s best paddock.
These poster are a bit like children. You love them all, for different reasons!"
Three of Greg's favorites from the poster series. Left to right, First Race, August Light, Tiz Terrific
Q: How do you expect this year’s events to impact next year’s poster?
"Not sure! But I am fascinated by the truly unique situation this year presents. We will look for an image that says “indomitable spirit.” If the stands are empty, maybe the fence line is full!
It will be fun to find just the right image to remember the best parts of a challenging year."
Q: What was the most memorable race you have attended at Saratoga Race Course?
"That would have to be 2004, the great summer thunderstorm that closed the racetrack! We had a booth selling postersoutside the Clubhouse in those days. Within minutes Paula, my partner and wife, had 18” of water underfoot. The rain was sideways. Even our plastic-laminated displays were ruined! It was truly pandemonium!! Unforgettable."
Montgomery, “Storm Bird” (Fine Art Print)
The 2004 Saratoga race that continued in near darkness after a sudden power outage.
Q: What is your favorite part about being a working artist?
"Thank you for this question!
There isn’t a day that goes by that I am not grateful for having been given a gift like art. I spend hundreds of hours working on these images and I can’t wait to get back to them.
I’m able to work in concert with my wife Paula. In art we have the vehicle with which to express the beauty we see, meet fascinating people along the way, and enjoy some income to make it all possible. I also LOVE the fact that as I get older I actually get better at this! My friends who are roofers have to retire when their knees do. Not me!! It is such a miraculous gift."
Montgomery, “White Dress” (Fine Art Print)
Q: What do you like to do for fun when you are not making art?
"It used to be traveling!! I’ve been enormously fortunate to have seen much of the world. Hope to get back to that when we can. Meanwhile, I love the garden and sailing."
A Lasting Saratoga Legacy
Greg Montgomery’s work has become part of Saratoga’s identity.
Each poster captures more than a race. It captures a moment in time, a season, and a feeling that returns year after year. Collected individually, the works stand on their own. Viewed together, they form a visual timeline of Saratoga itself.
Throughout much of his career, Montgomery worked closely alongside his wife, Paula, whose role behind the scenes was essential to the growth and success of his work. More than a business partner, she was also a lasting source of inspiration, reflected in some of his most beloved imagery. Together, they helped shape a body of work that became deeply woven into the fabric of Saratoga.
His imagery has been preserved not only through annual releases, but through published collections that document the evolution of his work across decades. These books serve as both a record and a reflection of a career defined by clarity, discipline, and a singular artistic vision.
While rooted in racing, the appeal of his work extends far beyond it. The balance and restraint in his compositions give the imagery a timeless quality that resonates with collectors across generations.
More than 40 years into his career, Montgomery continues to refine the same visual language that first defined his work. That consistency is what gives it strength and what has secured his place as one of the most recognizable and respected artists associated with Saratoga Springs.
