Race track images turn out to be made for mystery

By Michael Lisi
First published Saturday, August 19, 2006; Used with permission of the Times Union of Albany, NY

Greg Montgomery has fielded plenty of requests to autograph his art over the years, but one really took him by surprise. The patron in question: award-winning mystery writer Dick Francis.

How could Montgomery refuse? The author had just spent two hours showing Montgomery around his beachfront home on Grand Cayman Island. Moreover, the Montgomery illustration to be signed was printed on a recent reissue of one of Francis’ novels.

Montgomery smiled and signed. “This is Sir Dick Francis,” Montgomery recalled. “Member of the Order of the British Empire, personal jockey to Queen Elizabeth — and he's asking me for my autograph.”

The meeting happened a few months after Montgomery, a graphic design editor in the Times Union’s editorial art department, was hired by Francis’ Manhattan-based publisher, Berkley Books, to provide cover art for paperback reissues of 30 of Francis' best-selling titles.

The project, which Montgomery accepted in 2003 and wrapped up in April, came straight out of cyberspace. Berkley Art Director Steven Ferlauto wanted an artist whose work could give a fresh wrapping to Francis’ mysteries, which are set in and around the high-stakes world of international horse racing.

Ferlauto had hundreds of illustrators to choose from, but none that stood out.

“I came across Greg in an obtuse kind of way,” Ferlauto said. “I found him online through his posters. And when I investigated further, I found that horse racing was a keen interest of his.”

That’s putting it lightly. Since 1986, Montgomery has produced a series of elegant, diverse, boldly vertical images celebrating the biggest event of the Saratoga track season. (Working in a similar style, Montgomery created the illustration on the cover of this section.)

Montgomery was floored by Ferlauto's call. “It was like, ‘Pinch me’‚” said the artist, who was already a fan of Francis’ mysteries.

Fifteen of Montgomery’s Travers posters were used as cover art, including the 1989 Travers poster “The Win” for Francis’ “For Kicks,” and 1993’s “Travers Paddock” for the author’s “Wild Horses.” Ferlauto was especially taken with Montgomery’s “Lady In Red,” which depicts a pretty socialite — or perhaps a femme fatale — watching the race through binoculars; it ended up on Francis’ “Field of Thirteen.”

“His ability to describe so many things within the milieu of a horse race is what made Greg a great pick for the project,” Ferlauto said.

The artist’s bold colors and uncluttered design touches are especially apt to illustrate tales by Francis, a former RAF pilot who was the Queen Mum’s chosen jockey before an injury sidetracked him to a writing career. Montgomery was heavily influenced by British poster artists from the 1930s and ’40s, whose advertising work was intended to be seen by train travelers.

“It's deceptively simple,” Montgomery said of his poster style. “You use colors that set a mood, and the mood I’m almost always trying to create is one of the perfect day. The grass is greener, and I try to keep the foreground colors bright but muted.”

Montgomery began doing new designs at Ferlauto’s request about a year into the project, after Berkley had used all the existing posters suitable for covers. Ferlauto gave Montgomery free rein — sorry, but it fits — and allowed him to capture the feeling of the track and the race.

Montgomery often works from photos shot at the track over the years, culling through piles of pictures for a striking subject or background detail. For Francis’ “Forfeit,” Montgomery depicted a man — selected from a photo showing a half-dozen people — in the clubhouse following the race from behind binoculars. The cover for “The Bolt” came from images of a barn and horses pulled from several different photos.

“I’d have a photo of a jockey dismounting, but off to his left there would be a guy doing something else — and he’d become a book cover,” Montgomery said. “For (“Rat Race”), I drew from a photo of a jockey who looks like Jerry Bailey patting his horse’s neck.”

Even though Montgomery has finished illustrating Francis’ paperbacks, there may be one more job left for him. The author’s new novel, “Under Orders,” is slated for release Sept. 12. Another artist will provide the hardcover illustration, but Montgomery recently found out that he may be tapped to do the paperback cover.

He’d gladly do the job, but he won’t be disappointed if it doesn’t happen. “Other than my children and a few other people in my life, being hired [to illustrate Francis’ covers] is the best thing that ever happened to me. I feel like the luckiest guy on two legs.”

That’s exactly how he felt when he and his son, Andrew, were welcomed into Francis’ sprawling home on a private stretch of Seven Mile Beach in George Town on Grand Cayman. Peter Williams, another artist who focuses on racetrack subjects, set up the visit as a favor to Montgomery; Williams is an old friend of Francis.

Francis was a gracious host, greeting Montgomery and his son at the door and giving them a tour of his house. He even showed them his Order of the British Empire award, given to him by Queen Elizabeth. They spent the afternoon with Francis before the author said he had to cut things short — he was flying out the next day for London to attend the Queen’s (Elizabeth II) birthday party.

“He was such a sweet man,” Montgomery said. “It was a fabulous experience.”