The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Top American street artist begins work on huge city centre mural.
One of America’s most popular street artists is helping create a huge Perth city centre mural.
Kelsey Montague, who counts pop star Taylor Swift among her fans, is part of a team which began work on the design on a building opposite the city’s concert hall.
The mural will form part of the City of Light project to breathe new life into Perth’s streets and vennels.
The four women flew into Scotland from Colorado and Kelsey said her “heart skipped a beat” when she saw the wall that would act as her canvas for the next three days.
Dawn Fuge – owner of Precious Sparkle, a shop located in the building on which the mural is being painted – said: “It’s extremely exciting and I think we are very lucky to have her in Perth because there are people in other cities across Scotland wishing that they had this. It’s a real boon for us.
“It is taking shape incredibly quickly.”
The co-chairwoman of the Perth Traders’ Association added: “I think the whole thing about Perth is that we have got a really unique set-up.
“All our main streets are connected by the vennels and the idea to have them draw your eyes down them and make you want to explore by having light installations and different artworks and so forth, it gives Perth another unique selling point, another reason for people to explore and spend time here.”
Kelsey’s career hit new heights earlier this year when she was commissioned to create a mural for Swift in Nashville, celebrating the release of the album Lover.
The Perth piece will be the street artist’s first permanent work in the UK. Her murals can also be found across the US and in Australia and Africa.
The work will be neighboured by an animated short made by students from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design. Graduation film Fox Fires will be shown on the new projectors on Mill Street throughout October.