A week ago, I decided I’d run up one of my usual trails into the Sierra Nevadas. About halfway thru my usual route, I was compelled to hang a right and head off trail. The trail-run quickly turned into an arduous hike over big granite rocks and thru thick sagebrush until I came to a dry creek bed. I followed the opening to what appeared to be the remnants of an ancient, dried waterfall. I carefully climbed down the massive granite boulders and as I reached the bottom, something flew right passed my head. It was so close, I could feel the breeze as it flew by. I thought it was a hawk at first, but I couldn’t spot what had just flown across my vision. I looked harder and was still unable to see the breezy culprit. I took a deep breath, stood really still, and really began to scan the granite formations. Seconds later, to my surprise, two bright yellow eyes appeared from the rocks. The eyes blinked, and I was able to make out this camouflaged creature below. It blended in so well with the surrounding environment. I carefully took out my camera as the owl studied me, and I was able to take some shots before he got tired of my presence. With a swift and abrupt decision, he flapped his wings three times and took off to soar down to the valley below. As he took off, he gave one loud “hoot.” The single screech was ominous as all of nature went silent as the sound echoed between the rocks. It was a stunning sight to behold. 

     It feels like June wasn’t even a full month. I blinked and it’s July. And it’s already mid July nonetheless. For the beginning of the month, my family and I rented a cabin in Zephyr Cove at Lake Tahoe and enjoyed the holiday by eating too much and hanging out by the beach. Since I couldn’t bring my studio with me, I brought a couple of markers and a sketchbook. I can’t remember the last time I used a sketchbook and it was good to dust this particular one off and fill up an entire page with red and blue marks. It was cathartic knowing I was still able to make art on vacation. 

    For the rest of the first half of July I’ve been working on finishing three big (22”x28”) abstract drawings, a map of Tahoe, along with completing a handful of digital drawings I started in the spring. My ADHD brain loves to start several projects/artworks at the same time and it takes a lot of self-discipline and self-talk to sit down and finish what I’ve started, in place of going from one project to another without finishing any of them. I think that’s my assignment for the summer: finishing up all of these projects before starting on anything else. 

   I’m excited to announce that from July 15 to November 5th I have two map-drawings (San Francisco and Laguna Beach) exhibiting at the Santa Paula Art Museum in their show, “California Scene.” 

Pictures from Tahoe/Donner Lake & my sketchbook snapshot. 

In December I decided to sign up for this foot race in Olympic Valley/Palisades ski resort. It’s called “Broken Arrow,” and it is a trail race that encompasses a large portion of Palisades ski resort. So, on the 18th of this month I headed up to Olympic Valley, California and began the race at 0930. The elevation gain was just grueling. We ended up doing two loops of the mountains, and in entirety it was 4,300 feet. After 3.5 hours and 11.5 miles on foot, I got to ring the bell at the finish line. The experience was incredible and the views were spectacular. I ended up hauling my big Fuji camera on my chest (in a binocular case) to see if I could get some good photos at the top. I think I did, and the I didn’t mind the extra weight. And it’s not like I was close to winning the race. The real runners blew past me like I was standing still. I think the winner’s time was like 1.5 hours. 

The rest of the month has just been a whirl wind. I am showing a couple pieces in an art exhibition titled, “Context,” at Art Fluent Gallery. I won a talent award for “Floating Dissemination” at Teravarna Art Gallery, and will be showing in their ninth annual Abstract show, and I also won a finalist award for “Cooper’s Mate” at Teravarna’s Animal exhibition. I’m also finishing up some abstract and map drawings for upcoming shows in July, September and November. And as for trail-running-photography goes, the month of June was just running into birds and more birds. I got some good shots of quail, an egret, a night-heron, and a murder of crow (I love saying that, “murder of crow”).

Snow on the ground, eighty degree weather, lighting and thunder storms; the month of May certainly exhibited quite the seasonal changes here in the Reno-Tahoe area. The enormous snowpack we received in the Sierras along with the drastic increase in temperature led to a deluge of snowmelt, swollen creeks and a roaring Truckee River.        

   With my new found career as a trail-running-photographer, I was able to take some great photos of the blooming spring, record a few virtual runs, and run almost 120 miles in the month, mostly on the trails and back roads found in the Mt. Rose Wilderness and Carson Range. Surprisingly, I was picked up as an affiliate for “Flipmits” (a quasi-mitt/glove/sweatband for running) on my running account for Instagram: (@jonnyrunsreno). Guess I’m an influencer now 🤷🏼 I suppose I’m going to have to start taking selfies in bikinis…I’ll pass, no one wants to see that.

   I am also excited to report that I am exhibiting my photos and artwork nationally and internationally this month. My artwork was published in a design magazine in the United Arab Emirates, I had two abstract drawings in exhibitions on separate sides of the country, one in Bethlehem, PA (MVA Gallery) and the other in San Francisco, CA (Arc Gallery). I also exhibited a photograph at the San Fernando Arts and Culture Center in California. And last but not least, I was accepted to exhibit two map-drawings (San Francisco, Laguna Beach) this coming July-November at the Santa Clara Art Museum in their titled show “California Scene.” Oh! And the coup de grax, I designed and published a coloring book! It took me over a year to create 21 digital drawings and learn how to create a book using Amazon’s KDP program, but it’s finally done. The coloring book is tied into meditation and implores the reader/colorer to concentrate on the present moment and focus only on the task at hand. This practice of remaining focused on the present moment helped me as a critical care nurse, especially working through the pandemic. It is currently helping me with a volatile toddler 😅. 

      One thing that's taking longer than usual is finishing an abstract drawing that I've been working on for quite some time (images of the work in progress are above in the collage). I have found I've been having to invest more time in the marketing/business aspect of this artistic venture, which leaves little time to create. I may have also bit off more than I chew at the moment, what with raising a toddler, filming runs then editing them to eventually post to YouTube, taking photos and editing them as well, applying for shows/exhibitions... it's a lot and sometimes and I catch myself being overwhelmed at times. It's funny because all this stress/anxiety is of my own doing. I could simply make a conscience decision to stop, but I tried that before and I didn't like the outcome. Plus, it's fun to do all this, to create things out of thin air, to take an idea or mental image and turn it into something tangible and to share it. When I do get overwhelmed, I have found that I can change my perception with small sayings, like, "inch by inch, everything is a cinch," or just telling myself, "don't give up and trust the process," then I feel better, and know that this is the path that I've chosen for myself.