Colleen Tongco is a painter and sculptor that aims to encapsulate the beauty of the world around her. She graduated with a bachelor’s in Ceramics from the University of Tennessee and now aims to add beauty and joy to the homes of people around her. Colleen has been greatly influenced by her five-month hike on the PCT.

From Colleen’s experience hiking the PCT, she learned that in pursuing life, one must also stop to appreciate small moments of joy around them. The experience of hiking the trail to her did not mean hiking every mile but rather appreciating everything she did see. It meant stopping to look at the views, talk to friends, and pick fresh berries. Colleen’s art is about replicating that feeling. It’s about creating more small moments of joy so that when you wake up in the morning and are greeted with a bright piece of art she created, you can take a moment appreciate the flowers.