Cover Artist
2021 Cover Artist Michael Zontos
Robert & Mary Johnson 1058 Main Street, Fortuna, CA
725-4431
www.greensfortuna.com
By Meg Wall-Wild
Y
ou use your phone camera without a moment’s hesitation. A quick click and you catch that bronco in mid-buck, Instagram likes guaranteed. Or that fish on the grandkid’s rod and reel, snapped and posted so Auntie Mary in Shelter Cove can respond with five heart eye emojis. This easy power to save a moment is at your disposal, yet some like Michael Zontos have a superpower. He can capture that second of pure movement using only colored and graphite pencils (charge cord not required). Drawing as an art form demands complete attention to detail. A fisheries biologist by trade, Zontos uses an eye trained by field experience to capture wildlife at its best. He fell in love with it in his native Santa Cruz, fishing clear mountain streams and diving off the coast, drawing wildlife for enjoyment. His passions led to a fisheries management degree from Humboldt State University and his current work with Northern California’s salmon and trout. Along the way, his love of drawing began to reassert itself. Michael found himself picking up the pencils whenever possible. The result is an artist reclaiming his talent. His subtle use of colors is a delight, the blending delicate. You almost reach out to filet that California king laid out on a grained board. Any artist is happy to have a commission to avoid the starving part of their endeavors. Zontos said he is not only happy, but highly honored to provide the bespoke poster for the Centennial Fortuna Rodeo. He was eager to take the bull by the horns. Zontos said the Fortuna Rodeo com-
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Michael Zontos. Courtesy of the artist
mission offered him a challenge. His usual aquatic models are easily handled, providing time to study the teeniest details. (Ornery fish will not stomp on an artist.) The piece was inspired where the science of biology intersects with art. He said the biologist in him loved the research and the artist in him loved the study (artsy term meaning draft drawings) of different bulls. Zontos wanted to catch the essence of wild animal still lurking within. He nailed it. “The Centennial Bull” stares out at you, ready for the fight. The challenge hangs in the air. Messing with him will lead to regret. You can take the bull up on his challenge. Zontos’s original poster art will be auctioned off between 7 and 8 p.m. during the Saturday, July 17 Bulls, Broncs, Bands & Brews. Admit it. You already see that bull hanging on your wall. ✪
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