Megan Jost

From watercolors to whimsical tales for kids

BY KAYLA ANDERSON

Ghostly tales of Tahoe

“The Ghostly Tales of Lake Tahoe,” by Kate Byrne, recently released, features ghost stories from Tahoe. From a monster in Lake Tahoe to prehistoric flying beasts and ghost tales from around Tahoe. | arcadiapublishing.com

Acute bear cub lifts its paw up to its mama, giraffes, deer and horses nuzzle each other in that special parent/ baby bond. These are the comforting illustrations I remember seeing at Megan Jost’s booth Colors By Megan at the Made in Tahoe Festival held at Palisades Tahoe in autumn 2022.

Only a few months later, I saw “Ski Patrol Pups,” a book she illustrated for sale at Alpine Meadows — and again at Cuppa Tahoe — which told the story of Walter, the ski patrol dog.

Originally from Fairfield, Jost started watercolor painting for fun while studying architecture at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. After she graduated, she accepted a job with Dale Cox Architects in Truckee.

Shortly after moving to Truckee, she became pregnant with her first child Calvin.

“As a kid my family would vacation up here. I love Truckee,” she says. While on family leave, Jost thought about that watercolor class she took in college and started painting again.

“One of my architecture teachers was an amazing watercolorist and I took a class from him when studying abroad in Switzerland,” Jost says.

A lot of her earlier prints from 2016 are in a mother/baby-inspired theme be-

42 cause that’s what she was going through at the time.

Jost eventually went back to work three days a week and transitioned into doing art along with architecture. In 2017 she started selling greeting cards and prints at craft fairs, art shows and Truckee Thursdays; all were well received. The Josts had their second child a year later and she came up with the idea to create “ABC Truckee Book.”

“I wanted to broaden my range of what I was painting but I did it more to explain to my kids what makes Truckee so special. Coming from Fairfield makes this place look amazing,” she says.

It took Jost about six to eight months to get the images together and then another three to four months to figure out the publishing aspect of it. Her husband and friends helped her brainstorm for the books by providing suggestions for the letters that coincide with Truckee/ Tahoe themes and landmarks around the lake.

She released “ABC Truckee Book” in 2019 right before the pandemic and then followed it up with “ABC Tahoe” in 2020.

“I saw how well the Truckee one did, so I created a Tahoe one, despite shipping and supply chain challenges during COVID,” she says. “Thankfully

Christmas happens no matter what and both were released before Christmas.”

As Jost’s books were selling and her watercolor techniques improved, she became friends with storyteller and author Megan Butcher when their kids attended the same preschool.

“She had been thinking about writing a book for a while and met me and figured it could be a possibility. She had the story, so it worked out well,” Jost says.

“Ski Patrol Pups” came out before Christmas 2022. The book is sold throughout the Tahoe Basin as well as in stores in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Colorado and the East Coast.

“Anyone in the world interested in skiing would probably like this,” she says. “Megan’s [Butcher] husband is a ski patroller at Alpine and they owned Walter, the main character of the book. They wanted to get his and the dogs’ story out.”

The first book in the “Ski Patrol Pups” series follows the story of Walter, a golden retriever who was hand-selected to become an avalanche search and rescue dog at Alpine Meadows. Walter passed away in 2020 and the book pays homage to him while sharing the details of his adventurous life.

When asked what Jost’s goals are for the future of her art, she replied that she’d like to continue the series with Butcher and perhaps do a project with her young sons.

“I could’ve never imagined this path and seen how it evolved. I don’t know where it’s going to go,” she says. Megan Jost will be at Truckee Thursdays, which is held in downtown Truckee from June 22 to Aug. 10. | colorsbymegan.com n

The Arts

Field Notes Exhibit

Truckee Community Recreation Center, Truckee, June 21-30, 8 a.m., melhopgallery.com

Discovering Lake Tahoe Historical Maps 1849-1932

Gatekeepers Museum, Tahoe City, June 21-July 5, 11 a.m., northtahoemuseums.org

Through Tahoe’s Lens:

Early 20th Century Photography

Gatekeepers Museum, Tahoe City, June 21-July 5, 11 a.m., northtahoemuseums.org

Jamie Barbor + Jason Fourcier Art Exhibit

Piper J Gallery, Truckee, June 21-July 2, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., (775) 220-0325

2023 Summer Poetry Workshop

Olympic House, Olympic Valley, June 21-25, 12 p.m., (530) 470-8440, communityofwriters.org

Summer Art Show

Tahoe Art League, South Lake Tahoe, June 22-July 2, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., (530) 544-2313, talart.org

Art Show

Elevation, Truckee, June 23, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., truckeeelevation.com

Meet the Artist: Forrester Archer

Marcus Ashley Fine Art Gallery, South Lake Tahoe, June 23-24, noon, marcusashley.com

Open Studio 2023: Welcome Summer Dirk Yuricich Photography Gallery, Stateline, June 24-25, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., dirkphotoz.com

Grand Opening at New Location

Art Truckee, Truckee, June 24, 3-6 p.m., (530) 4483423, arttruckee.com

Saturday Makers Market

Tahoe Backyard, Kings Beach, June 24, 3-7 p.m., tahoebackyard.com

Community Art Demo & Monthly Membership Meeting

Tahoe Art League, South Lake Tahoe, June 27, 5 p.m., (530) 544-2313, talart.org

Meet the Artist: Steve Barton

Marcus Ashley Fine Art Gallery, South Lake Tahoe, July 1-2, noon to 5 p.m., marcusashley.com

Country

June 30 & July 1 | Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys | Stateline, Nev.