Up a mountain in Nepal, Glend Lumbao sank his feet in the snow. His shadow stretched before him. Lumbao and a few friends had been trekking to Everest Base Camp (EBC)—some 20 kilometers from Mount Everest’s summit—where hikers acclimatize before climbing to the world’s highest summit. The trek to EBC requires Lumbao and company to walk for over 16 days at an elevation of 5,000 meters above sea level with temperatures as low as -10°C at night.
“Parang pushing forward ‘yong gusto kong gawin at kaya ng capacity ko sa specific season ng life,” says Lumbao.
Over 4,000 kilometers away in the tail end of the Philippines’ warm and dry season, Lumbao mounts his first solo show, “Of Vert & Miles,” at RiseSpace Art Gallery, on view from May 28 to June 10. A commercial illustrator with clients like Nestlé and Philippine Airlines, Lumbao pushed himself to create outside a brief’s parameters and draw from his love of the great outdoors.
Responding to nature through art is nothing new. Think Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies” or Caspar David Friedrich’s “Wanderer above the Sea of Fog.” But in “Of Vert & Miles,” Lumbao finds parallels between his dual identities as artist and athlete across works on canvas.
“The more reps you do, the more your body can handle it,” says Lumbao. “You need time to be good in your craft and the capacity to endure long distances.”
Ahead of this personal landmark exhibition, Lumbao looks back on the winding path to his artistry—perhaps with an assist from Strava.
Early summits
For Lumbao, a career in the arts wasn’t initially viable despite showing clear talent. “A lot of my high school teachers didn’t encourage me. Their conception was that, parang wala masyadong pera sa arts.”
Despite joining inter-school art competitions, Lumbao first pursued a degree in computer engineering. “Ang funny kasi ‘yong reason ko lang do’n, gusto ko magpabili ng laptop sa mom ko. Tapos no’ng may laptop na ‘ko, gusto ko na lang ulit mag-drawing using my laptop.”
After learning that his friends from those art competitions studied visual communication, he made the switch. In college at the University of the Philippines Diliman, Lumbao volunteered at the Teach Peace Build Peace Movement to paint murals in different parts of the country. In 2015, his friends invited him to a hike after volunteering, and, as they say, the rest is history.
Post-pandemic, hiking skyrocketed in popularity. According to Strava’s 2025 Annual Year in Sport Report, hiking clubs grew the fastest at 5.8x, followed by running clubs at 3.5x. People were also 58 percent more likely to travel for hiking.
The rise of outdoor brands, such as Arc’teryx and Salomon, as part of high street style only reinforces this push toward nature and away from our screens. While grippy soles and water-resistant jackets were made for the elements, they often spend as much time in malls and coffee shops.
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“Noong bata ako, ‘yong salary ng parents ko sakto lang sa everyday life,” Lumbao reflects. “Outdoor recreation wasn’t part of budgeting.”
It’s easy to hop on a trend or do an activity because of friends and family. But Lumbao finds meaning in difficulty. “Alam mo na gusto mo talaga because you chose to do it and not because sinama ka ng parents.”
To the Himalayas
After a decade of hiking and endurance sports, Lumbao trekked to Everest Base Camp in 2025. The trip took three years to plan. In 2022, Lumbao and friends hiked Annapurna to test how their bodies would adapt to a cold climate and high altitude. And in October 2025, they planned to hike to Everest Base Camp, Lobuche Peak, and Gokyo over three weeks, but only made it to the first two.
Too tired to push on, they rested in Kathmandu before flying out. “It was one of the hardest things I did, mainly because hindi sanay sa lamig,” says Lumbao.
One unexpected challenge in this trip was the food. “Bring local flavors like pancit canton or chicharron,” he advises. “We’re not used to their food. Malaking factor ‘yon during the trip.”
When asked if he plans on hiking to the summit next time, Lumbao says, “No. I’m not that crazy.” Yet Lumbao takes this approach—of challenging himself in increments—to his art.
“Kaya ko ba magkaroon ng sustainable job sa creative industry? After that, puwede ba mag-merchandising ako and then magkaroon ng solo exhibition?”
An artistic milestone
In January 2026, fresh from his trip to Nepal, Lumbao returned to work and prepared for his first solo exhibition, “Of Vert & Miles.” He has already found a niche creating commercial illustrations for travel and outdoor brands, and found that a solo show focused on this subject would be a natural extension, given his vibrant and playful visual language.
“It took me a long time to have a solo exhibition because hinihintay ko for my art style to mature,” says Lumbao. “When my skill level improved, my taste also improved. “
“It took me a long time to have a solo exhibition because hinihintay ko for my art style to mature. When my skill level improved, my taste also improved”
His favorite painting from “Of Vert & Miles” asks him to step away from this signature perfectionism. The painting “Brick Session” features a suite of people in motion, framed by angular shapes reminiscent of Cubism. Amid Lumbao’s control of geometry, a childlike doodle sits in the center of one of the human figures. “Medyo risky siya sa akin kasi tapos na ’yong painting, pero na-achieve ’yong gusto kong itsura sa actual piece.”
Lumbao credits this calculated risk to inspiration gleaned while hiking. “There were moments when we would just sit under a tree. Puwede maging ganitong simple ang buhay,” he says. “’Yong childlike wonder nandyan siya.”
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One wild and precious life
Lumbao’s art offers a respite from the weight of modern life and, consequently, technology. Apps have created a culture of convenience that removes friction and, in the process, the need for community. Perhaps this is why hiking took off amid the pandemic-induced tech boom and the rise of artificial intelligence. Like Sisyphus in the myth, we need to find our boulders.
“For art to be meaningful, its anchor needs to be lived experience,” Lumbao says. Taking on the world’s highest mountain isn’t in the cards for everyone. But, sitting under a tree’s dappled shade and taking a step toward the near-impossible would be a good start.
“For art to be meaningful, its anchor needs to be lived experience”
In “Of Vert & Miles,” the artist answers the question Mary Oliver poses in her poem “The Summer Day:” “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
For Lumbao, a few weeks in the mountains and painting in the studio till dawn might do it. For the rest of us, we’ll keep pushing boulders up our personal mountains.
“Of Vert & Miles” by Glend Lumbao is on view at RiseSpace Art Gallery from May 28 to June 10, 2026.
