Marlene Luce Tremblay - Art Blog: It’s about Light: The Art of LifeNature Art & Mus...

Marlene Luce Tremblay - Art Blog: It’s about Light: The Art of LifeNature Art  & Mus...: It’s about Light: The Art of Life Nature Art  & Music Mozart's Minuet in C Today my artwork is about nature, for the su...

Marlene Luce Tremblay - Art Blog: It’s about light: The Art of LifeArt & Travel“We f...

Marlene Luce Tremblay - Art Blog: It’s about light: The Art of LifeArt & Travel“We f...: It’s about light: The Art of Life Art & Travel “We follow a thread of connection that reveals itself as a necessary art of being.” ...

It’s about light: The Art of Life

Art & Travel

“We follow a thread of connection that reveals itself as a necessary art of being.”

– Mark Nepo (Drinking from the Water of Life)

The mysterious and magical natural world

 While reminiscing about my travels to Europe in the past two years, and as I am looking forward to traveling again, I recall the memories of years passed.  In hindsight, I was planting the seeds of what would be my most important life experiences, that is to travel for art.  As a photographer, there’s a need to change sceneries, and traveling brings new discoveries. When I travel to a new destination, I don’t read all the related information so that I can see through the viewfinder with a fresh look and not based on a pre-conceived idea. We all wear different glasses and the first look is always magical as if experiencing love at first sight.  

Dubrovnik Market (1980)

After having lived in Europe during my first marriage, in Antwerp, Belgium more precisely, I already had a taste of world travel and felt so at home in Europe.  I was fascinated by the rich culture, the architecture, and life was more in tune with what I aspired to which was and still is to travel and to live the European lifestyle.  

On our way to Greece (1980)

On our way to Greece (1980)

Although my marriage was practically on the rocks by then, I have fond memories of being able to drive to Paris, Amsterdam, or Liechtenstein unlike being here in America where distances are much greater for this is such a huge country.  The most important trip during those years was when we drove with our friends, Caroline & Stephen, from Belgium to Greece.  That was a fascinating journey riding along the Adriatic Sea when Yugoslavia, which under Tito’s communist regime, was still a unified entity.  I will never forget how we drove up the high mountains on these very small and winding roads.  We could see cars left there after having fallen off the cliff as a reminder of the danger of driving too fast. We got to the top where we found a small restaurant, it was a truck stop but the food was fresh and delicious.   

On our way to Greece, along the Adriatic coastline (1980)

The scenery and the landscape were mesmerizing.  It was so exciting, a true adventure.  I was drunk with freedom for I didn’t belong anywhere and somehow, I was overcome with that sense of belonging everywhere while being in such a beautiful natural setting.  To this day, the natural world takes me to a place of peace, beauty, love, and harmony.  Hence the reason that my artwork features the beauty of the natural world.

It’s about Light: The Art of Life

Nature Art  & Music

Mozart's Minuet in C

Today my artwork is about nature, for the sublime of beauty and harmony resides in the natural world.  I have a fascination with trees that dates back to my younger years when I used to go into the woods and talk to the trees while watching the clouds making images of my imagination. Moreover, I would cry and feel pain when I heard chainsaws cutting trees in the forest.  Trees are not only beautiful but also embody selflessness for they provide all life on earth with oxygen, clean the air and soil.  Trees give so much to our world and play an important role to combat climate change. I see the natural world as the embodiment of beauty, harmony, and love. 

Haydn's Minuet

I find that the natural world is so conducive to classical music, it’s as if the masters of classical music were in tune with nature and the divine when they composed symphonies.  My favorites, among many others, are Mozart, Beethoven, Faure, Wagner (Tannhauser Overture), Samuel Barber (Adagio for Strings), and Gustav Mahler (Symphony No. 5 in C minor).  As we are still listening to their music today, it seems to me that their creative inspiration was heavenly and from an elevated world, almost surreal.  That’s how I see the natural world, as pure creative energy and a reminder of the transience of human existence. 

As I am hopelessly romantic, I also appreciate music from the movies and the film score from Cinema Paradiso by Ennio Morricone (sadly, who passed away today) inspires me when I’m in my creative bubble, as well as John Barry from Out of Africa, James Horner for The English Patient James Newton Howard for The Prince of Tides, Henry Mancini for Breakfast at Tiffany and, John William for Schindler’s List, to name a few.  Wrapped in music, I am totally in tune with my romantic and passionate heart.

With a passionate heart, I placed love at the top of my priorities – to love and be loved – was my ultimate dream and somehow life took a different turn when I fell in love for the first time. As Julia Cameron wrote in Walking in this World: “Making art is making love with life.  We open ourselves to art as to love’’.  I opened my heart at a young age, starting a new chapter of my life but not quite ready for what the future had in store for me.  Life is not traced in a straight line for we often make choices that lead to an unknown path.  Life to me is not linear but more like a spiral. 

It’s about Light: The Art of Life

New York & Diversity

When I moved to New York, I was blessed to have a family of friends who came from all corners of the world and as I worked at the United Nations, my world was as diverse as can be. Hence I felt truly at home in such a diverse and international environment.

Women & Men of New York (2019)

In fact, this was the inspiration of my two exhibitions about New York’s diversity for which the main subjects, women, and men were from diverse countries.  Women of New York featured portraits of 15 women from all walks of life who, just like me, came to New York to make a new life while celebrating diversity and humanity.  I wanted to show that diversity among people is enriching and the importance of friendship which carried me along at difficult times, especially when my mother passed away. Through one-on-one interviews, they shared memories, their challenges of being a woman in a competitive world.  

The inspiration for this project came from my mother whose strength to overcome the many challenges she faced, not only as a mother but also as a woman whose heart was so big that it could contain the whole of humanity.  My mother was the pillar of the family.

New York Skyline - Vintage 

Since my family of friends was comprised of men who also came from diverse countries, I decided to pay tribute to them as well before my departure from New York as I had to retire at the age of 62 in 2017.  The format of the exhibition was the same as that of the Woman of New York, with one-on-one interviews and I did their portraits to not only show diversity but also to show their character strength.

In both instances, the experience proved to be an incredible journey into the lives of people who became friends as a result of our gatherings, eating dinner together at my apartment and although they all came from diverse countries, we shared that common thread, that of our common humanity. 

Peace Bell at the United Nations

These two exhibitions, as well as others of cultural exchange initiatives, demonstrate that art has no frontiers, it’s a universal language that speaks to us all in time and space, beyond the many barriers of different civilizations.

The aim of these two exhibitions was to demonstrate that what makes New York a vibrant city is not about the rich and famous but about people whose cultural diversity enrich New York’s society.  My young journalist friend, Vincenza di Maggio, who wrote about both exhibitions in La Voce di New York made reference to the invaluable contribution of these women and men of New York: “They are rich, not in money, but in their desire to experience life to the fullest, explore new horizons, meet and form relationships with people of all cultural backgrounds. They have achieved a level of success in a city known to easily break down its inhabitants, but more importantly, they are passionate about the work they do. Whether it’s through art, architecture, journalism, real estate, setting up missions in countries around the world through the United Nations, or through their involvement in activist organizations, they use their interests and talents to give something of value to society and promote social change.”

http://www.lavocedinewyork.com/en/un/2017/03/08/women-of-new-york-women-of-the-world/

http://www.lavocedinewyork.com/en/arts/2017/06/22/from-australia-to-ecuador-to-sicily-who-are-the-men-of-new-york/

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It’s about Light: The Art of Life

Life & Friendship

Fay & Terry in Pujols, France (2018)

I heard the sad news today that my dear friend, Fay Kelly, passed away yesterday.  I am in shock and in disbelief that her life ended so abruptly.  I have such fond memories of time spent together in France and in New York when she visited me. I will miss Fay and the memories will stay with me for she played an important role in my life.  

Fay, Louise and me - chez Louise Finn in Pujols (2018)

While I was creating a new life, I was blessed to meet people who became my family of friends and who enriched my life in countless ways.  During those nine years I spent in New York away from my family in Canada, my friends were there for me and I am forever grateful to my friend, Fay Kelly, who flew from England to take care of me after my operation when I was diagnosed with cancer. Before she returned to England, I organized a thank-you dinner at the local café in Tudor City, which was closed at night but the owner, who was a friend of mine, cooked couscous for us, and our first “Life & Friendship” gathering took place. 

This was the beginning of a fascinating journey for the “Life & Friendship” gathering took a life of its own and became a reoccurring event that grew as more friends joined in.  When people move to New York, they don’t have their family nearby and, therefore, friends become family.

It’s about Light: The Art of Life

Trees of my world

As they say, there is always a silver lining when struggling with difficult experiences and art has been and remains my ultimate quest for a meaningful life.  Jean Houston writes about creativity: “Now, creativity doesn’t have to lead to something.  It doesn’t have to result in a song, a dance, a novel, a better mousetrap.  The greatest form of creativity is the re-creation of yourself.  Moreover, the creative work you do on yourself will heighten your capacity for creativity in other things”. 

Creating a new life requires a sense of resilience to transform which also means letting go of the past which also means peeling away layers of false interpretations, beliefs, and expectations.

When building a new life, remembering only sorrows or painful moments increases negativity while practicing gratitude improves not only life in general but also it improves creativity and the healing process. Sometimes we block our own growth while being challenged. 

Trees of my world bis

In a state of creativity, one gets a glimpse of eternity for there is no time, no space, only intense and pure joy, pure bliss.  This is how I feel when I am in harmony with nature which brings me into a state of creativity being in tune with life, with the universe.  It’s as if yielding to a power not my own and beyond me, surrendering to a power greater than I can even imagine, flowing with the immense flow of existence where lies real life, for real life is love, creativity, beauty, and harmony.