Mapping the Heavens

Halo, oil on panel, 31 x 31 inches


September 29, 2021 @ 7:00 - 8:00 pm


Join us for an evening event with artist, Lori Tremblay, as she walks us through the sky and some of her pieces which capture its delight. The artist reception and dinner have been cancelled due to Covid-19 protocols. Join us in the Moore Auditorium for the 7 PM lecture, Mapping the Heavens.


Viewing the night sky is one of life’s most awe inspiring sights! It evokes wonder, offers perspective on our place in the cosmos, ignites imagination enticing us to trace those bright lights into patterns that we call the constellations. Fixed stars, as they are known, were named and recorded from earliest times; many retain their original names to this day. We will discuss some common names of major stars and how those names signify the constellations they outline. Special focus will be given to interpretation of these star groups, mapping their patterns as depicted in their interrelationships stemming from antiquity.


Lori Tremblay is a contemporary New England artist residing in the western foothills of Maine. She holds a BFA in printmaking from the Maine College of Art with an academic background in the natural sciences. Though she’s been painting for nearly thirty years, her work has focused on the night sky for the recent ten years. She was Artist in Residence at the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, December of 2017, has had five solo exhibitions, and been included in many juried group exhibitions. Her work is included in private collections in Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, Delaware, Michigan, Tennessee, and South Carolina.

The 10th Biennial Portland Show April 2 - May 30, 2020 Greenhut Galleries, 146 Middle Street, Portland, ME

Link to Portland Show at Greenhut Galleries

Above:

Seed of Wheat, 2020

oil on panel

16 x 12 inches

Reflected in the window of Big Sky Bread Company, the constellation Virgo rests her head on “Sky Company” as she follows her nightly course from east to west. Her right hand holds a cluster of wheat signified by the blue sub-giant star Spica, whose name comes from the Latin phrase spica virginis, meaning “Virgo’s ear of grain.” The Latin word spicum refers to the ear (or seed) of wheat.

Spica stands out as one of the brightest stars in the night sky, easily located by following the Big Dipper’s handle to bright red Arcturus, then spiking to Spica in the south. Equally standing out is Big Sky’s commitment to scratch baking with all natural ingredients including freshly milled wheat creating a uniquely delicious Big Sky taste. It’s our favorite stop when driving through the Woodfords neighborhood.

Small Works Exhibit at Five Points Gallery

Virgo Matrix 2017,  oil on panel, 5.5 x 5.5 inches is among the 175 small works selected for the 2019 Small Works Exhibit at Five Points Gallery in Torrington, CT.  The exhibit is up through Saturday, February 23rd.  See link to gallery for hours and directions.

Maine Arts Journal Fall Issue 2018

Given the theme of "Dialogue" and asked to write an essay regarding my work, this link will bring you to the page of the Fall 2018 issue of the Maine Arts Journal that features my recent work.

Hypothesis: Stars as Stone

Opening July 23rd and running through August 18th is the most recent body of work by Lori Tremblay with sculpture by Hugh Lassen.  The Artists' Reception will be held on Saturday, July 28 from 4 - 6 pm.
Lori will give a 30-minute talk prior to the reception at 3:00 pm for those interested in hearing how the story in the stars is being told through the medium of paint. 

December 2017 Artist in Residence - Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

Upon arriving at the Petrified Forest I began visiting each of the marked sites and landmarks identified throughout the Park, seeking to get a “feel” for this place.  I had a very thorough tour of the Paleontology Department which gave me an appreciation for the depth of work involved in discovering, documenting and preserving its history.
No matter where I was inside the park, I couldn’t help but feel the presence of water, though it is a dry and arid environment, the visual impact of water is everywhere!  Having had the introduction by the Paleontology Department and sensing the Park’s history as I walked and looked, I felt my task would be to create a painting that embodied a sense of being inside the Petrified Forest.  I have referenced the patterns and colors of the petrified wood in the body of the painting, being mindful not to describe any one piece, but to allow the sense of all coming into being inside the circular composition.  Its very center carries the feeling of a continent, perhaps Pangaea herself, as she is surrounded by the colors of petrified remains.  Time ripples out from the center and culminates at the four corners, each of which describes a unique land formation from within the Park and is referenced on the back side of the painting.
Over the entire composition flows the Milky Way, perhaps unchanged since Pangaea’s inception. 
I structured the central area around the constellations of Taurus, Orion, Auriga, Eridanus and Gemini: the major constellations appearing in the night sky during the month of December after sunset.  The stars represented in each corner are extensions of that inner structure.
The painting’s title, Pangaea's Heart, references the paleontological perspective of the Petrified Forest National Park and its many facets from beginning to present day.