In 1952, Myrtle Tremblay and her husband, Louis, moved to New Holland when Louis secured a job with New Holland Machine. Tremblay was an established painter when she came to New Holland, but when she discovered the bucolic scenes of eastern Lancaster County, her art took a different turn.
"Myrtle Tremblay - An Ever-Changing Scene" will be presented in the chapel at Garden Spot Village (GSV), 433 S. Kinzer Ave., New Holland, on Thursday, March 21, at 7 p.m. The presentation will be given by Win Reber, president of the GSV Art Guild, in partnership with the New Holland Area Historical Society. Reber will delve into the evolution of Tremblay's paintings with regard to styles, subjects, and interpretations. The public is invited to attend.
Reber became interested in Tremblay's artwork when he was introduced to historical society board member Don Horning, who was working to process a number of pieces of Tremblay's art that had been bequeathed to the society by her executrix in 2017. "Win caught the vision, and in October 2018 we met and he started working (to help catalog the collection)," said Horning. Reber's volunteer efforts with the society led him to create a multimedia show on Tremblay's history and artwork.
Tremblay was born in Albion, Mich., in 1908. Initially, she taught herself to draw by copying pictures. When she attended Bay City Junior College, her talent was recognized, and she served as art editor of the school yearbook. She later earned a Bachelor of Science from Central Michigan University. She attended the Art Institute of Chicago, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the Art Center in New York. In the 1940s, she sketched servicemen and servicewomen for the United Services Organization in Detroit and the American Theater Wing in New York City. Beginning in 1937, she traveled to South America, Europe, and Asia, along with the northwest United States, painting scenes from her journey. Tremblay lived to be 102, spending her final years at GSV. She remained a student of art well into her 90s, and her works were displayed and sold throughout the county, often to help raise funds for local organizations. She received many awards for her work.
Reber, who is originally from Elgin, Ill., graduated from Cornell College in 1964, where he worked extensively with the art professors with regard to presentations on art history and museum shows. After graduating from Cornell, Reber moved to Wayne and began teaching art at Radnor Township schools. He later received a master's degree in art education from Kutztown College. While teaching in Radnor Township, Reber served as curator for the Rosemont Collection of Art and learned art restoration and bolstered his knowledge of the lives and history of various artists. He began holding art lectures on various art-related topics for community groups. In 2004, Reber and his wife, Carolyn, moved to GSV. Following retirement, Reber began exhibiting watercolors in Lancaster County and in Maine, where he owns a home, and lecturing in both locations. He was involved in founding the Art Guild at GSV, which puts on shows of local artists in the community's Main Street Gallery.
Beginning on Monday, April 1, "The Unseen Works of Myrtle Tremblay," consisting of more than 20 pieces of Tremblay's early work, will be displayed in The Harvest Table Hallway at GSV. The exhibit will be a smaller version of a larger show that will open in May at the New Holland Area Historical Society. Horning noted that rather than Lancaster County scenery, the display will include paintings created in Latin and South America, as well as Europe.
Readers who wish to know more about the historical society may visit http://nhhistorical.com or search for "New Holland Area Historical Society" on Facebook.
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