Artists I Fancy : Claudia Tremblay

Do you love artwork that honors women and womanhood? Lovely portraits of women, mother-and-daughter or mother-and-child, sisters, young girls, mature women, etc.?

If so then you will love paintings by Claudia Tremblay. 

She is a self-taught artist who began her career painting Mayan women when she worked for an NGO in Guatemala. Her inspiration is derived from the “beauty, serenity, colours, and sense of mystery that pervades Guatemala”. Her paintings “evoke a sense of peace, harmony, and a certain melancholy” and she “imbues scenes of everyday life with a dream-like quality”. (Source for quotes)

Ms. Tremblay has an official website ~ claudiatremblay.com ~ and over 600 pieces of her paintings and illustrations are for sale via her Etsy shop. 

It is impossible for me to pick a favorite piece. All of her work is captivating, bewitching even. Let's just say these caught my eye.

Mothers of the World Art Print

https://mybackgroundnoize.tumblr.com/post/816248209731207168/happy-mothers-day

Guatemalan sisters art print

The family, mother and children art print

Child from africa, mursi tribes

The secret garden art print

Amazon River children inspired art print

A Character Study of Florence Nightingale

In 1859, Florence Nightingale was the first to set out guidelines for ethical nursing practice. She wrote: “It may seem a strange principle to enunciate as the very first requirement in a Hospital is to do the sick no harm …”

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

(NOTE: It's not a strange principle. It's a sad principle. Some strange people need a guideline expressed in very plain language in the hopes that it pricks their conscience (if they have one) so that they don't take advantage of the sick and do them harm. I do wonder if Ms. Nightingale actually witnessed an incident that compelled her to write down these words.)

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May 12th is International Nurses Day. This special day has been celebrated since 1965. The date was chosen because it is the B-Day (birthday of Florence Nightingale, a pioneer in healthcare and health reform, and the mother of modern nursing. Because of her efforts in the field of nursing, many others did not have to experience their own personal D-Day (day of death).

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I have always been taught to admire and respect this woman, but never really learned very much about her. Decided to collect a few more facts about this remarkable lady and learned two things about her that were news to me.

- Did not know she was a mathematical genius? Although that really comes as no surprise. She was, in fact, a very gifted child and excelled in mathematics and science.

- Did not know she believed that she was called by God? That, too, really comes as no surprise. Most people who defy the norms of their day, particularly women, and determine to set out on a specific path or chart a course despite the objections or opposition or great peril to one's life, to achieve anything, are usually driven by a voice that nobody else can hear except them. They firmly believe that they have been called to their mission or task that they can not be dissuaded because it would violate their conscience, and they would genuinely feel that the failure to respond to the calling would be like a betrayal to mankind.

So here is little Miss Nightingale, born into a family with sufficient financial means to educate her and develop her knowledge, skills, and abilities, and prepare her for her life's work. She grows to womanhood, and there is a sea of humanity outside her door where she can put this real wealth to good use.

Those voices could not be ignored. Not by her anyway.

Honoring the Memory Of:

Florence Nightingale (May 12, 1820 – August 13, 1910)

● Learn more about Florence Nightingale.

Florence Nightingale - Timeline

Florence Nightingale - English Nurse

Florence Nightingale - Biographical Sketch

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National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6–12, 2026, starting on National Nurses Day and ending on Florence Nightingale's birthday.

Reading List: Inspiring Biographies

Do you read autobiographies or biographies and personal memoirs for inspiration?

Reading about the lives of other people has always been a source of inspiration for me and no doubt it is the same way for other people too. In fact, if a person is suffering from depression one of the suggested activities to uplift their spirit and pull them out of the dark black hole is reading life stories. Not trying to sound corny but we are all ordinary people and it is encouraging to know that the majority of us endure the same trials and tribulations and most of us overcome or rise above our difficulties and get on with our lives.

But clearly, you do not have to be depressed to draw motivation from reading about the achievements of someone else. For one of my friends, it was the life of Malcolm X. The first biography which influenced my life was about Sammy Davis Jr. It was titled Yes I Can. (I could just kick myself for not keeping the book as it is now considered a collectible. He also published a sequel called Why Me?) 

The first autobiography written by Mr. Davis is also the book that piqued my curiosity and got me interested in reading more and more biographies about anybody – celebrities, men and women in history, people in political circles, etc. I turned this fascination into a hobby and created a Pinterest board called BIO-Snapshots, a collection of trivia, information, and articles about people. Some of my most recent pins link to mini-bios of Nora Baker, Robert Smalls, and Huma Abedin.

Do you get inspired by reading
biographical accounts or personal memoirs?

Click to view my picks.

NOTE: Content previously published elsewhere on the web, however, the site shut down. 

Alexander the Great - Boogie Man or Immortal?

The records of history indicate that is what Alexander the Great said when others informed him about his father’s conquests.

“My father will get ahead of me in everything, and will leave nothing great for me to do.” 

Statue of Alexander the Great in Skopje, the capital of the Republic of Macedonia

Clearly, Alexander the Great was no prophet. However, he is known in Western history as a remarkable military leader. In India’s history, children are told he’s the “boogie man”. - Alexander was born on 21st July 356 B.C. - Although his name is not specifically mentioned in the Bible, many biblical scholars believe that he is the “mighty king” referred to in the book of Daniel the Prophet (Chapter 11). - The meaning of the name Alexander is: “man’s defender, warrior”. The name suited him. Almost everyone knows about this “hero” who set out to conquer and Hellenize the entire world. * Do you have an opinion about him? You can find mine at the link supplied below.

• Alexander the Great: God-King or Mere Mortal?

If you don’t have any thoughts regarding the actual historical person, care to share what you thought about the 2004 movie which starred Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie and Val Kilmer. Here’s a link to a review by Rebecca Murray, writer for About.com.

• "Alexander" Movie Review: Oliver Stone's Long Anticipated Alexander the Great Epic - movies.about.com

Her opinion as expressed in the article, summarily stated? She gave it a Grade C+. Which means: Eh! She didn’t think it was all that! Me? I thought it sucked! Bad plot. Bad acting. But that’s just me.

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#1 Best Seller in Historical Greece Biographies

Alexander the Great by Philip Freeman

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Bio-Facts About Alexander Graham Bell, The Inventor of the Telephone

Did you know Alexander Graham Bell created his first successful invention at the age of 12?

Did you also know that during his formative years, "Aleck" was home-schooled by his mother?  His family home was in Scotland.

A few quick bio-facts extracted from a very interesting article about one of our favorite famous inventor.  

Learn more at Owlcation ~ Great Inventors.

Portrait of Alexander Graham Bell (1847 - 1922), inventor of the telephone.

Source: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

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Spotlight on Prolific British Author Peter Ackroyd

Who is Peter Ackroyd?

No the name is not a pseudonym for Alfred Hitchcock.

Peter Ackroyd is a man who eats, drinks, and sleeps writing.

His works cover a wide range of genres – both fiction and nonfiction: books for children; history; biography; poetry; mystery; etc.

He has even taken respected literary works such as Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and retold them.

He has been described as “eccentric” because he has quirks . (Don't we all?)

Calling him “prolific” would be a more accurate description.

Haven't read it yet but he wrote a biography of Alfred Hitchcock.

Here is a review, if you're interested. Alfred Hitchcock by Peter Ackroyd: Review.

A good review or bad review won't change my interest.

Hitchcock is the kind of guy you want to get to know up close and personal?

Ackroyd sort of looks like he could pass for Hitchcock's brother or a close relative. Ya think?  :)

Image credit:  Peter Ackroyd (photo by Antony Medley); 2007;  Wikimedia Commons

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Reference and Additional Links:

Rosen, Jody. “Man of Many Words: Up Close and Personal with Peter Ackroyd …” T: New York Times Style Magazine 15 Sept. 2013: 110-14. Print. Men’s Fashion Issue, Arts and Letters

Good Reads: Peter Ackroyd Writes Ghost Stories

Who is Peter Ackroyd? | My Blog Stop!

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Related articles

• The 13 Alfred Hitchcock movies you need to watch in your lifetime(businessinsider.com)

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