((L-R) Collier Glacier, Infrared Series – Middle Sister from the PCT and The Fourth Wall by Emyn Trocméc)
“In opposition to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the starving artist will gladly live out of his Subaru just to be close to the mountains,” said Emyn Trocméc, a former psych ward counselor with hopes of attaining his PhD in psychology.
As an artist, Emyn takes a particularly unique view into every project. His photography is influenced by every aspect of his life, from a life-altering crash and confronting his own mortality, to his passion for psychology, color theory and understanding the human condition.
Emyn used to be able to take advantage of all that Central Oregon had to offer. He was training for a marathon, and he was a high-level solo climber, summiting peaks that many others will never touch. He was a pioneer of new routes, and remarked that many of his climbs made him confront the idea of his own mortality, knowing that a single wrong move could mean the end. Then, while driving down from Mt. Bachelor one day, another vehicle veered into his lane and caused a head-on collision.
The life-threatening crash left Emyn with a number of injuries, including a fractured spine, that rendered him unable to work and play in the way he was used to. With little to fall back on, Emyn fell victim to an affliction that is affecting more and more members of our community as housing costs continue to rise: homelessness. For the last year and a half, he has lived out of his Subaru.
However, Emyn maintains that living out of his car has at least one benefit, such as always being close to the mountains; a poetic and deeply ironic thought, as he lives in a mountain town while lacking the ability to enjoy those mountains as he used to.
The irony is not lost on Emyn. Instead, he uses it to fuel a dark sense of humor, and to create artwork that confronts the notion of mortality; one life beginning because another ended.
Emyn uses a specific color to highlight the deeper meaning among his photos: pink. Some photos of cliff faces and mountain peaks are contrasted by a bright pink sky, other photos use pink to highlight different tones and features within the photo.
Emyn describes pink as feminine, protecting, and in some ways, similar to heaven. He relates this back to color theory and psychology, in that pink (specifically, Baker-Miller pink), causes a calming effect on people. Studies have shown that certain pigments, such as this pink, can temporarily reduce hostile, violent or otherwise aggressive behavior.
In some of his works, the pink sky can be seen as a parallel to heaven, or a protective feeling that came over him when he was there in person. The pink in other photos looks more similar to an EEG reading, or more specifically, what your brain waves look like when you are calm, according to an EEG machine.
A final aspect that Emyn loves to share within his art lies in being grateful. The roof over your head, your physical ability to work and enjoy life, the mountains in your backyard, and even your life itself; these are all things that can be taken away in a single moment. Emyn’s story and his work helps remind people to cherish what they have, and appreciate the amazing things standing right in front of us.
Get a glimpse of Emyn’s work during the First Friday Art Walk in Downtown Bend from 5-8pm on June 6.