Celebrate all things Lovell during Lovell Old Home Days!
Friday, July 20: Harvest Gold Gallery's 17th Annual Artist Reception and Open House, from 3:00 to 6:00pm.
Saturday, July 21: 5K Race, Parade beginning at 9:00am, Fun Fair at the Lovell Rec. fields.
Sunday, July 22: Lovell Historical Society's Summer Fair from 10:00 to 3:00pm. Auction at 11:00 which includes a Harvest Gold Sterling Silver bracelet!
Harvest Gold Gallery is honored to display Jean Swan Gordon paintings. She was born in 1922 and lived her early years in Old Lyme, CT where at only 14 years old she was studying under a local artist due to her talent. At first she only drew pen and pencil line drawings, many of them are figures of people. It wasn't until her later years that she started painting flowers, however they became an incredible success- both for Jean and anyone to behold them. Sadly Jean passed away in 2013, yet her spirit lives on in every brush stroke of every flower in her paintings.
This piece is one that is new to us, come and see how beautiful it is in person!
"As with people, no two are the same. They can move around like people, and there’s something challenging about that. That’s why I try to convey in my work the vigor, energy, and variety of flowers at various stages of growth and development.”
~ Jean Swan Gordon
Recently at the gallery, we've taken pictures of many different pieces of jewelry to share with all of you!
These chunky hoops are the perfect addition to anyones earring collection, and look great on everyone! These earrings shine so bright in any light.
Finally, the loop-de-loop earrings are a fantastic way to accentuate any look. The anticlastic design is such a unique way to spice up your accessories! Please click on the photo for more information on these earrings.
Come see these earrings and more at Harvest Gold Gallery!
With the end of summer creeping right up, we would like to showcase some oil paintings that encapsulate the feelings of the warmest season.
"Severance Lodge Flowers", by Kristen Dill, captures the warmth of a summer day on the waterfront. Her choice of colors and setting instills the hot air of summertime in anyone who sees it. Click on the photo for more information on this piece!
The morning dew of a cool summer morning is perfectly captured in artist Varvara Harmon's piece, "Lupines in Sun Rays". This oil paintings brilliant use of lighting on such a delicate terrain perfectly captures the feeling of a quiet, summer moment.
Finally, "Lilies and Blue Sky", by Carol Novotne, exhibits a cooling sight to warm eyes. The hues of green and blue in contrast to the pink flowers creates a beautiful, calming image to behold- the perfect painting to view on a hot, summers day.
Come see this work and more at Harvest Gold Gallery!
Take a walk through Harvest Gold Gallery and you’re bound to encounter several of Smus' woodland creatures, whether they are made of wood, bronze, or copper; whether they are miniature or life-size. David Smus is one of our artists who specializes in bronze sculpture, and recently we added several more of his pieces to our collection! From little puffins to a nearly life-size blue heron, David’s sculptures express an obvious love of nature and a clear knowledge of animal anatomy.
So the next time you find yourself at Harvest Gold, keep an eye out for a beaver whittling away at a tree stump, a blue heron with wings unfurling, three little bear cubs playing happily on a log, and a bobcat tiptoeing curiously across some rocks. When you find them, see if you can recognize the sense of spirit that David has so skillfully crafted into each creature.
To see more of Smus' beautiful work, visit our website or stop by the gallery to see it in its full glory!
We are lucky enough to get to experience an amazing view at Harvest Gold. If you follow our Instagram, you'll see that Lynda often posts photos of the sunrise and sunset. Every now and then, Lynda captures a shot of the mountains bathed in a vibrant, pink light.
This is known as the Alpenglow Phenomenon. Alpenglow (from the German word "Alpenglühen", meaning "mountain glow") refers to sunlight reflected off clouds just before sunrise and after sunset.
Just up the street is a farm named Alpenglow Farm, overlooking the mountains. We have a painting by Thomas Merriam depicting the farm, with the mountains in the background. Just like us, they must often see this beautiful natural phenomenon. Pictured below is "Jackie's Farm, Alpine Glow" by Thomas Merriam.
Another work in the gallery that depicts alpenglow is "Snow Walk on Kezar Lake" by Rebecca Klementovich.
Follow us on Instagram to see our view in all of its varying states of beauty, all year round!
Originally from Palo Alto, California, Gay made her way to Maine almost forty years ago. Inspired by her artistically inclined family to pursue a creatively driven career, Gay attended Moore College of Art in Philadelphia to study sculpture and design, and entered the work force as a landscape and interior designer.
Gay’s experience as a technical designer shows itself in the carefully considered color schemes of each of her paintings. Her ability to create a subtle and cohesive marriage between soft and vibrant hues in a single painting amplifies the emotions of her subject to the viewer. Her love and respect for all animals and their sentient, emotional characteristics overwhelms her subject matter. “You have to have your heart in whatever you are doing,” Gay said, “be it painting or a desk job, you have to feel it. That’s what brings the subject to life and keeps it from being just a copy of a photograph."
Animals of all sorts are sculpted in paint: pigs, ducks, chickens, horses, and especially dogs. Gay is deeply interested in capturing the relationship between the owner and the animal, in accurately representing the physical and emotional likeness of the creatures, and in bringing forth the unique personality of each creature. She begins her creative process by taking hundreds of photos of her subjects. From these photos she might find a color that works better in one than another, or a body part that works with another photograph, like adding a tail when one wasn’t wagging when the shutter clicked. The paintings become a compilation of ideas which tell the story of the animal. She can pull from them the moment in time when the light was perfect and when she and the animal fell into a rhythm together.
“I then convey the motion, shape, and love for the animal with loosely applied sweeping brushstrokes or a pallet knife,” Gay told us. “Using glazing mediums, wax, chalk dust, and thick layers of oil paint I sculpt the subjects on the canvas: I bring them to life in an unconventional form.” While Gay does switch between different styles of painting to attempt to avoid falling into a creative rut, Gay says that painting loosely with large brushstrokes and bright colors is her favorite style. “To paint is a constant process of learning. The paint often tells me what to put on the canvas and I try not to disturb an unexpected brushstroke once it is applied. I keep in mind the movement and shape of the animals more than the realistic image the photograph shows me. This helps to stay loose and less realistic: which is what I strive for.”
While Gay has been focusing mostly on painting recently, her deep love of animals goes far beyond just the canvas and paint. She grew up with many dogs around the house, and worked in a veterinarian’s office for some years. She also is a breeder of Labrador Retrievers, and a frequent participant in dog shows all around New England. With a fair knowledge of anatomy under her belt, Gay can focus on capturing those details which really bring her paintings to life: the sparkle in a pet’s eye or a dog’s body language that her audience can immediately recognize if they too are pet owners.
An avid bird lover, Shane is dedicated to capturing the essence of birds in art, and then using her artwork to further education on, the appreciation of, and the conservation of wildlife.
Some thirty years ago, Shane truly fell in love with nature, and began her journey to expand her connection to the world around us. She sought out compelling – and sometimes unusual – opportunities to interact directly with the animals nearby, and this often meant volunteering through animal shelters and conservations. Shane often helped out banding hawks, or caring for sick, injured, or orphaned birds and animals.
“Hands-on direct interaction is dirty, hard work: though rewarding in its own right,” she says. “Contributing to this important work is an honor and a privilege not to be taken lightly, but oh, what a thrill it is to hold a Red-tailed Hawk in your hands, feel the warmth of its body, smell its soft and tangy feathers, look into its eyes, and then let it go soar up and away: back to its own world.”
Over time, Shane’s work expanded to include monitoring species of concern, such as Piping Plovers or Great Blue Herons. This prolonged observation of many bird species led to a deeper and more intimate understanding of bird’s physique: not just feather color and pattern, but body structure and size, along wing configuration.
While painting seems like the next logical step in this progression of connecting to nature, at the time Shane had next to no artistic experience. While always creatively inclined, Shane had never before picked up a paintbrush. A chance encounter gave Shane the push she needed to take the leap and begin using her brush to spread awareness about the conservational needs of wild life.
Shane’s watercolors are concise, and the eye is drawn directly to her subject: the bird. Frequently placed upon a white backdrop, Shane’s birds are anatomical marvels. Shane’s sensitivity to detail coupled with her unique knowledge of birds’ stances, attitudes, and habitats make her watercolors compelling. Her paintings also serve to highlight the bird’s unique adaptations and mechanisms, such as the shape of its beak or the length of its leg, which help it survive and thrive.
Clean and crisp, Shane’s work is full of movement and life. A longtime member of the Maine Audubon, Shane wants to use her art to spread the word about wildlife conservation.
