Journal Page

Jewelry

The summer 2018 season has been going so well for Harvest Gold, that we here in the shop just wanted to write up a quick thank you to everyone who has been coming out to our shows and events and making them such fun events!

We had a fantastic turnout for the first Plein Air Painting Session of the summer! Although the clouds were gray and the wind held a wet chill, we had three artists stop by to paint. Kristen Dill, a Bridgtonite who works in bright colors and loose forms; Mary out of Fryeburg who works in watercolor and acrylics; and Renee, a Lovellite up for the summer! We love that several local artists stopped by to paint with us, and we encourage you to come out and paint too! We shall be hosting these plein air sessions every Saturday through August.

Then Harvest Gold Gallery’s 17th Annual Artist Reception and Open House went off without a hitch! The evening was a joyful affair with many artists and fans alike popping by to check out the summer collection. Artists that stopped by include Bill Housley, Ellen Nelson, Sandra Bell, Robin Taylor-Chiarello, Kimberly Crichton, Sandy Crowell, Ayn Male, among others!

We want to thank Severance Lodge Club for preparing for us several delicious hors-d’oeuvres, which were a big hit all night long! We also wanted to thank our staff who ran the behind-the-scenes all evening: these events could not go on without their faithful and hardworking support.

The second summer Plein Air Paint Painting Session happened on Saturday, July 21st, and we are thrilled that both Sandra Bell and Diane Scott stopped by to paint the day away! Warm and sunny, the conditions were perfect for the artists to capture golden honey tones in their artwork.

That same day was Art in the Park in Bridgton, and thanks to the good weather, great art, and friendly folks that wandered through the park all day long the show was one of our most successful to date.

The next Plein Air Painting Session is this coming Saturday, and will be featuring Varvara Harmon! Stop by to see her work!

Harvest Gold is just filled with joy this summer as we have several new fantastic employees, lots of gorgeous new pieces of art, and friendly customers stopping in every day. We hope this good energy continues on for the rest of the year and we hope to send positive energy in your direction as well. Lots of love and thank you for your continued support!

Meet the Artist: Sandra J. Bell

Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Bell first unfolded her canvas-seated artist’s stool at the age of five while attending classes provided by the Cleveland Museum of Art. Throughout her years of college and formal art school, Bell became interested in 20^th century Americana. She involved herself in architectural and antique preservation, home restoration, and so much more. Travelling all around America provided Bell the opportunity to form a unique world view, and lead to her desire to paint whatever off-the-beaten-track subject matter caught her fancy.

As a resident of Center Lovell, Bell likes to keep her subject matter local but relatively unknown. Her painting process begins with a trek across New England, scoping out interesting scenes via hiking, kayaking, or driving. Next comes photography, with Bell covering many different angles and views, sometimes returning to the same spot at different times throughout the day to see how the lighting changes. Bell then returns to her studio in Lovell and to start the sketching and painting process!

Working mainly in oils, Bell is well known for her painterly style and masterful use of color. She captures the purples and blues in snow, the pinks and oranges that can reflect on a pond from the autumn trees, and so much more! Her subject matter covers a mix of interesting still-lifes (cars and toys and animals, oh my!) and local landscapes.