Summer is truly coming to a close with the first day of fall looming ahead. The nights are chilly and, if you look around, leaves are starting to change. Although the excitement of the summer is winding down, Harvest Gold is not! We have several new pieces from artists Kristen Dill and Varvara Harmon.

Varvara Harmon, originally from Russia, immigrated to the United States and now resides in Windham, Maine. Whilst working as a geologist in Russia, Varvara saw many spectacular natural sights and ultimately returned to an earlier passion: painting landscapes.

She has since become a highly praised and awarded artist, and is a member of the International Guild of Realism. Having moved to Maine, much of her recent work is inspired by the natural beauty found in New England. Her talent is obvious when you stand in front of her paintings; you truly feel like you're experiencing soft sunlight or crisp autumn air in the mountains.

Kristen Dill, another popular artist at the Gallery, has supplied us with several pieces that she completed over the summer. Through her artwork, Kristen seeks to "capture the ephemeral quality of nature and make it a shared visual experience."

Kristen spends her summer on Moose Pond, with a screen porch serving as her studio. Her new pieces primarily feature flowers. They are bright, vibrant, and immediately catch the eye of the viewer. Although no painting is alike, each manages to evoke a sense of a sunny summer day, whether it is with bees buzzing around or fresh strawberries in the foreground.

We hope you come in to view these stunning new works. Stop by to peruse the gallery, admire the view, or just have a chat!

On August 24, William "Bill" Janelle joined us at Harvest Gold for a carving demonstration. It was a beautiful summer day in Lovell, with blue skies and a light breeze. Bill set up his station in the parking lot of the Gallery, with views of Kezar in the background, and went straight to work. Taking inspiration from his surroundings, Bill started by working on a current piece, an old man's face sculpted from wood. Today he focused on refining the man's beard. Bill's artistry is immediately evident; when looking at the piece, particularly the beard and hair, it's possible to gain a sense of relaxed movement within the work. After making progress with this piece, Bill moved on to a marble sculpture, further demonstrating his skill. His attention to detail creates distinct texture and depth within his pieces. Despite being carved from stone, you can almost feel the day's breeze when looking at the sculpture. 

Although focused on his work, Bill happily offered information to those watching the demonstration. He answered questions and allowed guests to get up close while he carved, which provided a unique opportunity for many who do not get to experience this art form on a regular basis.

While Bill was working, a customer stopped by specifically to speak with him about a wooden loon sculpture he purchased several years ago. The customer inquired about preserving the color painted on the wood. Bill shared his knowledge of preserving pieces such as this and different ways of treating the wood, such as linseed oil. Bill explained that his wood sculptures, painted or otherwise, will change in color over the years, depending on whether it is treated and what is used to do so. This adds another dimension to his art - it may not look the same in 10, 20, or 30 years.

After seeing Bill at work, those who saw him may think differently when they look at one of his pieces. We are very grateful that Bill shared his artistic skills with us and all who came to watch and learn.

As you know, almost every weekend this summer we have had Plein Air paint-outs. Many talented artists created beautiful art inspired by the setting here at Harvest Gold Gallery! It was a unique and inspiring thing to watch! Now that the Summer is nearly over and unfortunately the plein airs have ended, we have received many of the paintings to our gallery that are now for sale. Come check out our new paintings inspired by our scenery in Lovell. Here are some of them created by Sandy Crowell and Sandra Bell.

Say hello to our newest employee, Liz Kerr. Liz grew up in Lovell and returned after college and graduate school. She has recently moved to Bridgton, but remains active in the Lovell community.

After graduating from Fryeburg Academy, Liz went to college at Lesley University, studying European history and art history. She worked at the Museum of Fine Arts and the Paul Revere House while living in Massachusetts. Liz had already spent a lot of time in the U.K. visiting her godmother and decided to pursue her graduate degree there. She attended Cardiff University in Wales, attaining a degree in British Medieval Studies. 

Liz returned home to Lovell after her studies in Wales. She has spent time traveling back and forth to the U.K. over the last few years but has settled down and begun to find her niche in the community. Liz started volunteering at the Lovell Historical Society and is now a board member. She currently works at the Lodge at Pleasant Point and loves being able to look out at Kezar whenever she's at work. Liz enjoys being outside, particularly if she's with her yellow lab, Winnie. She also enjoys spending time with her half Maine coon/half Siamese cat, Jack. In addition to her pets and the outdoors, Liz likes to travel, visit museums, and read any history book she can get her hands on. As a lover of art, she is very excited to join us at Harvest Gold.

Happy 90th Birthday to Diane!

Today was Kristen Dill's Mother, Diane's, Birthday! For her birthday celebration, she went to lunch at the Pleasant Point Lodge and got a beautiful pink Maine Tourmaline ring. To go along with her pretty pink ring, Bill picked her a bouquet of flowers that she loved so much! Happy Birthday to Diane! Best Birthday wishes from Harvest Gold.

This Saturday August 24, beginning at 10 am please join us at the gallery for a wood carving demonstration by our own William Janelle. Janelle, a self-taught sculptor, grew up in Saco, Maine and has been carving for over 37 years. A subtractive sculptor, he takes away from a single block using hand tools, a style which often leaves tool marks behind as a unique fingerprint. Janelle prefers to work with apple, cherry, butternut, and walnut, but also works in marble, soapstone, alabaster, pumpkin, ice, and snow.

Janelle's style is a fusion of realism and neo-classicalism, which enables the viewer to recognize the subject matter, but also allows the artist the freedom of self-expression. His work is meant to impart the motion of the subject matter, whether it is a bobcat ready to leap or an owl poised for flight.

William Janelle has won over 100 ribbons for his work and has been featured on several news segments, such as Steve Minich's WMTW segment, "Made in Maine". We are very excited to host his wood carving demonstration. It is a unique opportunity to witness an exceptional artist at work.



Harvest Gold Gallery is thrilled to welcome back Diane Scott, an impressionistic painter based out of Conway, New Hampshire! Scott is a master of capturing light and tone within her artwork, making it some of the most captivating work in the Gallery. Her loose brushstrokes coupled with the vibrancy of color in her work brings her subject matter to life, and invites the viewer to sit and contemplate the piece for a while.

Scott says that her paintings “take on a life of their own” during the creation process. Often beginning her work Plein Air (outside, painting what is seen at that moment), Scott tries to get a good base of form and color, and understanding of the movement of the subject matter. Once this is done, she takes her work inside to finish it up! This is where the piece comes to life through Scott’s use of rich color and painterly brush strokes. Trying to attain photo-realism limits the impact a painting can have on a viewer, Scott argues. In getting lost in replicating exact details, you can lose the feelings and memories that the art should be able to convey.

Scott has attended and painted at two previous Plein Air Paint Outs at Harvest Gold this summer, and her last subject matter was a man who had stopped by to watch her work. Working in layers upon layers of oil paint, Scott built up reds, pinks, yellows, creams, and browns to capture the man’s face stunningly. “When I come back on the 11th, I don’t know what I might paint,” Scott said, “I am going to walk on over, and paint whatever captures my eye. I like that art is spontaneous like that!”

Come see Diane Scott set up her easel and paint at Harvest Gold Gallery this Saturday, August 11, from 10:00 till mid-afternoon. Harvest Gold Gallery is located at 1082 Main Street in Center Lovell, Maine. For more information on Scott, painting Plein Air, or the Gallery in general, give them a call at (207) 925-6502, or check them out online at www.harvestgoldgallery.com.

David Allen creates public Art installations for all to enjoy. Over 20 years of creative trade and art experience have contributed to his distinctive  style that combines  naturally occurring medium with various shapes, geometric patterns and forms.  This unique blend of technical skill and artistic vision come together to produce artwork that celebrates the beauty of natural medium in both an artistically creative and visually accurate form. As one observer stated simply, "You have the eye of the Artist and the hands of the Builder".

"Working with Natural medium offers endless opportunities for creation. Wherever I look, I see things that can be used to create something more than what they appear to be on the surface. It is only through the process of working with, and handling any particular medium, that I am able to find its true form. " -D.A.