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Birthstone of the month: Sapphire!
Anybody born in September knows that this month's birthstone is Sapphire!
Sapphire is a gemstone comes from the mineral corundum, and is most famous for its deep blue coloration. Though it is most commonly recognized for it's deep blue beauty, sapphires come in a very wide variety of colors.
The only color sapphires don't come in is red, because when corundum has a red color it is instead recognized as a ruby! Sapphires are super durable, ranking a 9 on the Mohs hardness scale which makes them the perfect stone to wear as jewelry. You can wear sapphires without ever having to fear about them cracking or chipping! Fun fact, sapphires can be man-made, meaning they can be synthesized in a lab and will have the same properties as a natural sapphire. Sapphire has been known as a royal stone, often worn by royalty as a status symbol.
Pictured above is a photo of Princess Diana's engagement ring. Sapphire has also been know to represent sincerity, faithfulness, and fidelity, which makes it the perfect anniversary gift. Sapphires are traditionally given as a gift on the 5th and 45th wedding anniversary.
Happy Birthday to all the September birthdays and we hope to see you all in the Gallery soon!
Nyla's Favorite paintings!
 Hello Everyone! My name is Nyla and I started working at Harvest Gold about two months ago. Every day I've been in the Gallery I've come to appreciate the beauty of the artwork around me and every artist's unique style. Today I'm going to share some of my absolute favorite paintings in the Harvest Gold Gallery with you.
Click on any of the paintings to see them on our website!
First, "Lupines in the Sky" by Varvara Harmon. This is one of the pieces that really caught my eye walking through the gallery for the first time. I love the visible beams of sunlight filtering through the trees, highlighting the delicate spiderweb in the bottom left corner of the painting. To me, the spiderweb nestled in the lupines is the centerpiece of the painting. The cool undertone of the painting makes it feel like Harmon has captured the first rays of sun in the early morning, the light reflecting off dew drops trapped in the web. The cool color palette is complemented by the soft orange shadows of the lupines' leaves and scattered throughout the tips of the tree branches.
Next, "The Yard" by Doug Houle.The first time I saw this painting the bright turquoise of the truck surrounded by the earthy tones of the rest of the scene brought my eyes right to it. The pops of bright colors lead my eyes around the entire painting, noticing the carefully placed details before taking a step back and viewing the painting as a whole. The painting feels like a warm day, standing in the yard with the sun directly over head, soaking in the late summer air.
"Sun over Field" by Varvara Harmon. Varvara's paintings are world renowned for their realism, and this one is no exception. The picture above doesn't fully capture the light emanating from the the sunset and the sky above. Seeing it in person, the blue sky and the sun's rays pouring onto the field almost seem to have their own life, glowing in a way I've never seen captured in any other artist's painting before. I love how focus of this painting is the background, letting the light bounce off the little trees in the foreground, decorating the field about not taking away from the bold clouds.
"The Lace Curtains" by Amy Laskin. Amy Laskin's paintings never cease to amaze me. The detail in her paintings is extraordinary and I get lost in a new part of this painting every time I look at it. The seamless layering of different aspects in the painting, such as the night sky poking through the lace curtains, is fascinating. It almost feels like if I shifted my gaze from the curtains to the moon I could see right through them and view the moon in perfect detail. I love the brightness of the painting and how each and every flower and leaf is highlighted, creating a  dimensional, striking scene.
Stop in and see these beautiful pieces for yourself at the Harvest Gold Gallery!
The Process of Making Our Cut-Out Pendants
Ever wonder about the process of how we here at Harvest Gold make jewelry? Well, it all starts with a concept, these can either be ideas we think of ourselves, or personal requests made by the customer. In this sample picture, a sketch was drawn to represent what the customer wanted on their earring!
Then, the process actually begins, with making the earring and turning a sheet of gold and silver into beautiful earrings. In this case, we cut the sheet into the outside shape of the gold and silver. Next we drill a couple of tiny holes ,insert a tiny jeweler's saw, and hand cut the design into it. With polishing and finishing, we complete the process of making beautiful earrings!

 

 Check out our other hand-crafted pieces at Harvest Gold!

Cut-Out Jewelry

One of our most ionic jewelry pieces is easily the cut-out collection; the look is simple yet eye catching and intricate. Lynda skillfully hand cuts each individual design out of the metal to create the beautiful cut-out. The Tree of Life is historically the most popular however Lynda has made a wide array of custom cut-outs like states, names and animals! All of the Harvest Gold Jewelry cut-outs can be made in either 14k yellow, white and rose gold or silver as a pendant for either a necklace or charm bracelet, earrings and rings. 

 

Cut-out jewelry is perfect because it can be worn daily and causally however it can also be dressed up into a more formal fashion. This is the type of jewelry you don't have to plan your outfit around because it goes with everything. If you would like to get yourself or a loved one, a piece of cut-out jewelry stop by the gallery to see our selection or to design a custom piece. Our cut-out designs are also on our online store if you can't make it into the gallery. 

Jean Swan Gordon

Harvest Gold Gallery is honored to announce that we have recently received more Jean Swan Gordon painting. She was born in 1922 and lived her early years in Old Lyme, CT where are 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 flower in her paintings.

"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

Dreamcatchers

Lenny Novak is the creator of these beautiful, unique dreamcatcher sculptures. He has been creating them since the early 90's after he first saw an Obijway Dreamcatcher made by Gail Carlson. After seeing hers, he attempted to duplicate the web and eventually developed his own style. 

Please Click on the Image to Learn More!

He has been continuously improving his technique and has been featured in many different contemporary exhibits such as: the Great Plains Museum in Lincoln, the Abbe Museum, the Mount Kearsarge Indian Museum in Warner and many others as well as being a featured artist of various galleries and colleges. 

Please Click on the Link to Learn More!

Lenny is the only person in the world that makes these dreamcatchers and is continuously evolving his techniques as he continues to make more of them. 

Please Click on the Link to Learn More!

Feel Free to Stop by the gallery to see some of Lenny's work :)

Sunny Plein Air And A Brief Visit From An Owl!

Yesterday, July 16th, was Doug Houle's plein air! It was a warm, sunny day, and he chose to paint the image of the fence outside the gallery with some flowers. 

Here is the painting at its stopping point, Doug wanted to use a bright base color, such as this red, to give the finished painting brightness from within. He also commented on the fact that using a bright base color is useful when you have limited time to complete painting, such as yesterday during the plein air!

Here is Doug next to his painting! It was wonderful having him paint out at the gallery on such a beautiful day! Please click on the images to learn more about Doug and his work- and stop by the gallery to see his paintings! 

On the same day, the gallery said hello to "Hoot"! A sculpture of an owl that is making a brief visit, as it is already sold. 

Here is the owl being transported to its temporary home! We are so grateful for the help moving it in- as it is 6 feet tall. 

Here is the owl sculpture outside the gallery! Although this sculpture is already sold, Harvest Gold has many more to see, outside, and inside! Please click on the images to learn more about the other sculptures we have for sale, or come visit us to see them in person!

 

Anchor Bend Glassworks

A necessity for every kitchen paired with a beautiful work of art. These glasses are all handcrafted and provide a gorgeous addition to a set of kitchen supplies. 

 Cane-fetti Glass Tumbler by Anchor Bend

 "Cane-Fetti" glasses by Anchor Bend Glassworks out of Newport, RI are stunning pieces of artwork that are sure to brighten up your kitchen. The bright colors turn ordinary glass into a work of art and are a good way to bring a pop of color into your kitchen.  

Cobalt Wave Glass Tumbler by Anchor Bend

 The waves within these "Cobalt Wave" glasses are made to reflect the waves of the ocean and are beautifully colored with blue and white. 

Please feel free to stop in the gallery to see these works and more!

 

Kristen Dill

One of our talented artists featured within the gallery is painter, Kristen Dill. Kristen is a very talented artist and paints in both watercolor as well as oils. She makes use of beautiful, vibrant colors in order to make her paintings stand out in any room. Each one of her paintings is unique and will help bring a splash of color into your home. 

                                                                               "Afternoon Rain"

 Please Click on the Image to Learn More!    

  

                                      "Cerulean Sky"

Please Click on the Image to Learn More!

                           

                          "Blueberries and Birches"     Please Click on the Image to Learn More!

Plein Air With Diane Scott

Today, a sunny July day at the gallery, Diane Scott set up her easel to paint plein air! She painted two different pieces today: a portrait of Catie- one of our workers, and a glass painting study.  

Here is Scott working on her painting of Catie, she states that "Its hard to make a dull painting brighter, but it's really easy to make a bright painting dull", in response to the question, "Why do you say 'If you're smart you always go bright'?" 

Here is the beginnings of the glass study. Diane uses oil pants, saying they allow for so much forgiveness. Please come see Diane Scott's work and other plein air's this season at Harvest Gold Gallery!