Arnica is a flower that has been used for centuries to cure a range of issues people face, from chronic arthritis to soreness after a sport- arnica helps with bruising, aches and soreness. The arnica plant naturally contain chemicals that helps activate the body's circulatory system which reduces inflammation and bruising. Here at Harvest Gold Gallery we carry the whipped arnica cream as well as arnica rub sticks and bath salts! These products also have a more natural scent which is great for people who don't like products with a strong smell.

Tom Stoenner is the incredible artist behind these beautiful blown glass cups! A beautiful aspect of blown glass is the true uniqueness behind each piece. Even if the same style, materials and colors are used, each piece is still one of kind simply due to the nature of glass blowing. 

Tom says, "I create glass that adds to the pleasure of the drink"- with his glassware epitomizing the meaning of functional art. He continues to say that "I have always believed that things made by hand offer a shared experience between the maker and the user. A simple object can forge connections."

Houle studied art at Plymouth State College and in 1998 was awarded his degree in Fine Arts in Painting. Now, he lives in Augusta with his family and has spent the last 25 years around New England. All the while trying to establish himself as a New England artist. Much of Houle's work focuses on architecture; he is "drawn to the charm and nostalgia around old homes and barns, store fronts, and light houses." His interest in this as a subject gives him the unique ability to turn, what seems to be a mundane scene, into a masterpiece.

Our artist spotlight this week is the creator of Maple Sugar Studio, self-taught silk painter and Maine artist- Megan Reiniger. As a child Megan was always interested in art everything from figure painting to art kits, her creativity was always there. It ran in her family, her grandfather was an incredible artist and he was very close to Megan, but sadly he passed away. It was after the passing of her grandfather that Megan's inner artist truly bloomed, her lifelong creativity became a passion for art. The first time she painted a scarf was in 2016, in 2018 she was given notes taken by her sister at a silk painting class. From those notes alone Megan began silk painting, and she is terrific at it.

She creates her own designs and mixes her own pigments for just the right color. Silk painting is incredible tricky because one drop of dye on the wrong spot permanently stains the silk. Mistakes are bound to happen, "inevitably something happens" as she says, so Megan learned to work with them, seeing mistakes as "surprises." Mistakes takes on their "own personality” and Megan loves working them into her art.

In 1821 two men, Elijah Hamlin and Ezekiel Holmes changed Maine’s gem industry forever, by finding a beautiful piece of green tourmaline on Mount Mica in Paris, Maine. They had no idea the extent of the discovery that they had just made, even after sending it to a Yale professor who determined it was tourmaline. The gem industry was not very popular; up until the 1860’s when serious mining operations began, leading Maine to become world famous for its tourmaline. Now it is the official Maine state gemstone!
Tourmaline comes in a range of colors, some are multicolor like watermelon tourmaline and it is dichromatic changing color at different angles. The color difference is due to different elements being present when the tourmaline is forming.

In the case of watermelon tourmaline the elements present during the formation of the gem change part way through it's formation. We see it as the center being pink and the outer edge being green. 

One of our favorite pieces of jewelry to create here at Harvest Gold are bracelets- especially gold bracelets. Co-owner Bill Rudd created a unique anti-clastic design which really sets the bracelets apart from other gold bracelets you will see. Due to the nature of gold as an element, gold can be incredibly flexible when hammered the right way. Harvest Gold bracelets twist onto the wearer so you never have to worry about clasping it or it falling off.

Our gold anti-clastic bracelets come in a range of styles, sizes, and colors; all can be made in 14k white, rose or yellow gold, some like our interlace bracelets can be made using multiple colors of gold. Come into Harvest Gold Gallery and try our anti-clastic bracelets today.

Robert Hargrave is the man behind Plywood Sculpture. Currently residing just outside Portland, Oregon, Robert creates sculptures, mirrors, and clocks out of plywood! He was an art student at the University of Florida, and after his schooling, his business picked up traction in the late 1970s. Currently, he works solo at his home, as he puts it, "without employees, trade shows, or advertising." Robert has been working with plywood for nearly 5 decades, and his goal of making products that are "a joy to look at, a pleasure to touch, and an honor to own," still remains. 

These beautiful Dreamcatchers are handcrafted by Abenaki artist, Lenny Novak. Dreamcatchers are traditionally a craft of the Ojibway Tribe but Lenny was not taught the traditional Ojibway way until later on. Before he was taught, he learned how to make his own web which he still uses to this day. He has been making Dreamcatchers since the 90's- his work is exhibited at the Abbe museum, entered both as a Dreamcatcher and as a Contemporary Native American Sculpture. Lenny's Dreamcatchers are one of a kind, artistically he describes them as:
 "Bending planes dance with nature
In positive and negative spaces
Bringing to life what you esteem
Both past and present in these laces"

Indigenous mothers would hang a Dreamcatcher over their back, to ward off evil spirits and protect the baby in the swaddle on her back. It helped the child have strong eyesight by watching it sway, then later hand eye coordination. Eventually it was hung over the child's bed to ward off evil things from invading dreams. The web traps the evil, allowing the good dreams to flow through the center hole and feather, then to the child. If you would like to see them in person, stop by the gallery!