Spring Fever in Center Lovell

Hello there! Alison here, itching to hang up my cooking apron and get back into the swing of things for the summer season at Harvest Gold Gallery! It was a beautiful winter in Bethel, but nothing beats Kezar Lake in the summertime.

Captain especially missed the gallery, namely his Bill & Lynda, so today we decided to take a trip out to see what was happening in and around the store. We brought our new friend Scout along for the ride. We rescued Scout from Georgia in February with the help of The Pixel Fund. He has no idea how much fun he is in for this summer, so we decided to give him a little preview!

First on the agenda was a walk down to the lake. The ice is almost out, most of it seems to be hiding right in our little cove. It was so windy that we could see white caps nipping across the lake, but the sight of that open deep blue water was refreshing.

On the way back we took a meander over to Bill’s garden, where there were little garlic tops already poking up through the soil. The peach tree is budding, and the blueberry bushes look promising.  It really is spring!!

In the gallery we got a look at the Spring Craft Fair Schedule, checked out some beautiful new pieces that Lynda has been hard at work creating, and got David Dupree’s paintings ready for their arrival at Arabica Coffee Shop, in Portland Maine. 

Maine Tourmaline ring in 14K White and Green Gold

A few of David Dupree's paintings, simply exploding with color and texture

It was great day to be in Center Lovell! Captain, Scout and I are really looking forward to this summer!! See you at the Gallery!

Melissa Harris At Arabica Coffee Shop

Melissa Harris At Arabica Coffee Shop

Accomplished artist from New York, Melissa Harris, is now showing work at Arabica Coffee Shop in Portland, Maine. Her new work is a series of watercolors painted while she was in Freeport, Maine. Melissa earned a BFA degree in Painting from Syracuse University, an MFA in painting from Queens College, and in addition spent several years painting in Paris with a Fulbright grant. She describes her art making process as a spiritual journey and says "painting is my medicine…Through these decades of a sometimes erratic and ever-evolving life, painting had been the one constant. Relationships and homes have come and gone, but my paint box is always with me…. A connection to Mother Earth fuels my being and inspires [my] imagery". 

Melissa's work is also Crema Coffee in Portland and has received great feedback! An anonymous customer left their comments:

"I happened to be sitting in my favorite seat at Coffee Crema in Portland, tucked in by the fireplace where they have a plug for my PC. I sit here for hours at a time, and I was so pleased this morning to see the painting "Fleeting Moment" on the brick wall next to me, almost like it was placed here for my benefit. It's really nice. I'm not even sure exactly how to describe why I like some art over others except that I am sensitive to how a painting makes me feel. This one brings a moment of peace, which is always nice! I think it's partly the excellent play between the yellow, blue, green, and purple, and partly the thoughts it conjures up about what the girl is looking at and thinking about. She does look a bit fleeting, but committed enough to put her hands on the sill, which makes me think it was important but not life threatening. The "why" doesn't matter anyway though - it's all about the feeling I get while looking at it. A moment of calm, and a relaxing trip into her world, away from the emails and work I'm doing here.So thanks. Sorry I can't buy it. But I like it, and the moment it let me visit. (And the additional moments I took to write you and let the painting roll around in my head)."

Fleeting Moment by Melissa Harris

Visit Arabica located at 2 Free St. Portland, Maine, and Crema Coffee Shop, located at 9 Commercial Street in Portland to enjoy their menus and see more of Melissa and other artist's work.