Welcoming you to our Plein Air Event, Saturday August 1st

     

Harvest Gold Gallery would like to extend an open invitation to our annual Plein Air event.  Come see some of our favorite artists in action painting our beautiful scenic view of Kezar Lake and the White Mountains on Saturday August 1^st beginning at 10AM.  

En Plein Air is a French expression that translates to “in the open air”, and is used to describe the act of painting outdoors.  While studio painting creates a fixed and mostly pre-determined outcome, Plein Air painting reproduces the actual visual conditions seen at the time of the painting. Here at Harvest Gold Gallery each new day looking at our majestic view is like looking at a new painting.  The colors of the mountains, clouds, and water are ever changing, providing an ideal backdrop not only for our gallery, but also for our Plein Air event.

This year among the very talented artists joining us will be Kristen Dill, Sandy Bell, Diane Scott, Varvara Harmon and our very own Thea Hart.  You don’t want to miss this event. See you at Harvest Gold Gallery on Route 5 in beautiful downtown Center Lovell beginning at 10AM on August 1^st.  For more information or to participate as a painter please call the gallery at 

(207) 925-6502

Tom Merriam, Lovell Artist

Harvest Gold Gallery Proudly Presents 

The paintings of Thomas Merriam

Merriam is a self-taught artist whose paintings reflect his roots as a Maine native. White growing up in the woodlands of North Berwick and along the shorelines of York Harbor, he developed a keen appreciation for the wonders of nature and wildlife and a heartfelt sense of American history.

As an apprentice to George Carpenter, the last surviving member of the Whiskey Water Color Association, Merriam received a unique grounding in a technique which he continues to build on even now. He was trained to use whiskey in the winter as a wash so his brushes would not freeze, allowing him to paint outside in almost any weather. Merriam also learned to work fast to catch the nuances of light in a scene and other atmospheric conditions before it changed or faded. Intricate details in his paintings offer a visual experience that tells a story, evokes memories and stores feelings in the viewer.

Harvest Gold Gallery displays a wide collection of Thomas Merriam's framed oil and watercolor paintings.  For more information about the artist and his work, as well as that of the more than 200 other American artists and craftspeople represented at Harvest Gold Gallery, please call 207-925-6502, visit us online at www.harvestgoldgallery.com, or better yet, stop by in person. We're open daily and located on Route 5 in Center Lovell, Maine overlooking beautiful Kezar Lake.

“If in this place we can find 
inspiration and true love, 
our passion becomes an 
effort and achievement of 
astounding proportions, 
with an energy worth 
causing pause, notice and 
admiration. With this great 
passion and talent, it is 
the goal to create that 
which others want and to 
an artist’s gratitude you 
shall possess a humble 
portion of us. I am so 
pleased that you have 
stopped here to look upon 
the world within me that I 
have created to share with 
you. May God bless you.” 
– Thomas Merriam

A fun day was had by all at our watching Tom work his magic in just a few hours!

Plein Air artists and onlookers enjoyed picture-perfect weather on the lawns of Harvest Gold Gallery last Saturday.

 “The basis of human happiness is the possibility to be together with nature, to see it and to talk to it.” –Leo Tolstoy

Local artist Kristen Dill chose a shaded spot to 

paint Kezar Lake and the White Mountains beyond.

Tom Merriam paints Harvest Gold Gallery
and fellow plein air artist Sandy Bell.

Can you find Sandy Bell and her easel in Tom's completed
watercolor of Harvest Gold Gallery?

Stop by and see many new paintings when you are passing through beautiful downtown Center Lovell, Maine.

Plein Air Demonstration Hosted by Harvest Gold, July 26th!

Plein Air Demonstration

at Harvest Gold Gallery, 1082 Main Street, Center Lovell

Saturday, July 26th

10:00 AM-3:00 PM

The phrase “en plein air” is a french phrase that literally means “in the open air”, which describes a type of painting done outdoors. Artists have always painted outdoors, but this style became especially important for the impressionistic and barbizon styles of painting, popular in the mid-19th century. Masters such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir often painted en plein air and advocated for the method. The plein air approach is still popular with artists today despite the technological advancements in photography that allow many paint independently from the outdoors. Several artists displayed at Harvest Gold Gallery are avid plein air painters and on Saturday, July 26th, we will be hosting a demonstration from 10am to 3pm. We are expecting Kristen Dill, Thomas Merriam, and Nancy Trider to lead our second annual plein air demonstration and are excited to have such talented and diverse artists try their hand at capturing our lovely property overlooking Kezar lake.

Kristen Dill is an accomplished and vibrant artist, working mostly in watercolors and oil paints. She graduated with a B.A. from University of Southern Maine in 1978 and since then she’s lived in Texas, Tennessee and North Carolina. Kristen spends her summers on Moose Pond in Bridgton where she works from a porch studio overlooking the water. Her subjects are often bright floral arrangements and still lives painted in her eye-catching impressionistic style. In her artist’s statement she says she wishes to “capture the ephemeral quality of nature and make it a shared visual experience”, which she certainly does, especially in her plein air work.

"Morning Glory Mountain"

Thomas Merriam, a Maine native, grew up in York Harbor to a father who was a draftsman by trade. For hours on end his father would have him copy images from National Geographic until they were to his liking, and stressed that his son to pay attention to detail. Tom apprenticed for three years with George Carpenter who claimed to be the last surviving member of the Whiskey Water Colorist Association, and taught Tom how to use watercolors in the cold Maine outdoors. Tom is a graduate of the New England Conservatory in Boston and is a self-taught artist who has been painting for over 30 years. His plein air work is exceptional and detailed, and his style is perfectly adapted to reflect life in Maine.

"Shave Hill Farm"

Few artists capture the spirit of Maine so accurately as Nancy Trider; a lifelong artist and Leeds native. Trider was a self taught artist until she began showing her work professionally in 1981, from which point she continued developing her work with additional training. Her experience helped her gain recognition and awards, and in 2011 Nancy was accepted as a member of Oil Painters of America. Nancy currently paints with the Western Maine Plein Aire Group and says she prefers oils to watercolors for her plein aire work for their durability in the Maine outdoors. Her careful, thoughtful approach and familiarity with all her subjects is clearly visible in all her work. Nancy is a mother of three, grandmother of eight, great-grandmother of eight, and recently celebrated her 60th anniversary with her husband David.

"The Carrabassett"

For more information about our Plein Air event or the artists please visit Harvest Gold Gallery at 1082 Main Street, Center Lovell, go to our website www.havestgoldgallery.com, or call us at 925-6502. We hope to have a great turnout for the demonstration and hope to see you there!