Have you ever been to a Moose Lottery?

We are excited to be a part of the 2015 Moose Lottery in Bethel,  Maine! We will be joining lots of other vendors on Saturday June 13th from 9-5 at the Bethel Inn Conference Center.

We love Moose here at Harvest Gold Gallery. We haven't had any over to visit yet this year, but we have seen the tracks down by the lake and we did spot one on the bridge by the Marina a few months ago.  Here is a look at a few of our favorite Moose items from the gallery!

    Death Fight by Tom Merriam

    Moose Cutout Earrings in 14K White Gold

       Limited Edition Pewter Moose Sculture By Stepper 

    Handmade Moose Cutout Earrings & Charm Bracelet in Sterling Silver

I personally have never been to a moose lottery, so I was a bit curious about the history of this event. Moose hunting was banned in Maine from 1935 until 1980 in an effort to restore the population.  There were 1,000 permits issued for the first lottery in 1980, and that number has now increased to 2,815. In 2011 it was determined that anyone who received a permit would have to wait three years before being eligible for another one. Residents pay $15, and have only one chance to receive a permit. Nonresidents are able to purchase 10 chances, but only 10% of the total permits are available to nonresidents. In 2014 the moose population was estimated at between 70,000 and 80,000. Hunters last year averaged a 65% success rate. This moose business is serious stuff, and I'm very excited to be a part of it with the gallery next weekend. Come say hi, and see what all the fuss is about!

Summer is Back and so is Thea!

Hi everyone, it's Thea! This is my second summer working at Harvest Gold Gallery for Bill and Lynda, and I’m excited to be getting back into the swing of things. Around this time of year we get to do the fun stuff around the gallery like rearranging artwork and redecorating, and as an art student it’s certainly my favorite part. Hanging artwork, I’ve found, is like a jigsaw puzzle, except you don’t have a picture of the finished product to help you along. The goal of this puzzle is to fit the pieces of art together in such a way that complements, supports, and augments the individual aspects of each piece, while still looking cohesive on a wall. As an artist myself, it would be comforting to know that my pieces are being carefully considered in their placement in a gallery, and so I try to give that attention to all of our artists. Its fun to try and take the strengths that I see in each artwork and translate that to our customers. I love sprucing up the gallery and creating a finished product for all of our customers to enjoy and appreciate as much as I do. 

"From A Distance", acrylic on canvas 8"x8", hanging in Harvest Gold

While I was away at my first year of college at Alfred University, I was actually able to use what I had learned during my first summer at Harvest Gold Gallery in my classes. In my art courses we had to hang several small shows of our work throughout the year, and my knowledge from working in a gallery really benefitted me. The most important thing I’ve learned since starting to work for Bill and Lynda has been that being a professional artist also means being a professional businessperson. Thanks to that knowledge I really have a leg up on my peers without gallery experience even within my first year of art school. 

"After the Windstorm" in marker, done during my first year at Alfred University

As an artist in training, my work and subject matter often differ from the beautiful more traditional artwork that Harvest Gold Gallery tends to hang on their walls, but I am beyond lucky to have some of my paintings and drawings hanging among such prolific and recognized artists. If you’re interested in seeing my work, visit my website, thea-hart.squarespace.com. I hope to be participating in the annual Plein Air event that Harvest Gold hosts later on during the summer where we bring some our favorite local artists to paint our view of Kezar lake. Another event I’m excited for that will be coming up soon is the annual Open House on Friday, July 10th from 4pm to 6pm where we get to show off our lovely artists, crafters, and authors and their work to our community of customers. I’m especially excited to eat some of Bill’s homemade hors d’oeuvres, and to see what everyone thinks of our redecorating, because we’ve already made quite a few big changes! They’re both great events and we hope to see you there.

My most recent addition to Harvest Gold, "The Window Sill", acrylic on canvas 8.5"x8.5"

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!

Spring Color in Maine Tourmlaine

It's lovely here in downtown Center Lovell these days.  Birds are back singing and the streams are running.  We hope to see the end of this years ice soon! 

 Speaking of ice, a blue ice color, that is, this deep ice blue Maine tourmaline has a diamond on each side to give it that extra sparkle. 

We have been working on new ideas for setting all our beautiful Maine tourmalines.  This new bracelet design fits close and comfortable with easy on, safe wearability and easy off.  The gorgeous Maine Rubellite is perfect center stage on your wrist.

The line between blue and green is blurred with these lovely Maine tourmalines together on a white gold band.  Depending on the light, the surrounding colors they dance between blue and green.  Like Kezar Lake when the ice is gone and the tall pines reflect their green hues, the sky it's many shades of blue, together on the sparkling surface of the ice free water.

Funny all the colors you see with these Maine bright blues and rich Rubellite tourmalines set together with white and yellow gold.  The pink has flashes of purple and orange.  The blues flicker sparks of bight purple and white.  And as always they change with their surrounding light and color.

Here they are all together.  I couldn't resist.  The golds are all different colors too.  Winter can be fun in the jewelry studio!

Cabochon style cut bright pink Maine tourmaline set in yellow gold has hints of orange and red.  

Peach or champagne?  Or both!  Designer cut flawless Maine tourmaline with diamonds in yellow gold.  Rich with colors and sparkles, every angle a new delight.  This ring is fun to wear driving in the sun!

I'm ready for another fun day in the studio discovering what the gems want to be when they are set.  

Stop by when you are in beautiful downtown Center Lovell on route 5 overlooking Kezar Lake and the White Mountains to see all the colors!!

"No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow!"

"Flowers are earths way of laughing"

Signs are popping up everywhere that spring is just around the corner here in the valley and we've got a bit of spring fever! here are some of our favorite spring quotes to help us and our dear friends through the final stretch!

"March winds are like the mornings yawn,

 the land, awakening with bluebird skies 

and the promise of new life."

"Lupines in Sunrays" by Varvara Harmon

"Spring Chestnut" by Thomas Merriam

Hoppy Spring!

"come the spring with all its splendor, all its birds and all its blossoms"

"Spring Migration" by Thomas Merriam

Spring forward!

Stop by when you are passing through beautiful downtown Center Lovell, overlooking Kezar Lake and the White Mountains of western Maine and New Hampshire.

Ice Fishing at Harvest Gold Gallery

Ice fishing is a favorite winter pastime here in Maine.  At Harvest Gold Gallery it can be experienced out back on frozen Kezar Lake or inside the warm showroom, through the beautiful oil paintings of Dean Mccrillis.  Deans' oil impressions present well defined subjects with  balanced composition.

Dean captures the technicalities perfectly, the auger, the tip-up, the bait bucket, the hole , the cooler, and the catch. The interplay of color and the way he develops the light in his work allows you to feel the chill in the air and the enthusiasm of ice fishing.

 Dean said,"I didn't realize there was so much color in snow."   There are no less than ten different colors  in his snow.  He is an award winning art student at University of Southern Maine where he is a senior working on his BFA.

Many anglers build accommodations to shelter them from the elements.  The buildings are referred to as ice shacks and can be placed in communities or set where ever one likes as long as the ice is thick enough.  Ice fishing can be a social event while catching fish with family and friends.  Wonderful picnics are had with grilled foods, soups, salads and beverages.  All the while keeping an eye on the tip-ups' orange flag to indicate a catch.

The shanty can be as elaborate  as the builder desires. 

Rope Tow Birthday Party- WHAT A DAY!

Enjoying this amazing day   

February is birthday month at Harvest Gold Gallery.  Lynda has hers on the 2nd and Bill has his on the 9th.  It was a big one for Bill, at 60 he's still on top of the hill.

 This year marked our third Harvest Gold rope tow, sledding, ski and snowboard party. Thank Billy Lacasse for the portable rope tow.  It was also a celebration of his grandsons' birthday, Charlie was 2 on the 7th, and another friend Patty Howard   is also on the 2nd, she over 2 and still climbing the hill.

The rope tow was running at 11 am and the food table was being stocked for the onslaught of 75 winter enthusiastic nordicers.  Hamburgers, hotdogs, sausages, buffalo chicken wings, ziti casserole, Chinese stir fry, drumsticks, chips, cheese, salads, chili, chicken noodle soup, fruit tray, leek and goat cheese tart, hot cider and rum, wine and beer set the savory table. On the other side was a desert table set for a king and queen. Chocolate gateau, key lime pie, brownies, raspberry blueberry pie, chocolate chip cookies, breads, butterscotch cake, a sweet tooth's heaven.

There was the cake walk.

This cake is no longer available, Its the famous disappearing chocolate gateau.

Susan did the most runs!

Dianna and Alison enjoying the fun.

Captain was getting ready for a tube ride!

A wonderful community we live in!
Thank you all who made our birthdays great!