Harvard Reunion, Harvard Island

#8 Harvard Reunion, Harvard Island Original Watercolor with Gouache    by Peter Ferber.  $3500                        Image size 26×15″ 34×25 1/2″ framed

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It’s hard to believe that with my whole life on the lake, that there are still new-old things to see. Last fall I got into some coves I’d never been to and found the interesting habitation of Harvard Island. It’s off the end of First Neck, out of Center Harbor. It’s actually two Islands linked together, and to the mainland, by the walkway shown here. I haven’t seen it labeled on any map, but there was a sign on a tree identifying them as Harvard Island 1 and 2. I wonder if these are the only Ivy League islands on the Lake. I thought it would make a great setting for a couple of boats, and I imagined this scenario of people dropping by, which is one of the fun things about living on the lake. After putting in the sky, and the same colors reflected in the water, I liked the feeling that came from not seeing the far shore, letting it disappear into the mist. It set the islands off, and made a more dramatic image. You could almost imagine you were looking out to the ocean. I then also decided to use that misty atmosphere to set off the featured little island from the other nearby land, putting them in more as silhouettes. And finally, I added the end of Second Neck on the far left to further the sense of depth. It was amazing how putting in that very small element added a sense of vastness to the scene. After all of this evolved so beautifully through the painting process, I realized that it clearly gives the impression of morning, but in fact this view is looking west! Aesthetics and accuracy don’t always match up!                                Peter Ferber