Tribute to a canine

May 23, 2025 Natalie Wargin

Here is another memorial to a beloved lost canine. Or maybe to all beloved lost canines. I let myself run with this one. Lots of color, lots of flowers, no spare space. A big, wild tribute. Here the tomb is very close to the house. If the weather’s inclement you can see it from a front window. Or, coffee in hand, you can wander over in the morning or maybe in the evening thinking thoughts of a special friend whose amusing antics or gentle ways made your life richer. This is the third Memento Mori to a dog that I’ve drawn. The others have been more restrained but this, as it’s turned out, is a memorial and a celebration.

“Memento Mori #3”
14 x 12 inches
$220
Available in my Etsy shop.

Free Domestic shipping through May 27.
Follow the link below to find the original drawing.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/4306276939/original-colored-pencil-painting-memento?ref=shop_home_active_1&logging_key=4ba841777903cb8750eeb52232eb7806cd605c3f%3A4306276939

Little Watercolors. Springtime!

April 29, 2025 Natalie Wargin

I like watercolors and I haven’t done any for quite a while so here are two little paintings. One dark, one bright. I don’t grow poppies because my garden is very shaded and poppies need sun, as you probably know. They are interesting and showy and I’ve paired them with the least showy birds. Sparrows. I’ve heard disparaging remarks about sparrows so I always try to take their side. They are tough little birds that stick around all year and if you live in a northern climate like I do that’s saying something. The wild roses and honeysuckle in the second painting are flowers that I do grow. The little brown wood frog was a recent discovery. I’d never seen one before this year. A bit like the sparrows he is simply brown and unassuming. I liked this fellow immediately.

“Sparrows and Poppies”
Watercolor on Fabriano Hot Press Paper
6 x 6 inches
$275

”Wood Frog”
Watercolor on Fabriano Hot Press Paper
6 x 6 inches
$275

These paintings are available in my shop where I’m running a sale.
20% off any purchase from today through May 2.
You can find them here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/4296893568/original-watercolor-painting-sparrows?ref=shop_home_active_2&logging_key=29a50e8cc240af728eee5fd889414710beb378e5%3A4296893568

Thanks for taking the time to take a look!

New work. More Wild Turkeys.

February 14, 2025 Natalie Wargin

A few months ago in autumn Tilly and I had the pleasure of watching the wild turkeys dance. Nearly every evening for a time they flew over the fence into the yard, walked and pecked and fooled around, then flew up into the trees and out of the yard. It was a show we looked forward to and we’d race from window to window to see all of the action as the birds circled the house.

I wish I knew more about what makes wild things do the things they do. It didn’t seem as though the birds were settling some dispute, no feathers flew. They flapped and surged upward then came back to earth, all in a fairly tight group. Happy hour? If you’ve seen wild turkeys you know that they’re not small birds. They are impressive. This evening’s display was a pleasure to behold even if we hadn’t a clue about what was really happening.

Here they are cavorting in the side yard. Wild roses, lilac, cyclamen, hydrangeas all around. Looks like the grass needs cutting. The swamp is busy too with all the little turtles. Other birds watch as the sky turns to evening with moon and stars. There’s a bluebird sleeping above the porch and a nest over the garage door. Babies soon. A small frog plays it safe. You can see Tilly in the window. My mother’s quilt is on the wall behind her.

“Wild Turkeys”
Acrylic on claybord
18 x 24 inches
If you’re interested in this painting please contact me.

I will be running a special sale on all greeting cards and note cards in my shop.
30% off all cards and notes.
Sale runs from today through Sunday.
After Sunday I will no longer be selling any cards.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/NatalieWargin

Thanks for reading along!

New! A Wild Stampede!

August 15, 2024 Natalie Wargin

Tilly and I were on our way home from a walk at High Falls. You can see the falls in the upper right. I had just turned the corner at the food co-op to come on to our road when I saw some deer about to cross right in front of us. They were running hard. I slammed the breaks and was treated to a rare sight. Nearly twenty deer stampeding. I had never seen so many all together. They passed the red barns and the pretty houses and continued across the grassy field. Why, I wondered? Where were they headed? Did something frighten them? Were they simply having fun? I think if I had gotten out of my car I would have felt the earth shake.

Naturally I have embellished a bit. I don’t know who that woman is but she has my dog. And she’d better hang on. The black birds are startled. The smaller creatures at the bottom are running opposite to the deer. Smart. The white cat seems to have been rudely awakened. And the appearance of the gardener surprised me. Early on I tried to get rid of him but he started to remind me of my father, an avid gardener himself, so he stays.

This painting will be part of my Roxbury exhibit in November.
If you’re interested in purchasing this piece before the exhibit please let me know in the comments below or send an email from the contact page.

“Seventeen Deer”
16 x 20 inches
Acrylic on claybord

Prints of this image are available in my Etsy shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1748185640/art-print-of-original-painting-seventeen?click_key=c96439a265502fb287f77a402fc30219d7c312c9%3A1748185640&click_sum=3e5f4249&ref=shop_home_active_1
My shop is running a sale from August 15 through Sunday, August 18.
20% off any purchase.

Thanks so much for your kind attention.

Midnight. A New Painting.

July 18, 2024 Natalie Wargin

This painting was a challenge. It was a commission, a continuation of a story I began in an earlier piece about the tomato plant that fairly took over my front yard. Maybe you remember it with the lovely girl in her front garden picking a basket full of ripe tomatoes. The assignment here was to place our tomato girl in her garden again but this time at night. I don’t have a lot of experience painting night scenes. This is where I landed.

It’s a mild full moon night, the lady of the house sits on the bench in her side yard holding her squirming cat. There’s no doubt about her green thumb. The wild tomato plant in the front yard was no fluke. In fact you can see it at the edges of the scene trying to find a place here too. The air is perfumed with roses, peonies, dogwoods, tulips, trout lilies, daffodils, and those little seedy things. There’s scarcely room for anything else, the gardening style here being one of wild abandon. The little stream adds soft background music while birds and animals rest. The house is welcoming, warm light from the open window.

This is only the third commission I’ve taken. The first one was a success all around, the second was a nightmare which made me hesitant to take this “Midnight” assignment. But the patron was happy to review a sketch and then let me run with it. I was grateful for that and we are both pleased with the result.

“Midnight”
24 x 18 inches
Acrylic on claybord

Prints of this image are available in my Etsy shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1732756934/midnight-garden-art-print-of-original?click_key=88a21fe8b96e6e20b8bd45200102a90f8b7ee42c%3A1732756934&click_sum=70cc18d9&ref=shop_home_active_1

Thanks, as always, for taking a look!

Portrait of a House - Sunnyside

June 6, 2024 Natalie Wargin

This is Sunnyside, viewed from behind the house. It was Washington Irving’s home, one of many impressive old mansions here along the Hudson, retreats for the well heeled wanting to escape New York City in the off season. I particularly like this building. Unlike many of the other grand estates built in the mid 1800s, this one seems less stuffy, almost as though it escaped from a fairytale. I might like to live here although it is large and then I'd need staff and how would I manage that? Anyway. Here’s a glimpse of the old pile with the garden in full bloom. Pink trees, red trees, wild roses, spiderwort, daffodils. Evergreens off in the distance, the sound and smell of the river too. Birds and animals are comfortably passing the night beneath the silver slipper of a moon, no dreams of headless horsemen disturbing them.

This painting will be part of my exhibit at the Roxbury Arts Center in November.
If you’re interested in purchasing it before the show please let me know in the comments below.

Sunnyside
12 x 12 inches
Acrylic on claybord
Framed - narrow Maple floater frame
$650

Prints of this image are available in my shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1728131777/art-print-of-original-acrylic-portrait?click_key=e4b777a5f271b320612583d09fe4ae15b2f6e4b8%3A1728131777&click_sum=a0105ff1&ref=shop_home_active_1

From today, June 6 through June 9, get 20% off any Etsy purchase.
Thanks for following along!

New work! Portrait 4 - Barred Owl

May 9, 2024 Natalie Wargin

One morning, a while back, I was walking peacefully on the trail with Maggie, my faithful companion at that time. There were wild roses and a barn and a tree with a swing. We were minding our own business, looking and sniffing, when a barred owl dove down right smack in front of us, inches away, grabbed a chipmunk, and darted off. We stopped short, shocked and dumbfounded to say the least. Did we really see that? Maggie looked at me, I looked at her and nervously shook my head. Even the wild turkey was upset. What can you say? What can you do? We continued on our way but it was a different kind of walk after that.

Since then I have seen a number of things like this, one animal preying on another. This is the way of it and while I don’t enjoy seeing it I have to accept it. I also know that it’s not my business to interfere.

Here is a small depiction of that event. Perhaps you remember that I painted this story several years ago in a much larger piece. I’ll never forget it. I wish you’d seen it too.

“Portrait 4 - Barred Owl”
6 x 6 inches
Acrylic on claybord
Framed and wired
$400

I’m offering free domestic shipping on any order from May 9 through May 12.

This painting is available in my shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1712634544/original-acrylic-painting-barred-owl?click_key=882a9f8517b80ecc53dd4fe47815dcc479bf4a45%3A1712634544&click_sum=0b5f0c79&ref=shop_home_active_1

Prints of this image are available here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1726807481/art-print-portrait-barred-owl-chipmunk?click_key=afe08e645f7ee8dcd69be29fae7e9f1da6c6583f%3A1726807481&click_sum=09050b09&ref=shop_home_active_2

Thank you for reading along!

A Small Portrait and a Holiday Wish

December 27, 2023 Natalie Wargin

I wanted to paint but Christmas was consuming most of my time and energy. I thought I could squeeze in a small piece while dealing with all of the holiday fun and obligations and this is what I managed. It’s a little painting but I like the size and think it will be the first of a series of portraits. Here is a wild turkey in the woods. She’s just taken flight, moving from the dim woodland into a brighter spot where the birches and wild flowers grow and where a small frog lives. Have you ever seen a wild turkey take off flying? They are so ungainly it seems they will never get off the ground. But they do.

“Portrait #1 - Wild Turkey”
6 x 6 inches
Acrylic on claybord
This piece will be part of the Active Members Small Works Show at the Woodstock Museum.

I hope your holidays have been fun so far and I send you the warmest wishes for a Happy New Year! Thank you for your interest in my work. It means so much.