Two Small Botanicals. New Work.

October 6, 2022 Natalie Wargin

I find the most interesting plants growing in the woods and along the wetland edge. Here are small watercolors of two that I see, depending on the season: Bloodroot and Buttonbush. Bloodroot gets its name from its red orange roots that resemble carrots. Yes, I pulled one up so I could see for myself. The roots can be used to make ink or dye. The leaves are big and curvy, the flowers are smallish and white. In the spring, in the woodland shadows, this plant spreads and beautifully fills a lot of space. The second plant, Buttonbush, grows in wet areas and also appreciates shade. In the spring the blossoms are like little green balls that each open into dozens of tightly packed small white flowers like the globe you see here. The foliage is dense and dark and in the fall the “buttons” become red and copper colored. Both of these plants are quite dramatic.

I haven’t done any watercolors in a while and it was a pleasure to work on these two. They are small, as I say, and working on small pieces was also a nice change. I’ll be back to larger work soon.

Both of these originals are available in my Etsy shop where I’m also offering free domestic shipping on all orders through Sunday, October 9. Here are the links:

“Bloodroot”
5 x 6 inches
Watercolor on Fabriano Hot Press
$90
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1318491625/original-watercolor-painting-bloodroot?click_key=6d824a8df84af158ef00b08fb3a00f0133c480d6%3A1318491625&click_sum=7bca4747&ref=shop_home_active_2

“Buttonbush
5 x 6 inches
Watercolor on Fabriano Hot Press
SOLD
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1318500245/original-watercolor-painting-buttonbush?click_key=f24f7649d7317fc42c19a9d7951b9b5884f25ffb%3A1318500245&click_sum=d04f1daa&ref=shop_home_active_1

You can also find prints of these paintings in my shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/NatalieWargin?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

Thanks so much for taking a look at what I’ve been up to.
It’s most appreciated!

New Watercolor, Winter Nest

February 26, 2016 Natalie Wargin

One of the best things about having a nosey dog is that she makes me wait. While I don't like to let Maggie spend an eternity sniffing the same spot I do feel that since the walk is for her as well as for me she should have some time to explore. She noses around, I look around. A couple of weeks ago we were on the road near the Cottekill and Maggie stopped. I looked up at the tall bushes in front of me on the edge of the creek and saw a small nest. It was abandoned, of course, almost lost in the branches and I would have missed it but for the dog. On the ground were some hydrangeas, dry and papery, a pretty straw color.

Here's the nest, caught in a tangle against a clear blue sky, hydrangeas below.
This is a small painting, 4.5 x 6 inches.
It's available in my shop.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/269730526/original-watercolor-painting-winter-nest?ref=shop_home_active_1

Porcupines at the Mohonk Preserve

August 26, 2015 Natalie Wargin

I went for a hike at the Mohonk Preserve with my friends Raedel and Mary Grace. The Mohonk Preserve is in the Shawangunk Mountains or Gunks, as they are affectionately called around here. The Gunks are part of the long ridge of the Appalachian Mountains, known early on for logging and mining but now known mainly for recreation, most notably for rock climbing and hiking. As with many areas like this the trails vary in difficulty. We were on an a fairly easy trail, a good walk and conversation being our intent. It was a perfect morning for it. As we neared the end of our hike we rounded a bend and Mary Grace, who was in the lead, almost stepped on a porcupine.

I had never seen a porcupine outside of a zoo and it was all I could do to get out my phone and start snapping pictures. Although the porcupine was clearly moving away from me it wasn't running and I was able to get some decent shots. I doubt it was worried about me because once it got to an overgrown area it stopped to grab and eat a bunch of leaves. I thought it was very beautiful. I did wonder about those quills though. Do they shoot them in self-defense? Later I looked it up and found that porcupines do not shoot their quills but will charge and impale a predator with multiple barbs.

Here is my portrayal of the porcupine we saw, munching in the foreground and then calmly retreating. It really was an attractive animal with many many quills that almost looked soft. Almost. I've added the orange day lilies that line the roads here in the summer.

The painting is available in my shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/243853269/original-watercolor-porcupines-at-the?ref=shop_home_active_1

And prints of the image are available here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/243854559/art-print-original-watercolor-porcupines?ref=shop_home_active_2

Here's a back-to-school special: 20% off any purchase, good until September 3rd:
FALL20

Portrait of Two Ragdoll Cats

August 14, 2015 Natalie Wargin

I was thrilled to be asked to do another pet portrait. You may remember that I had done a watercolor of "Two Dogs On The Hudson." Here I have painted two Ragdoll cats. I was asked if I could get a wild turkey, a chipmunk, and part of the house into the picture too. This is the result. I've titled the painting "What Happened In The Garden" because I thought there was maybe a little story here...

Paris and Blanket Marie, the two lovely Ragdolls, are surprised and slightly confused by all of the activity in their garden. It's usually such a peaceful place with the sweet grass and bright flowers and the comfort of the conservatory a few steps away. It's a perfect place for a little nap, for instance. But who invited all of these birds? They're so noisy and they have certainly made themselves at home. Blanket Marie thinks the chipmunk is to blame. Sure, he looks innocent off there in the corner nibbling a nut, his back to the hullabaloo, but she knows he likes to start things. Paris, however, has a funny feeling about that show-off turkey.

"What Happened In The Garden" is done in watercolor and gouache and measures 11" x 11". I hope to do more pet portraits and should probably start planning one of my own dog, Maggie. I must give some thought to this.

Pink Tulips & Peepers

May 19, 2015 Natalie Wargin

Pale pink tulips are my favorite and here it is, spring at long last, and I have been indulging myself with near weekly bouquets. And since it's spring the peepers are singing in the marsh behind the house pretty much non-stop. When I did the sketch for this painting it was raining and three of the tiny frogs hopped onto the french doors next to my work table. They stuck there on the glass. I love when I get to see them so close up, no larger than a quarter with a gorgeous copper ring around their eyes. I could see their little hearts beating so fast. They begged to be included.

This painting and prints in various sizes are available in my shop.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/232415560/watercolor-painting-original-tulips-and?ref=shop_home_active_2
https://www.etsy.com/listing/232454525/art-print-original-watercolor-tulips-and?ref=shop_home_active_1

New work -- Cardinals & Flame Bush

May 8, 2015 Natalie Wargin

There are birds galore here, as I've mentioned before, and I've painted a number of them: sparrows, bluebirds, crows, turkeys, phoebes, jays, owls. Here are a pair of cardinals. Since it's finally spring in the middle Hudson Valley I first thought to pair the cardinals with forsythia but red and yellow as a palette didn't do it for me. Red and red seemed like more fun. So even though it's spring and the flame bushes are far from their flashy autumn scarlet this is where I ended up.

This is a colorful painting but cardinals, the males at least, are very bright, and now that I think about it, unusual around here for their color since most of the birds I see are fairly subdued. Oh, there are a couple of other exceptions: jays and bluebirds. And I see touches of red on a blackbird's wing or a woodpecker's breast but overall muted earth tones prevail. It's survival that's important and these little birds have a lot to deal with. So how to explain the brilliant cardinal?

This painting, as well as prints in various sizes, are available in my Etsy shop.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/232229077/watercolor-painting-original-cardinals?ref=shop_home_active_2
https://www.etsy.com/listing/232215449/art-print-original-watercolor-cardinals?ref=listing-shop-header-1

New work + Holiday Sale

November 27, 2014 Natalie Wargin

This is a new painting, watercolor & gouache, that gives a nod to the ever wonderful crow and to a pattern that I designed a while back. I've been thinking for a while about incorporating my patterns into some of my paintings. I'm never sure how things will work and I have already destroyed one painting that I did with a pattern -- an utter disaster. The blue birds were promising but somehow the rest got away from me. That's okay. I've had many casualties and I may resurrect the blue birds someday. Anyway, the pattern I referenced in Fritillarias & Crow is shown below.

This painting measures 11 x 14 inches. Ta-da! Twice as large as my usual work. The painting itself and prints of the image are available in my Etsy shop.

Happy Thanksgiving to all who are celebrating today. I'll spend mine with my family, doing all the things we usually do: taking a hike, playing some games, eating a little too much, watching a movie.

A little gift for all of you -- a code for 20% off any purchase in my shop.
It's good until December 1st.
TAKE20

https://www.etsy.com/shop/NatalieWargin

One Snapping Turtle, Two Bags of Mulch

October 16, 2014 Natalie Wargin

It was a drizzly August day when I spotted the snapping turtle in the driveway. I watched her on and off for most of the morning and into early afternoon. She was looking for something, circling the lawn and then always coming back to the side of the driveway where I had a couple of bags of mulch sitting. She was beautiful and big and her back was covered with patches of moss. I took a few pictures. I figured she was looking for a place to lay her eggs, having heard the previous summer from my neighbors that that's what happens. Female turtles come up from the marsh behind the house and lay their eggs. That was only part of the story.

I was surprised to see the turtle finally burrow her way under the bags of mulch. I was impressed by her strength but I questioned her judgement. She stayed there for some time and then left, heading back down to the marsh. What had happened? Did she lay her eggs? And if she did, why did she leave? Don't turtles stay sitting on their eggs until they hatch? Sometimes I'm such a city girl.

I went outside once I was sure the turtle had gone and took a look. I didn't move the bags but I could see from the side that she had made a neat mound of dirt underneath and there, in the side of the mound, was a perfect hole. I figured the eggs were in the mound and the hole was for the baby turtles escape when they hatched. I put a fence of plastic mesh around the mulch bags to try to protect the eggs.

I never saw any baby turtles hurrying down to the marsh but I didn't think that meant anything. I wasn't watching the nest 24-7. However, last weekend, when I finally moved the bags of mulch, all I saw was an empty hole. No shells, no sign at all of new turtles.
What happened? I'd love to know.

The top image is my watercolor of a snapping turtle and a button plant. You can find it here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/171512417/art-print-watercolor-button-plant-and?ref=shop_home_active_3

And for you, gentle readers, a code, good for 15% off any purchase in my Etsy shop:
AUTUMN15
Expires 10/20

https://www.etsy.com/shop/NatalieWargin

No more weed paintings for a while

September 23, 2014 Natalie Wargin

I'm pretty sure there are weeds like these everywhere -- weeds that resemble wheat. They don't look like anything special until they bloom and go to seed. Then there's a wild explosion of tangled tendrils and yellow seeds that look like a party skirt. As for the chipmunk, he lives under my screen porch. I see him everyday filling his cheeks and keeping an eye on me for any sudden movements. I sit at my table painting or drawing and watch him through the patio doors as he stands up really tall, looking for who knows what. Sometimes he just sits and admires the trees. So smart.

This is the last of my "Weeds" series for now. I've been working on a calendar that will feature weed paintings and , ta da!, I've got twelve.

This painting is available in my Etsy shop.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/204003488/watercolor-painting-original-chipmunk

I have a very infrequent newsletter that features new items in my shop as well as special offers and discounts. You can sign up here:
http://eepurl.com/UY5MD

The Weed Paintings Continue -- Queen Anne's Lace

August 26, 2014 Natalie Wargin

There's a lot of Queen Anne's Lace along the road these days. I started photographing it as reference for this series of weed paintings and only then noticed that many of the flower heads have a single deep purple flower right in the center. Apparently there's some legend about a lace making contest among a queen's handmaids and a pricked finger and a drop of blood of course. But the thing that surprised and somewhat dismayed me is that I'd never noticed the purple flower before. I've seen these weeds forever and had simply never noticed.

Prints of the painting and the painting itself will appear in my Etsy shop sometime soon.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/NatalieWargin

New Paintings, New Prints!

August 1, 2014 Natalie Wargin

Today I've listed some new paintings and prints in my Etsy shop. Several of the paintings are part of a series I'm working on, a series of "Weeds." I'm enjoying this topic. There are so many pretty, interesting weeds just about anywhere you look. Besides just looking at the weeds along the roadside and at the many, many in my own yard, I'm learning some things. For instance, I never noticed that Queen Anne's Lace has a single deep purple blossom right in its pure white center.
Stop by and see what's new!
I'm offering free shipping on any order through August 15. Use this code at checkout:
FREESHIP

https://www.etsy.com/shop/NatalieWargin