Hello again...finally!

Well, it has been a while, hasn’t it? Like many of you I have been plain off kilter. Although, since March, I continued to paint and draw I felt myself lose momentum. There became fewer and fewer opportunities for artists to show and share work. My pace slowed. But I want to get back to this newsletter, to let you see what I’ve been doing. I hope you’ve all been faring well and will continue to do so while the situation gets sorted.

“Chasing Turkeys” detail.

One morning Maggie and I were walking in the woods above our house, on a deer path near the Upper Filigree. The deer were still sleeping. You can see the chipmunks resting safely in the stone wall. There’s a red tailed hawk in the red tree waiting them out. Red efts watch the from the rocks along the stream. It was very early spring and there was a dusting of snow so I could see the fresh turkey tracks. I heard them before I saw them and when we rounded a bend I warned Maggie not to chase the turkeys up ahead of us. But how silly of me. How could she resist? I knew the birds would elude her and Maggie was so happy with her harmless rousting. Happy doggie, unharmed birds, nice little anecdote.
”Chasing Turkeys,” acrylic on panel, 18 x 24 inches.

I’ve been tidying up my Etsy shop, relisting many items that had expired. I’m offering free domestic shipping on any order from October 1 through October 7. You can take a look here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/NatalieWargin

Thanks so much for your interest in my work. It’s truly appreciated.

“Chasing Turkeys” detail.

“Chasing Turkeys” detail.

“Chasing Turkeys” detail.

Hello! The shop’s open with new work!

Hello again! Little did I realize when I was working on this bright piece that a splash of bold color might be just what we all need. Especially this spring. I hope you’re all taking care and keeping well.

You may remember that last year I put in a peony hedge. Surprisingly it was kind of a success. I cut some blooms, red ones and white ones, and took some photos to work from. Here I've featured only the red and deep pink flowers in a bouquet, and I will admit that in this painting I got a little carried away with red. I thought for a minute that I'd use up all of my red paint. I really worried a little. In the upper corner I opened a window for some relief and there was a pink house with an impatient woman in the window watching a very happy black dog. The woman might be me. I don’t recognize the dog.

“The Pink House”
12 x 16 inches, watercolor on Fabriano Hot Press.

“Fox Chapel.”

Here’s a second piece finished just a week or so ago. The little yellow building is a Quaker chapel in the woods next to a trail. The trail, you can see it on the right, starts with a rocky section that's not difficult to negotiate unless it's rainy. Then be careful please.

The yellow chapel is sometimes used for weddings and is beautifully simple inside with benches arranged on the square, an open area in the center of them. Here are all of the woodland creatures I've grown accustomed to along with spring flowers -- day lilies, daffodils, fragrant mountain laurel.

I've added several foxes, mostly red, one gray. The grays are unusual here and after eleven years I've only seen one. Foxes are true survivors and should we finally destroy this planet of ours cockroaches and foxes will live on. Foxes are supremely adaptable. Social in a skulk or solitary they can live practically anywhere and they can eat practically anything.

“Fox Chapel”
18 x 24 inches, acrylic on board.

My Etsy shop is open again. I’ve added some new prints and some new originals and from March 19 through March 26 all prints and original work is 20% off.

You can find my shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/NatalieWargin

The “Red Peony” painting is here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/770512022/original-watercolor-painting-of-red?ref=shop_home_active_4

And the “Fox Chapel” painting is here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/785439255/original-acrylic-painting-woodland?ref=shop_home_active_7

Thank you for following along!

Let's Not Fight

“The Fight” detail.

“The Fight” detail.

“The Fight” detail.

I heard a story from a hunter about two does who fought over an apple. How intriguing. The deer I see, and I truly see them every day, seem so docile and calm. I’ll occasionally hear one huffing a mild protest but an actual fight? I did some research and not only can you find photos you can also see fights in action. I was shocked and inspired. Here’s the result. It’s a blue sky day in autumn, the oaks are full of bright leaves and acorns. Chattering birds and a single leaping squirrel seem surprisingly uninterested in the situation below them. A quiet red fox walks out of the tree line. In the center two bucks are in a tangle. Is it a fight? Is it a dance? Do the two does figure into this situation? I’ll let you decide.

“The Fight.”
Acrylic on panel, 24 x 18 inches.

This image is available as a print in my shop. You can find it here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/762761807/art-print-original-acrylic-painting-of?ref=shop_home_active_1
Receive 20% off any order from December 18 through December 20.
My shop will close on December 21. Any orders received by the 21st will be filled.

Thank you all for your continued interest in my work. I wish you the most joyful of holidays!
See you in the spring!

A Walk on the Farm. A New Landscape Painting

“The Walk” detail.

“The Walk” detail.

“The Walk” detail.

Most likely I don’t need to remind you that my paintings depict things that have actually happened or things that I’ve observed. Occasionally I throw in a detail simply for effect and there’s one in this piece. The lights in the tree. But as for the rest of it, here’s the story.

My sister and I took her little dog, Riley, down to Davenport’s farm. We walked in the hot afternoon sun past the barn and the rattle trap truck, past the white duck who is actually part of a different story, down the dusty fields and we took a left, turning where we’d never turned before. What we saw surprised us. A secret garden. Lush cool greenery, ferns and shadowy trees, a couple of chairs beside a small stream. We would have lingered but Riley was running as usual, past the lettuces and corn, worrying the rabbits, startling a couple of wild turkeys. It was a good afternoon.

“The Walk.”
Acrylic on birch board.
20 x 16 inches.
$1800.

This painting and prints of this image are available in my shop which is now reopened. In addition to free shipping on any order over $35 I’m also offering 10% off any purchase from today, September 27 through Monday, September 30.
You can find the painting here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/739384531/the-walk-original-acrylic-painting?ref=shop_home_active_2&frs=1
You can find the prints here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/739385835/art-print-original-painting-the-walk?ref=listing_published_alert

Thank you for taking a look at what I’ve been up to!

A New Kingdom and a Podcast

“Peaceable Kingdom. The Animals.”

“Peaceable Kingdom. The Animals” detail.

“Peaceable Kingdom. The Animals” detail.

“Peaceable Kingdom. The Animals” detail.

This piece has taken it’s sweet time coming into being. I was sidetracked by several matters that took me away from my work. But here finally is the finished painting. It features the animals that I see almost daily. That’s me on a very good day, jawline tightened, with faithful Maggie in the center beneath a surge of blackbirds. In real life I was caught beneath that surge one morning on the trail with a flock of one hundred blasting above me, nearly touching my head. It was breathtaking. Here is a calmer version. I appear to be releasing a blackbird into the spiraling flock, insinuating myself I suppose, into this impossible scenario. Blackbirds, coyote, deer, black bear, fisher, turkeys, pheasant, squirrel, skunk, fox, rabbit, chipmunk. You’ll recognize my house in the background. The question remains, why are they all on the move? I could get political and say it has something to do with the damage we’ve done to our natural world and the list of soon to be extinct species I’ve been hearing about. But I actually think those crazy birds just got everyone excited.

“Peaceable Kingdom. The Animals.”
Acrylic on board
24” x 18”
$1500.

A reader made a suggestion that I add an audio feature to this newsletter. I kind of liked the idea so here goes. I wrote several versions of a script, all of which I tossed. They sounded too stiff and in the end I decided to simply talk about what I see when I look at this painting. Although I’ve called this a podcast it technically isn’t, not yet. You won’t find it on iTunes although, if this goes well, who knows?

ETSY SALE! Get free standard shipping on any purchase from May 30 through June 3.
The painting and prints of the image are available in my shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/693860112/peaceable-kingdom-the-animals-original?ref=listing_published_alert

https://www.etsy.com/listing/693858252/peaceable-kingdom-the-animals-art-print?ref=shop_home_active_1

Donkeys and Pears

This is a story of two escapees, donkeys that belong on some neighboring farm, that I see from time to time under Dan’s pear trees. The donkeys are very entertaining and thoroughly enjoy their bit of freedom. One is usually standing calmly, watching, while the other loves to roll around. I have never learned who they belong to. The pear trees have been untended for years so they’ve gone wild looking and the pears are almost inedible. I say almost because another neighbor has delicious success poaching them in red wine and bottling them for Christmas gifts. Dan’s little shed is in the center and there are Queen Anne’s Lace in the foreground and fallen pears in the grass. I added the two cavorting bear cubs and the watchful momma bear after finally spotting them in the woods after everyone I know had already seen them. Wouldn’t you know I’d be the last one.

“Donkeys and Pears”, 20” x 16”, acrylic on panel.
The painting is available here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/654348671/donkeys-and-pears-original-acrylic?ref=listing_published_alert

Prints of the painting are available here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/654279495/donkeys-and-pears-art-print-of-original?ref=shop_home_active_1

From November 1 through November 5 you can take advantage of this sale:
25% off on all orders. No code necessary.
Find my shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/NatalieWargin?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Below are more details of the painting. Thank you for following along!

“Donkeys and Pears” detail.

“Donkeys and Pears” detail.

“Donkeys and Pears” detail.

“Donkeys and Pears” detail.

The Storm and A Show!

"The Storm," detail.

"The Storm," detail.

"The Storm," detail.

"The Storm," detail.

"The Storm," detail.

A funny thing happened when I started this painting. The sky took over. I had every intention of showing a garden on a sunny blue sky day but, as you can see, that's not what happened. I've never before had the feeling that I wasn't completely in control of a piece. When my brush began making those dark churning clouds it crossed my mind that I could make the sky brighter and clearer but something kept me from doing it. In the end I was glad that I let the painting have its way. 

So a storm is definitely coming.  Trees are blowing sideways, blossomed branches are tossed, a curtain flies from a window, a bell on a gate rings and rings.  Milkweed, ferns, wild roses, and spider wort are tangled. The stream is rushing into the pond and the ducks are having second thoughts about their swim. The deer are heading for shelter, a turtle seems to have found some. And if I know that dog she's about to be frightened when the thunder starts. The stone house looks safe and welcoming. I think someone's about to get dinner going.

"The Storm," acrylic on panel, 24" x 18".  This painting has sold.

I have some news too. I have had three paintings accepted into a juried show at the Woodstock Artists Museum.  The show is titled FOCUS: Surveying the Landscape.  I'm very happy about this. It's the first juried show for me and my paintings.  The show runs from July 21 through August 26. I'll be at the opening reception on Saturday, July 28 from 4 to 6pm. I'd love to see you if you happen to be in the area.

I have several new prints in my Etsy shop.
Everything is 20% off starting today, July 20, and running through Monday, July 23.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/NatalieWargin

Pink Tulips And An Attack

"Pink Tulips" detail.

"Pink Tulips" detail.

Spring has been very slow in arriving here in the Hudson Valley.  I know this is true of many parts of the country.  But even if there's still snow on the ground it seems a sign when the market starts to sell tulips.  I'm especially fond of the pale pink ones myself and I can never resist.  In a way this is a reprise of an earlier watercolor of pink tulips and peepers; tulips in the foreground, the little frogs hanging on to the stems and leaves.  But in this painting, beyond the flowers, is my rural landscape and a little drama that unfolded. Maggie was attacked by an angry Canada goose who came out of nowhere.  Luckily Maggie escaped mostly unharmed. This is a true story.

As you can imagine the altercation between goose and dog got my heart racing. I'm working on a depiction. It will be the painting you'll see in the next installment of this newsletter.  You can watch my progress on my Instagram page here:
instagram.com/nataliewargin/

The painting, "Pink Tulips and An Attack," and prints of this image are available in my Etsy shop.  
You can find the painting here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/595821212/pink-tulips-with-peepers-and-canada?ref=shop_home_active_1

You can find the print here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/592033034/pink-tulips-with-peepers-art-print-of?ref=shop_home_active_2

I've added several more prints of past paintings to my shop as well.
And to celebrate the arrival of this very tardy spring there's FREE SHIPPING on every order from April 26 through
Wednesday, May 2. No code needed.  

Meteor Showers. One more for the show.

"Meteor Shower" detail

"Meteor Shower" detail

"Meteor Shower" detail

A couple of years ago my husband and I decided to watch a juicy meteor shower that had been predicted.  Coming from Chicago, with all of its ambient light, we'd never had an opportunity to do this. But the wide open skies of the valley gave us a good opportunity.  Here's my depiction with some license taken.  In reality this happened at 2 am on a frigid January morning.  We bundled up and took blankets and quilts outside to lay on and wrap up in. Maggie took one look at this and walked right back inside.  Here in the painting I've made the night a warmer one with turkeys bedding down in the trees and deer eating my plantings. In the sky is a ridiculous display of stars and flying meteors, a slight exaggeration.

This is the final piece for my show, number eleven.  If you're interested in purchasing this painting please get in touch through the contact page or send me an email.  And if you're near Gardiner, NY between noon and 2pm on November 18 stop by the Gardiner Library.  I'm having a small reception and would love to meet you.

Ten New Paintings!

For the past ten months or so I've been busy working on new paintings for my November show at the Gardiner Library. I've completed ten - a visual representation of my beautiful surroundings. They are a timely reminder of what we can lose if we're not careful.  

I'm offering all of these paintings for sale now, prior to the show, with the understanding that they won't ship until after the show closes on December 30.  I hope you like this collection. To purchase a painting please contact me via the "Contact" page or at natalie@nataliewargin.com. You can also email me for detail images of any of the paintings or for a more detailed price list with a description of each piece.  And you can see my work-in-progress
at instagram.com/nataliewargin/

If you're nearby you can check out the show or come and meet me at the reception.
The show runs from November 14 through December 30. 
Opening reception:
Saturday, November 18 from 12pm until 2pm.
Gardiner Library
133 Farmer's Turnpike
Gardiner, NY  12525
 

"Vultures at High Falls"
24" x 18"
Acrylic on birch panel
$2200.

"Maggie"
18" x 24"
Acrylic on birch panel
$2200.

"Slabsides"
24" x 18" 
Acrylic on birch panel
$2200.

"Lodges"
18" x 24" 
Acrylic on birch panel
$2200.

"Pleasant"
18" x 24"
Acrylic on birch panel
$3200.

"Red Barn with Fox"
12" x 18"
Acrylic gouache on birch panel
$900.

"Coyote"
18" x 12"
Acrylic on birch panel
$900.

"Autumn Orchard"
12" x 16"
Acrylic on birch panel
$1200.

"Winter Barns"
12" x 18"
Acrylic on birch panel
$1200.

Again, If you have questions please email me via the "Contact" page or at natalie@nataliewargin.com.  Thanks for taking a look!

"One Morning" + FREE SHIPPING!

"One Morning" detail

"One Morning" detail

"One Morning" detail

That's my neighborhood to the left of the big tree. My house is the eyebrow colonial more or less in the middle. The one with the intelligent dog in the yard. This is what a cool spring morning is like. There's a bit of woodsmoke coming from the chimneys. A lot of rain has fallen, turning things that special early green and the blossoms are beginning to bloom. Along with the woodsmoke is the scent of wild pink honeysuckle. The dogwood is especially showy. There's a breeze tossing the trees a bit. The Catskills have my back, the sky above is overcast and cloudy. Maybe there will be more rain. 

To the right of the big tree is a spot that Maggie and I discovered while walking in the woods behind our house. We like to follow the deer paths and on one particular day we came to a spot with seven indentations in the dry fallen leaves. I knew what it was as soon as I saw it, the place where the deer sleep. The deer were gone, of course, but I've added them here. All sleeping peacefully. All but the one keeping watch.

The topsy-turvy arrangement of the houses and barns on the left surprised me but it is accurate. I wasn't sure about that crazy blue fence and didn't think it would survive the painting but there it is. It's only an invention but it grew on me.

This is a 16" x 12" acrylic painting on cradled birch board.
It's available here in my shop:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/295064831/original-acrylic-painting-one-morning?ref=shop_home_active_1

For free shipping on any order use coupon code HAPPY
Code expires on May 31.

To see work in progress on this painting take a look at my Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/nataliewargin/

New Painting -- My Neighbors

"Neighbors" detail

"Neighbors" detail

"Neighbors" detail

"Neighbors" detail

I have these neighbors up the road who have a story that you can read just by looking at their property.  The star of the story as I tell it is Chester, the 16 year old rescued Belgian Draft Horse.  Chester is big and blonde and gentle.  A handsome chap.  Belgians are related to Clydesdales so that might give you an idea of Chester's size.  He loves to lay in the mud or stand out in the rain or snow.  I suppose if you had such an enormous body you might like to cool down when you get the opportunity.  Chester has his own barn and a corral that are pretty much right on the road and he attracts attention.  Hence the sign: "Please Don't Feed The Horse.  Ask."  I should say right now that I haven't manufactured anything that you see in the painting.  I loved that brilliant sign the second I saw it.  I took a picture and I'm glad I did because it's weathered and you can't really read it anymore.

The deer hanging from the tree is common during hunting season.  I think the man who lives here is a pretty good hunter because every year there's a deer.  One year there was a bear.  And one year there was a coyote.  Apparently the coyotes were eating the chickens.  Although I've placed the tree in the background the actual "hanging tree" is on the road.  Scared the daylights out of me the first morning I ran past and saw a dead deer hanging next to me.  

The woman who lives here actually has three pigs.  Pot bellied pigs that live in the house.  I have met them and they are sweet and bristley.  Here she is walking the largest.

The painting is an acrylic on birch board, 16" x 12", my largest to date.  
This is also the first time I've added a person.  
And I've given Chester a pink halo just to show how special I think he is.

The piece is available in my shop:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/263160806/original-painting-my-neighbors-with?ref=shop_home_active_1

Autumn Orchard

"Autumn Orchard" detail

"Autumn Orchard" detail

"Autumn Orchard" detail

There's a pretty apple orchard on River Road in Red Hook.  It belongs to Migliorelli Farm.  The trees are small and the many many branches reach dramatically straight up to the sky.  Both of these things surprised me.  Apparently it's important to keep fruit bearing trees small and tidy to get the best crop.  I'm still not sure why the branches grow straight up though, instead of gracefully curving and bending like other trees.  Anyway, I decided this fall to paint the orchard at harvest time.  The trees were loaded with red apples, the leaves were so green; lots of color.  I nearly always work from photos that I take and River Road is narrow and curved with no shoulder so where to put my car and how to get over the stone wall that separates the orchard from the road?  I knew if I could get onto the orchard that I'd technically be trespassing.  But the farm stand is way at the other corner and the lovely gray house is a bit farther still.  And I wanted some pictures.

There's a driveway with fancy iron gates that leads to a handsome property right across the road from where I wanted to access the orchard.  I have never seen anyone coming or going from this driveway so I decided to risk parking there for the shortest time possible.  Flashers on, I left Maggie in the car, crossed the road, and scooted across the relatively low stone wall.  I walked quickly through the high, wet grass to the trees, took pictures from different angles, all the while keeping an eye on my car and my dog in the forbidden driveway.  When I got back to the car my pants were wet to the knee.  I will confess.  I picked one apple.  It was delicious.  Crisp, and tangy; a MacIntosh.

Why the pheasants?  I didn't see them at the orchard but rather up the road at Bard College on another day entirely.  But they fit here, as do the mourning doves in the tree tops.

This is a 10 x 10 inch (25 x 25cm) acrylic painting on board.  It is listed in my Etsy shop.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/254514646/acrylic-painting-original-autumn-orchard?ref=shop_home_active_1

New Painting -- A view from the Cottekill Trail

I see a lot of deer these days.  It must be the time of year.  I'll be running on the trail and they'll walk out of the woods and stand in my path, looking at me as I get closer and closer to them.  It's a delight to see them though I worry that I can get so close before they leap away.  I know that animals are far from stupid.  Most, I suspect, are much more intelligent than we egotistical humans will allow.  But I don't want the wild animals around here to ever trust people.  Hunting season is around the corner.

I pass this spot on the Cottekill trail.  The trail is bordered by woods and all sorts of small plants.  That funny lattice structure is a puzzlement.  There are houses beyond and the mountains of course.  This is a cool morning with smoke from wood stoves in the air.  You can also spot bunnies, a squirrel, and one deer a-leaping.

This is a 12 x 16" acrylic painting on birch board.  It's titled "Over."
https://www.etsy.com/listing/248611494/original-acrylic-painting-a-view-from?ref=shop_home_active_1

Wild Turkey on Leggett Trail

This is an original acrylic painting of a lone wild tom turkey.  I have placed him in the surroundings where I see him -- woodland with wild roses, chipmunks and a small stream.  The painting is on a 9 x 12" (23 x 30cm) birch panel.  I haven't done an acrylic painting since high school.  This was fun and I will be doing more.

"Wild Turkey" detail

"Wild Turkey" detail

"Wild Turkey" detail

There's a section of the trail here that Maggie & I like to walk.   We access it from Leggett Road.  For the past couple of years we have been most fortunate to spot, from time to time, a  large lone wild turkey.  We saw him again recently.  He was close to the edge of the trail and I guess we startled him. He made a fuss and moved off. I think that he lives in the wild woodland that borders the particular section of the trail where we are likely to see him.  He seems robust and healthy but I wonder why he's always alone.  I try to stop myself from anthropomorphizing but I'm afraid he's lonely or maybe being ostracized. I told my sister, an area native, about this Tom and she said that she thinks turkeys sometimes spend time alone.  It's true that I don't see him very often so maybe he's usually with a flock.  Fabia and I decided that he was in a Garbo phase.  Not tremendously clever, I know, but it made us laugh anyway.

As I mentioned above I haven't worked with acrylics for a while and to me this looks so different from my watercolors.  Often I don't know what to think when I look at a painting I've finished and that was very true of this turkey.  There's something about this piece that reminds me of portraits that itinerant painters would do during colonial times.  Of course this is a turkey and not a well-to-do dry goods proprietor but still.  There's just something about it...

You can find this painting in my shop.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/239253709/original-painting-wild-tom-turkey-on?ref=shop_home_active_1

And you can use this code for free shipping on any order.  It's active through July 18.
FREESHIP