A Walk on the Farm. A New Landscape Painting

September 27, 2019 Natalie Wargin

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!

"Tapestry" in Colored Pencil

August 28, 2019 Natalie Wargin

This piece started with some photos I took back in February of a birthday bouquet that I wasn’t overly fond of. The bouquet, not the photos. Of course I said “thank you” but the arrangement had just too many different colors, too many different things. Roses, tulips, ranunculus, little pips, scabiosa pods, lots of extra greenery (why do they always do that?), blackberries which were a surprise, sticks covered with greenshield lichen, also surprising. I took everything out of the vase, got rid of the greenery filler, spread it all out, added a mourning dove, and here it is.
“Tapestry.”
Prismacolor pencils on black Strathmore drawing paper.
25” x 19”.

I’ve been enjoying the colored pencils but this will be my last pencil piece for a while. It’s back to the landscapes for me. I’ve also closed my Etsy shop for a bit. It will be on an extended vacation and will reopen sometime in the fall.

I have a bit of news. My painting, “Ghost Story,” has been accepted to the Radius 50 Show at the Woodstock Artists Museum. The show runs from September 7 through September 29 with an artists reception on September 14 from 4 - 6pm. I’ll be at the reception so if you’re in the area stop by and say hello. I’d love to meet you!

Hope you’re all enjoying the end of summer and thank you for following along!

Peonies in Colored Pencil

July 26, 2019 Natalie Wargin

I may have mentioned that I have never had a green thumb. Garden success has always run in my family but I have had very little of it. My grandparents had a prolific flower garden behind their house. They also had a bountiful “Victory Garden” in a nearby plot shared with their neighbors following the second world war. My grandmother liked to tell me, as we toured her yard, about the beautiful gardens in Poland which inspired her. My mother always grew flowers. She got things to grow in the most unlikely places, a dizzying stand of purple irises right next to the garbage cans in the alley. My father had a postage stamp sized vegetable garden that gave an impressive yield. My sister has grown garlic commercially. And my brother in California, boastful thing that he is, loves to show us not only photos of his flowers and vegetables but also the system he designed that lets him water his plants from anywhere on the planet. By comparison I could get very little to thrive in my Chicago garden. But the times they are a-changing.

The Hudson Valley soil is rich. That must be a big part of it but my garden is definitely growing now. I have always wanted a peony hedge and when I found a sale a year ago, an offer I couldn’t refuse, I ordered ten roots. This spring I was rewarded. Not quite a full hedge yet but close and the blooms were impressive. Pinks and reds, including the color I love best, the pale pale almost white peony. This pencil drawing shows a bouquet of those flowers.

“Peonies.”
25’ x 19”
Prismacolor pencils on Strathmore drawing paper.
$275.

The original and prints of the image are available in my shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/720837001/peonies-original-colored-pencil-drawing?ref=shop_home_active_3&frs=1
https://www.etsy.com/listing/720835595/peonies-art-print-of-original-colored?ref=shop_home_active_4&frs=1

In addition to the new drawing I’ve also added some new greeting cards. You can find them here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/NatalieWargin?section_id=14952051

I have made some changes to my shop, now offering free shipping always on any order over $35.
In addition to this I’m running a sale, 20% off on any purchase of any amount from Friday, July 26 through Monday, July 29.

Thank you for following along!

Daffodils in Colored Pencil

June 21, 2019 Natalie Wargin

Shortly after I moved into this house in New York my sister, who lives only three miles from me, came over with a bunch of daffodil bulbs. Three varieties. I chose a spot which was easy because these would be the first things I planted here and there was plenty of room for planting. Now, eleven years later, they still come up in the spring, a reminder of where my garden began. This was the first small bouquet of the year. If you’ve been following me at all you’re familiar with the little blue vase. It really is a tiny thing and I chuckle at the absurd size it’s become. It did hold the daffodils but it’s simply not as large as it looks here. I’ve invented the table and the table scarf. I wanted some movement in this drawing and the blue linen cloth provided that. There must be a window open somewhere. The wallpaper pattern is taken from an older drawing of soapwort. The sparrows are there because I love sparrows.

“Daffodils”
Prismacolor pencils on Strathmore drawing paper.
19” x 25”

The original drawing and prints of the image are available in my shop.
All shop items are 20% off from June 21 through June 23.

You can find the original drawing here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/714829157/daffodils-original-colored-pencil?ref=listing_published_alert

Find the print here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/714826829/daffodils-art-print-of-original-colored?ref=shop_home_active_2

Thanks so much for following along!

A New Kingdom and a Podcast

May 30, 2019 Natalie Wargin

“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

A Still Life in Colored Pencil

March 8, 2019 Natalie Wargin

There’s a long and not especially interesting story behind my decision to do this piece in colored pencil. I won’t bore you. Mostly though I blame my friends and family who have given me many sets of colored pencils over the years, none of which I’ve used until now. This floral still life is a reprise of a portion of a previous painting and features an arrangement of eucalyptus and thistle. The eucalyptus leaves fall softly around the bowl, buds very white. The bright pink thistles stand tall. The wallpaper pattern of subtle doves and garland makes a background. Someone spilled some sugar on the table. The ants are busy and happy. One may be whistling. A caterpillar seems interested.

This drawing is 30” x 22” on black Stonehenge paper. I used Prismacolor pencils which were a surprise and a delight. They are soft and waxy and they blend and cover well. And, lucky for me, they don’t smear if you brush a sleeve over the work. I think there will be more pencil work to come.

Prints of this image are available in my Etsy shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/674332648/art-print-original-colored-pencil?ref=listing_published_alert
And I’m offering free shipping on all domestic orders from March 8 through March 12. No code necessary.

Thank you for indulging me.

Moonlight and Snowfall

January 17, 2019 Natalie Wargin

Finishing up a morning run I turned the corner into my driveway and there was a buck. I didn’t startle him in the least but he surprised me a little. He was very big. He looked at me and calmly kept on foraging. I can go most of the year without seeing many, or any, bucks but there he was. I’ve put him here, in a slightly different scene. Here it’s nighttime, the moon is full, and snow is beginning to fall. I’ve added a doe. The green house is mine. The red barn is not mine although it seems to make regular appearances in my work. The helter skelter arrangement of my neighbors homes is fairly accurate, typical in a rural setting. No straight lines or right angles here.

This is a watercolor painting on Fabriano paper, 17” x 13”. The original painting has been sold but prints of the image are available in my Etsy shop. I’m offering FREE SHIPPING on any order, no code needed. The offer runs from January 17 through January 22. You can find prints of this image here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/674690645/art-print-original-watercolor-moonlight?ref=listing_published_alert

Happy Holidays!

December 11, 2018 Natalie Wargin

I realize that Lily of the Valley aren’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the holidays but I was in the mood to paint some flowers. I picked these in the spring and put them in the mottled blue vase and took some photos for “future” reference. It turned out that November was the “future.” I like this little vase, a gift from long ago that comes in handy for small things. The wallpaper is loosely based on a pattern design that I created in Illustrator. I don’t know where the red tiles came from but I think they look alright. Maybe a little Christmas-y.

Thanks to all of you for your continued interest in my work. I am grateful. I wish all of you the happiest of holidays, whatever those may be.

“Lily of the Valley,” watercolor, 10” x 12”, on Fabriano paper.

Prints of this painting are available in my Etsy shop.
FREE SHIPPING on every domestic purchase through December 21.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/665131253/art-print-original-watercolor-lily-of?ref=shop_home_active_1

Donkeys and Pears

November 1, 2018 Natalie Wargin

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!

A Ghost Story

September 13, 2018 Natalie Wargin

This scene is one that I see most mornings. Woodland, farmland, silent deer and fawns, turkeys complaining with jakes and jennys trailing, chattering squirrels in the trees. Birches, willows, a pond with frogs and lily pads. You would be able to see all of this too but you won't be able to see the ghosts. Only I can see them. Behind the birches is the memory of a favorite tree that had to come down last year. And off in the upper right corner are Chester and Elmer, a horse and a pony, also lost but still running.

This is my newest piece. “Ghost Story,” acrylic on board, 24” x 18”.

Catalog from the Radius 50 exhibit and “Vultures at High Falls',” the accepted painting.

I have a bit of news. I have a painting, “Vultures at High Falls,” in the annual “Radius 50” show at the Woodstock Museum. The show features what the jurors feel is the best work from within the 50 mile radius surrounding the Museum. Twenty nine artists are represented. The opening reception started with a gallery walk where half a dozen of the artists in the show (Not me. Stage fright.) spoke briefly about their work. I’m thrilled to be a part of this interesting, talented group. If you happen to be in the area the show runs through the end of September at the Woodstock Artists Association Museum on Tinker Street.

I'm having a big sale in my shop. 25% off any purchase. The sale will run from September 13 through September 17. It includes this painting, "Ghost Story.”

"Ghost Story," acrylic on board, 24" x 18", $2200.00.
This painting is available in my Etsy shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/627886772/ghost-story-original-acrylic-landscape?ref=listing_published_alert

I've also added more prints to my shop, including one of this painting.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/641483919/ghost-story-landscape-art-print-original?ref=shop_home_active_1

The Storm and A Show!

July 20, 2018 Natalie Wargin

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

True Story

June 5, 2018 Natalie Wargin

Handmade frame courtesy of my brother in law.

It was one of those early spring days when the air is cool and so refreshing. Maggie and I were walking on the trail. I was humming something, Maggie was sniffing something. We heard a strangled honking and a crashing and an enormous, angry goose came charging at us from out of the marsh. The goose, wings spread, breast inflated, came straight for Maggie who looked to me for help. I grabbed a stick and managed to get the goose, who now had a mouthful of Maggie's fur, to back off some and Maggie and I ran. In the wrong direction. There was only one way back to the road home and we would have to pass the goose again to get to it.
"True Story," acrylic on board, 24" x 18".

In the last photo I'm preparing to frame the painting. The beautiful frame was made by my brother in law and suits the image as well as my home. You can see the spacers that I've used to center the painting in the frame. I'll be keeping this painting although I haven't decided where exactly I'll hang it. Maggie is getting older, fourteen soon, and if you knew her you'd see that I have captured her pretty well. If I do say so. I have photos of her but this portrait and the incident are special to me.

I've added a number of greeting cards and note card sets to my Etsy shop. You'll also find more prints available. I'm offering FREE SHIPPING (domestic) on any purchase from June 5 through June 10. No code needed. You can find my shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/NatalieWargin

Pink Tulips And An Attack

April 26, 2018 Natalie Wargin

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.

Hello Again!

March 22, 2018 Natalie Wargin

"Reception detail."  Acrylic on board, 20" x 16". — "Reception detail." Acrylic on board, 20" x 16".

It's been a while, I know. When I wrote to you last I was about to show my work at a local library. Which I did. The opening reception was very nice, better than I had expected. I'm pretty happy to work quietly most days and I'm not a party girl in the least so I was half dreading the reception and the requisite talking. But everyone who came was so lovely, old friends and new, and I was barely uncomfortable at all. In the end ten of the eleven paintings sold. After a little down time I'm back to painting again. The detail above shows the flowers I had on the table at the reception -- thistles and some sort of eucalyptus.

I've reopened my Etsy shop. To kick things off all prints are 20% off. The sale will run from today, March 22, through March 27. No coupon code is needed -- Etsy will show the mark down on each item. I don't have a lot of inventory yet but I'll be adding as time goes by. If there's an image that's not there that you'd like a print of please let me know and I'll see what I can do. I'm now having an outside source do my printing. Making the prints myself, as I did in the past, is pretty time consuming and I want to focus as much as possible on my painting.

Here's a link to my shop:

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

I want to thank you all for hanging around. I'm so grateful for your support. I hope that the work and small stories to come will continue to hold your interest. I'll probably send this blog out once a month or so, as before, but if you'd like to see how my paintings are progressing you can check out my Instagram page:

https://www.instagram.com/nataliewargin/

Meteor Showers. One more for the show.

October 30, 2017 Natalie Wargin

"Meteor Shower"16" x 20"Acrylic on panel$1800. — "Meteor Shower"
16" x 20"
Acrylic on panel
$1800.

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!

September 26, 2017 Natalie Wargin

"Peaceable Kingdom"18" x 24"Acrylic on birch panel$2200. — "Peaceable Kingdom"
18" x 24"
Acrylic on birch panel
$2200.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Winter Barns"12" x 18"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!

Taking a Break

September 2, 2016 Natalie Wargin

This is my latest painting, "Button Plants and Wood Ducks." It's a 24" x 18" acrylic painting on birch board, my largest to date. My neighbor's section of the marsh that we share has a profusion of Button Plants. They are gorgeous things with orb-like flowers that start out chartreuse and burnt sienna and bloom into balls of tiny white blossoms. The marsh is a very busy place. I see a pair of wood ducks every spring; later I see their ducklings. The deer troop through at cooler times of day, eating breakfast or dinner. And lately I've seen a fisher. He's up there in the tree. He may have his eye on the ducks. Fortunately the mourning doves are hidden. There's red osier dogwood blooming at the bottom along with pink water pepper. It looks like someone's home at the green house.

This will be my last blog post for a while. For the past few years I've entered an embarrassing number of art shows. I have never had my work accepted. After a career in graphic design where I had to bid on jobs I grew a fairly thick skin, rejections rarely bothered me. Even so this year I decided to end the self-flagellation and stop submitting to shows and paying strangers $35 or more each time to consider my paintings. And guess what? Out of the blue I've been offered a solo show at the Gardiner Public Library. It's ironic. When I had my design business in Chicago my second client was the American Library Association. They were my client the entire twenty years that I had my business. I have always felt good about all the work I did to promote libraries and reading and now here's a beautiful, new library in a lovely little town offering me a show. You've certainly gathered that these paintings take me a long time to do and while the show isn't until November 2017 I feel I need to focus. The blog will be on hiatus. I'm also closing my Etsy shop, the fewer distractions the better. I can't thank you enough, all of you who have followed and supported my efforts. I'll still be around and if you're interested in seeing what I'm working on you can follow me on Instagram.

instagram.com/nataliewargin/

As a "Thank You" please take 50% off any Etsy purchase.
Sale runs from Friday, September 2 through Sunday, September 4.
THANKYOU50
After September 4 my shop will be closed.

"Springtime"

July 8, 2016 Natalie Wargin

Earlier this year, in the spring, I managed to get a few pictures of forsythia in bloom. Shortly after taking these photos the weather turned very cold and most of the blossoms around here were lost to frost damage, turning brown and shriveling overnight. It really was a shame; the burst of yellow forsythia is so short lived to begin with. I thought I'd paint them but I wanted more in the piece than the flowers.

The wild turkey population has been down the past couple of years. It's rare that I see a flock walking across my yard or peeking in my studio windows. Last year hunters were only permitted to take one instead of the usual two but I wish they'd stop hunting them altogether. A few weeks after I photographed the forsythia I was passing a field near my house and I saw a line of turkeys, all with tail feathers on display. So I put them here, with the spring flowers.

I've been posting my work-in-progress on Instagram and I remember showing the two turkeys on the right and commenting that we all knew who the alpha was. My thinking was that the large puffed up bird with all of the fancy plumage was the one but now, looking again, I think I may have been mistaken. That one on the very end who's not showing off, who's slightly taller than the flashy one, who seems to be locking eyes with the flashy one may be the reckoning force. Is the flashy bird pulling his head in slightly? You may have noticed that the bird on the very end is a female. I like when the dynamic in my paintings surprises me.

I'd hate for you to miss the lively black squirrel over on the left. I only recently saw this one and I wanted to make a note of it since black squirrels are a little unusual. It ran up ahead of me for a bit while I was on the trail -- silky, shiny, and black as anything.

This is a long horizontal watercolor and gouache painting. 17" x 7" (43cm x 18cm).
It's available here in my Etsy shop:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/462345211/original-watercolor-painting-springtime

"One Morning" + FREE SHIPPING!

May 27, 2016 Natalie Wargin

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/

Blue Heron Blue Snakes

April 22, 2016 Natalie Wargin

When I walk down the trail along the Cottekill swamp a flying blue heron is a fairly common sight. I might initially glimpse one sitting on a limb or a fallen tree but once the bird sees me it usually takes off. They are very shy. I've exaggerated the bird's blue coloring in this painting. The true color is more subtle, more of a gray, better camouflage. To me they remain a startling sight when they fly off. They are large and ungainly and their long thin legs stretch far out behind them. Beautiful nonetheless.

Snakes live along the swamp's edge. They can be big and startling as they slither quickly into the water. Even shyer, I think, than the herons. Maggie is intrigued but I quickly shoo her away. I haven't learned yet which snakes are poisonous. Since it's early in a cold spring there's not too much growing yet. Mostly just the gorgeous emerald swamp cabbage.

This painting measures 7 x 9 inches (15 x 23cm).
It's available in my shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/276304442/original-watercolor-blue-heron-blue?ref=shop_home_listings
Prints of this painting are available here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/290195037/art-print-original-watercolor-blue-heron?ref=shop_home_listings