New! Emily's Dream 4: The Garden

October 17, 2024 Natalie Wargin

Emily’s garden had lots of flowers. All sorts. In my mind’s eye it was always blooming. She loved flowers and birds so I have included robins, blue jays, a sparrow, a noisy crow. There’s a squirrel too because there are always squirrels. Emily and Felix raised chickens. This was before my time but was legal for a while in Chicago and not unusual. Emily was good at dispatching them. She made an excellent chicken soup. On the top right the cherry tree from the front yard has moved to the back yard and the bright crab apple tree on the left actually grew in the neighbor’s yard, bending over the fence. You see peonies, crocuses, foxglove, ferns, roses, poppies, tulips, morning glories, daffodils, sunflowers, and daisies. Emily holds a heavy bouquet of lilies. Look closely and you’ll see that the spiders have been busy too. Tucked into the red roses is a small shrine. Emily had a special devotion to the mother of Jesus. Felix sits on the back porch, reading the Polish newspaper, smoking a cigar.

”Emily’s Dream 4: The Garden
Acrylic on claybord
18 x 24 inches
$2200.

This painting is available.
Please contact me if you’re interested.

I also have prints of this image available in my shop where I’m running a 20% off sale.
Find the prints here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1808793941/emilys-garden-art-print-of-original?click_key=88e8169c4f056b634d644f8f7fadbb9b9b9c7572%3A1808793941&click_sum=d683611f&ref=shop_home_active_1

”Emily’s Dream 4” will be part of the exhibit in Roxbury.
The opening event in on November 2, 4 - 6pm.
I’d love to see you at the opening if you’re able to attend!
Roxbury Art Center
Walter Meade Gallery
5025 Vega Mountain Road
Roxbury NY 12474

The show runs from November 2 - January 11, 2025
Gallery hours: Tue - Sat, 10am - 3pm, or by appointment

And as always, thank you for taking a look!

Memento Mori for a Beloved Companion

September 19, 2024 Natalie Wargin

Perhaps you’ve lost a pet that you couldn’t have loved more. An animal that was many things to you; a confidant, an emotional support, a silly playmate. Maybe this was a new experience and the joy of it took you by surprise. It happened to me too.

This is the second Memento Mori that I’ve drawn. They are a little difficult to work on. I admit to some tears. Memento Mori pieces were very common long ago, often as embroidered samplers. So I have used a style that I think is reminiscent of those hand stitched pieces, showing my hand with the pencil work, including the weeping willows arching over the monument, adding the outer border.

Here in the night is the monument to the very special dog. There are grasses and wild flowers nearby with the small town that loved her in the background. Birds hold vigil. Above is a meteor shower. You will agree that fireworks are appropriate.

“Memento Mori For A Dog”
11 x 14 inches
Prismacolor pencils on dark green Strathmore Drawing Paper
This piece has sold.

As always I appreciate your interest in what I’m doing.
Thank you.

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 Story of Three Bears - A New Painting

March 20, 2024 Natalie Wargin

Tilly and I are in the garden when we hear some loud rustling in the woods right behind the house. Usually rustling means chipmunks or squirrels which are really nothing special but this was extra loud rustling. We had to take a look. We see black bears from time to time and know to stay calm and still when we do. Fortunately Tilly was on her leash just in case. Here were three adolescents, romping while in a line, heading north towards Kingston. They move beside the swamp which is beautiful as always. The recently built beaver dam is masterful. There are birds, turtles, a squirrel, and a red eft. Bumble bees hum in the hydrangeas. There’s a fisher too, giving me a shiver. I figure the mother bear is up ahead somewhere, keeping an eye but letting go a bit. Her babies are nearly grown.

“Three Bears”
Acrylic on claybord panel
18 x 24 inches
This piece will be exhibited in November at the Roxbury Arts Center.
It is spoken for.
Prints are available. See below.

My Etsy shop is open again and I’m running a sale. 20% off any purchase from March 20 through Sunday March 24.
You can find prints of the “Three Bears” here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1684296836/art-print-of-original-painting-three?click_key=3cb2c1fa6eb0c01f12ac0b7261e760259e9ab84c%3A1684296836&click_sum=0a13be6a&ref=shop_home_active_1

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

Small Portrait #3 - Wild Turkey

February 29, 2024 Natalie Wargin

This is the third piece in my series of portraits, a second wild turkey. Turns out I’m enjoying these small paintings. And you know I love wild turkeys.

Here’s a quiet country road on a moonlit night. She passes the barn then stops and turns her head, wary, careful. There are other turkeys nearby but she’s heard a strange sound, maybe unfriendly, that stops her short. We see her here, her head catching the light, feathers glowing. She’ll be moving on shortly.

“Portrait #3 - Wild Turkey”
6 x 6 inches
Acrylic on claybord
$450.00

If you’re interested in this small painting please leave a note below in comments.
My Etsy shop is still closed but will be reopening soon in March

Thanks for taking a look!

Another Small Portrait

January 30, 2024 Natalie Wargin

Usually I work on paintings that are considerably larger than this, 24 x 18 inches is a favorite size. But I enjoyed doing the little Wild Turkey Portrait that you saw last month so I thought I’d try another. Here is Portrait 2: Porcupine. These portraits may become a series.

I don’t often see porcupines near where I live and I’m grateful for that because if I’m walking outside I’m nearly always with Tilly. She is a mad hunter and I would fear the outcome of a porcupine encounter. I’m certain it would be bad. However I have seen and photographed porcupines and I like painting them. Here is one in an autumn setting, beneath the surrounding plants that are going to seed, turning rust colored and orange. Two little frogs observe. A pale bird seems to have something to say.

Portrait 2: Porcupine
Acrylic on claybord
6 x 6 inches
$450

My Etsy shop is on vacation until March but if you’re interested in this piece you can let me know in the comments below.

Thank you for taking the time to take a look. As always, it’s much appreciated.

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.

Definitely Something New -- My First Lino Print

November 27, 2023 Natalie Wargin

I began this linoleum print a while ago and as the process got more complicated for me, a first timer, I put it on hold. Recently I came back to it. This is the finished print, the only keeper out of ten attempts. It has several ‘mistakes’ but you might never notice them. I’m fairly happy with the result.

This meteor shower image is one I’ve painted before and I’ll admit that it’s one of my favorites. Everything you see here is true. This is my house, my garage, my front yard. Yes, there was an impressive meteor shower and yes, the deer do come in the night and help themselves to whatever appeals. Wild turkeys definitely sleep up in the trees. As for the piece itself it should have been a reduction print but the image is fairly large (14 x 18 inches) and I didn’t want to destroy the block. I thought I might want to use it again so rather than cutting the linoleum away I cut masks to cover the areas that I didn’t want to print.

I have prints of this piece in my Etsy shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1590540268/art-print-original-linoleum-print-meteor?click_key=f1ac736c397eebd3b1d0f14dafe313b95eaf3d66%3A1590540268&click_sum=b0e38b78&ref=shop_home_active_1&sts=1

From November 27 through December 1 I’m running a sale. 20% off any purchase.
My shop will be closing on December 8 and won’t reopen until early March.
Thanks so much for looking at my work. It’s much appreciated.
Happy Holidays!

Masking an area. “Meteor Shower” linoleum print.

Two Turkeys Crossing The Road, New Work

October 26, 2023 Natalie Wargin

This usually happens. Tilly and I are out for our three o’clock walk, we turn down Coxing Road and there they are, a line of turkeys crossing east to west. These days there are twenty one in this flock. We stop at a respectful distance to admire and let them pass and fortunately they move slowly, with only a slight flutter here and there, so Tilly is not inspired to chase them. I hang on to the leash just in case. On this particular day I focus on a pair who are caught in a shower of falling blossoms while they pass a garden in bloom. Hollyhocks and blue flowers. A few little houses too. Do I know the people who live in the house with the inviting red chairs? Up in the air are a pair of brilliant cardinals.

“3 O’Clock”
12 x 16 inches
Acrylic on claybord panel
$800.00

This painting is available in my Etsy shop. Find the listing here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1578746348/original-acrylic-painting-of-two-wild?click_key=3e47223ca9dfeab484037b287d1874557f55f59a%3A1578746348&click_sum=bb1d62a3&ref=shop_home_active_1&sts=1

Prints of this image are available here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1579252004/art-print-original-watercolor-two-wild?click_key=89067dafdb51eacc5ce805875e2c0153cafc1e93%3A1579252004&click_sum=fcfec72e&ref=shop_home_active_1&sts=1

I’m running a little sale for the next three days: 20% off any purchase from my Etsy shop.
Thank you for taking a look! I always appreciate it.

Hello! I'm back with a new drawing.

September 17, 2023 Natalie Wargin

Please forgive my absence. It’s been a ridiculous summer with a carpenter ant infestation, a bedroom ceiling that collapsed due to a water leak, and a porch repair that needed doing twice. Don’t ask. I hope your summer has been more fun than mine.

Although my own work has progressed slowly I did manage to complete this drawing which I donated to the Paper Unframed online auction benefitting the Woodstock Artists Association Museum. The auction is running now through September 24. There’s also a timed auction Sunday the 24th at 2:00pm. All contemporary work in the auction, like this drawing, starts at $100 and historic work starts at $240 with proceeds benefitting the museum and its educational programs. If you’d like to take a look here’s a link:
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/298857_paper-unframed-benefit-art-auction/

Dogwood and Deer
10 x 9 inches
Prismacolor pencil on black Fabriano Drawing Paper

This is a small colored pencil drawing. The doe and fawn appear beneath some pale pink flowering dogwood, grasses underfoot, busy spider above. If you were to visit me in the spring I would show you just where this little scene occurred. It’s right up the road in a spot that the rabbits like too.

I have prints of this drawing in my Etsy shop. Etsy is offering $5 off any purchase of $25 or more through today, Sunday September 17.
You can find the prints here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1567878741/art-print-original-colored-pencil?click_key=cde756235c6f00ef444e8c39b10a162c726d54fe%3A1567878741&click_sum=3c81812b&ref=shop_home_active_1&sts=1

Thank you for following along! It’s most appreciated.

My Wild Dog - New Work

May 19, 2023 Natalie Wargin

I have featured black dogs in my paintings before. Sometimes I showed my own dog, sometimes the dog was a stranger to me. But this wild black dog is mine all mine. This is Tilly, doing one of her favorite things: tearing flat out through my garden in pursuit of an unfortunate squirrel.

I have asked myself if I would have taken this dog home from the shelter had I known about her tremendous prey drive. It certainly was a shock to me the first time I watched her catch and kill a squirrel. And another squirrel. And then the poor ground hog. I’d never seen behavior like this other than on nature shows and that was when I would turn the program off. But we fall in love, don’t we, and we come to accept even the parts we dislike.

So here she is, single minded, ignoring the bunny and the turtles, careless of the things beneath her feet. My wild roses and spider wort trampled, the lilac blooms scattered, the ferns bent and broken. Bad news about the squirrel.

“Dog”
Acrylic on claybord
18 x 24 inches

Big sale in my shop!
Prints of this painting are available in my here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1484937881/black-dog-chasing-squirrel-through?click_key=0b78c99c726c05e9de87c013b0f95fbfde31a5c6%3A1484937881&click_sum=44ae15b0&ref=shop_home_active_1&sts=1

Thanks for taking a look! I truly appreciate it.

Ghosts of Christmas Past - A New Painting

March 10, 2023 Natalie Wargin

It’s been a while since I sent out a newsletter and this painting is to blame. Would you look at all the people? Nine. And because I’m not well practiced or particularly good at painting faces they took hours. However, finish I did and here you have another scene featuring Emily, my grandmother, and Christmas Eve at her house.

It all started innocently enough when I found a bit of the wallpaper that had been on Emily’s living room walls. Then things got out of hand. I redrew the wallpaper pattern. It’s bold, don’t you agree? I remembered the olive green sofa and paired it with a club chair that in real life was deep red, one of a pair, but here it’s become green too. Our point of view: we’re in the dining room looking past the built in bookcases into the living room where Santa stands next to the tree handing out one gift each to the Christmas-crazy kids.

So many details. An uncle straightens a painting of the Polish mountains that Emily and Felix love to remember. An aunt drinks her coffee beneath a painting of a pretty house set in an equally pretty garden. Each of the boy cousins has an agenda. We’ll keep tabs on the one with the key who has been eyeing the gifts in the locked bookcases. The two girls might be me and my sister Cheryl. Emily, who together with Felix, has been laboring over the Christmas Eve traditions and meal for days and days, is still in her fabulous apron. She’s watching Felix, the man beside her in the Santa suit she made, making sure the right gift goes to the right grandchild.

Until I was working on this painting I hadn’t given much thought to my grandfather in the Santa suit but the fact that he dressed up like this says some lovely things about him. Felix spoke very little English and, along with all the other grandchildren, I never learned Polish. This made for a narrow relationship. I never doubted that he loved us all but he was a quiet, reserved man. Now, here I am, painting him in this outrageous outfit and it’s a revelation. This was a man who had a sense of humor, who loved children, and who definitely loved his wife. Sometimes it takes a very long time to see what was right before your eyes.

“Emily’s Dream #3 - Christmas Eve”
24 x 18 inches
Acrylic on claybord
$2200

My Etsy shop is open and I’m running a sale starting today and running through Sunday, March 12.

You can find this painting here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1434143983/christmas-eve-family-memories-original?click_key=66be8873377802b174829d66edeb003d76a8b1f0%3A1434143983&click_sum=7eeded9f&ref=shop_home_active_1

You can find prints of this image here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1419951996/art-print-original-acrylic-painting?click_key=47a0166967f15d3426f4e09d1857438998751e90%3A1419951996&click_sum=00e231a7&ref=shop_home_active_1

Thanks for taking the time to read this story. Thanks too for your interest in my work.
Merry Christmas!

“Emily’s Dream #3 - Christmas Eve” detail.

Smoke. A new painting.

November 25, 2022 Natalie Wargin

One morning, very shortly after I moved to the Hudson Valley, I looked out a second floor window and saw a flock of wild turkeys. I was entranced and delighted, as I still always am when I see turkeys, but there was something odd about this group. One of the birds was practically white. Knowing absolutely nothing about the wildlife in these parts I guessed that perhaps this group had welcomed a white hen or some sort of duck. Nope.

I came to find out that the light gray, practically white bird, was a smoke phase turkey. Not a true albino it retains some of the natural coloring of a wild turkey but its feathers are primarily a soft gray. I painted a watercolor version of this flock. It was one of my very first paintings. I positioned the birds in front of one of my favorite barns, the one with the gray and oxblood paint. This is a reconsidering of that early painting and a retelling of what I saw way back then.

Here is the flock on a glorious autumn day traveling through a field. The grasses are fading to parchment, as are the ferns. The buttonbush has turned red. Trees and bushes are wildly colored. Woodsmoke from the chimneys fills the air with that lovely smell. The sky is moody. There may be a hint of snow in the air. The turkeys are restless, the smoke phase stops to groom herself. A little frog observes.

“Smoke”
Acrylic on birch panel
20 x 16 inches
$1600

This painting is available in my shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1340474200/original-acrylic-painting-of-wild?click_key=c0562f837032618839743f4c8e7db56a09ebc416%3A1340474200&click_sum=d431ec44&ref=shop_home_active_1

Prints of this image are available here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1354447555/art-print-original-acrylic-painting-of?click_key=0dbd2844f029a3e56c9717ccd08849c9394aaf0f%3A1354447555&click_sum=a537c3b0&ref=shop_home_active_1

Everything in my shop is 20% off through Tuesday, November 29. No code needed.
Get things while you can because my shop will be closing indefinitely on Wednesday, November 30.

Thank you for following along. Thank you for your interest in my work.
I wish you all the very best of holidays!

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!

A new Sampler In Colored Pencil

August 5, 2022 Natalie Wargin

I decided to do another colored pencil sampler, just to get back into the swing of things after my exhibit in Woodstock. These drawings done in the style of an old fashioned sampler are relatively quick for me to execute and they’re very satisfying when completed. I’ve titled this one “Everything.”

Just above the curve of the earth are the moon and stars in the night sky and the soft clouds and sun of a new day. In the hills white tailed deer graze, odd birds fly, a rabbit runs, a horse gallops. Somebody should repair that fence. The woman waters her wildly successful garden. Just get a load of the peonies. An old dog relaxes. I’ll bet the house is cozy. The shed seems in good repair and if you choose to sit and rest for a moment you can watch the turtle in the pond under the buttonbush. There’s a black bear near the tree. I have to think about him.
This is everything.

“Sampler #4, Everything”
19 x 22 inches
Prismacolor pencil on Stonehenge Drawing Paper
$400

I’m running a sale in my Etsy shop, 15% off any purchase. The sale runs from today, August 5 through Sunday, August 7.
This original piece of art is available here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1278990519/original-colored-pencil-drawing-country?click_key=82736205cf8f36676c849f1f380c14b46f89819f%3A1278990519&click_sum=852e91ca&ref=shop_home_active_1

Prints of this image are also available here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1265042630/art-print-original-colored-pencil?click_key=355b32be87acde1a1c3fa446a8713b5229ebfd6f%3A1265042630&click_sum=9f11c33f&ref=shop_home_active_1

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

One Box Turtle, Coming Right Up

June 23, 2022 Natalie Wargin

This painting was a commission, a birthday gift for a man who has a soft spot for turtles. I saw this particular box turtle in my driveway and thought I'd paint her instead of one of the snappers that I usually see. Box turtles are especially beautiful and a little showy with bright orange markings. Unlike other wild creatures that I encounter turtles don't mind inspection or a nosey photographer getting close. That's my little house in the upper corner and the woods beyond. It's windy and the trees are getting tossed. And because they are blooming now I've added wild roses and hydrangeas. If you look very carefully you can see that the spiders have been busy too.

I’ve reopened my Etsy shop with a 20% off sale on any purchase through Sunday the 26th.
You can find prints of this turtle painting here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1239661358/art-print-of-original-acrylic-painting?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=natalie+wargin&ref=sr_gallery-1-3

NOTE: For those of you who follow me on Instagram I have a new account.
You can follow me here to see me working on new things:
@nataliewargin2.0

And as always, thank you for taking a look at my work.

Eleven pieces and a pre-show sale

May 13, 2022 Natalie Wargin

This is the final piece for my show at the Woodstock Artists Museum and my third Peaceable Kingdom. You may have heard my sigh of relief when I finished it. Below are all the pieces I will display along with details and prices. If you want to buy a painting before the show let me know. Any work purchased before May 20 will be discounted by 15%.

Peaceable Kingdom #3 - All Around Us
Acrylic on claybord, 24 x 18 inches, framed
$2200

There are 32 creatures here, all sharing the woodland, existing nicely, just as it really is. The birds are busy, bluebirds and sparrows and owl and woodpecker. The black bear dozes while a pair of squirrels chatter, the turtle looks surprised by the snow, the fisher heads for her underground shelter, the coyote is almost invisible. The dancing horse feels the excitement of the cold. There’s a little fox next to the stone wall where a chipmunk sleeps and a crow complains as crows do. Deer rest, so does a cow. A raccoon gets cozy, and turkeys, geese, and a single pheasant scatter. In front of the house, where welcoming lights shine, a bunny rests. There’s a goat there too. A woman, who might be me, walks the snowy lane, watching the dog who is certainly my Tilly.