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!

Wild Turkey on Leggett Trail

July 9, 2015 Natalie Wargin

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.

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

Bluebirds in a country setting

March 13, 2015 Natalie Wargin

There are bluebirds here in the Hudson Valley. They appear to be resident and they are not in the least bit unusual. I clearly remember the first time I saw them flitting around my yard. Although I'd never seen a bluebird in my life I recognized them immediately, what else could they be? They looked like the little birds that dressed Sleeping Beauty and I felt like I might have fallen into a Disney special. They are quiet little birds, extremely blue with peach breast feathers. I first saw them in the spring and was surprised to still see them when the weather turned very cold. The silly phrase "bluebird of happiness" comes to mind. They are pretty and bright and not obviously aggressive like other birds I could name. So if they are a good omen, and why not think so, I'm glad they stick around all year long.

The image above is a 9 x 12 inch (23 x 30cm) watercolor and gouache painting.
It's available here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/225343590/original-watercolor-painting-bluebirds?

The images below are small studies for "Bluebirds in a Country Setting."
They are also watercolor and gouache, 6 x 6 inches (15 x 15cm). They are available here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/222544043/watercolor-painting-original-bluebird-in?ref=listing-shop-header-2

https://www.etsy.com/listing/222538885/watercolor-painting-original-bluebird-in?ref=listing-shop-header-3

And as a hurrah that Spring seems to finally be making an appearance please use this code to take 15% off any purchase in my shop: SPRING15
Code is good until Friday March 20.

"Bluebird in Summer."  Study for "Bluebirds in a Country Setting." — "Bluebird in Summer." Study for "Bluebirds in a Country Setting."

"Bluebird in Winter."  Study for "Bluebirds in a Country Setting." — "Bluebird in Winter." Study for "Bluebirds in a Country Setting."

Bears in my yard...again

February 19, 2015 Natalie Wargin

This is a new painting of three bears in my front yard. I've titled it "Maggie" because of the dog standing near the red barn. Maggie, as it turns out, is pretty smart, especially for a very nosey dog. I've never known a dog so interested in absolutely everything but she knew better than to investigate the bears. The mother bear was very aware of Maggie, standing at one point and staring right at her. For some reason I wasn't particularly concerned but I did keep an eye on the dog from the side of the house, ready to grab her and dash in the house if I had to.

This is a watercolor and gouache painting, 11 x 14". The painting itself and prints of the painting are available in my Etsy shop. You can find them here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/222738890/watercolor-painting-original-maggie-dog
https://www.etsy.com/listing/221113089/art-print-original-watercolor-maggie-dog?ref=shop_home_active_1