Northern Animal Series

A watercolor painting series.

Animals found in the Canadian or Northern climates, like the wetlands, grasslands, boreal forests, and tundra.

Northern Animal Art Series

A watercolor painting series focusing on animals found in the Canadian or Northern climates, like the wetlands, grasslands, boreal forests, and tundra.

Magpie Nest

12″x18″ fantasical watercolor painting from 2023. Magpies are attracted to shiny objects and will collect them to beautify their nest.

black-billed magpie nest with gemstones and crystal watercolor painting by karolina szablewska 2023
Northern Animal Art Series by Karolina Szablewska

Eurasian Red Squirrel and Apple Blossoms

15″x10″ watercolor, ink, and acrylgouache on watercolor paper. Painted in 2023.

This painting is accompanied by smaller studies of gray squirrels.

Snowy Owl in Wheat Field

22″x22″ mixed media watercolor painting. Snowy owl in wheat field over mammatus clouds. Painted in 2022.

Snowy Owl in Wheat Field watercolor painting by karolina szablewska
Red and Blue Grosbeaks Cardinals watercolor painting by karolina szablewska

Red and Blue Grosbeaks Cardinals

15″x22″ watercolor painting with ink and acrylgouache. Red cardinals and one blue grosbeak sitting on snowy spruce painted from an assortment of references. Painted in 2021.

This painting has two adjacent watercolor studies in the 9″x12″ size.

red cardinals watercolor painting by karolina szablewska

Red Velvet Antlers on Bull Moose

22″x30″ ink, acrylgouache, and watercolor painting on Arches watercolor paper. Painted in 2021.

Albino moose are sacred to aboriginal cultures in Canada because they are extremely rare. Velvetting in the process of growing antlers growing and shedding the velvet skin, leaving a layer blood that turns them red.

Red Velvet Antlers on Bull Moose watercolor painting by karolina szablewska
toads on a toadstool watercolor painting by karolina szablewska

Toads on a Toadstool

18″x16″ watercolor painting of two toads sitting on Fly Agaric mushrooms on the forest floor. Painted in 2021.

Lineart done with acrylgauche. Based on references from the Reptile Expo in Montreal taken by the artist and found image.

Moonlight Flight

16″x16″ animal watercolor painting with acrylgauche lineart, painted in 2020.

A barn owl flying past a full moon in the night sky.

owl flying past moon in starry night sky painting by karolin szablewska
3 red robin watercolor painting by Karolina Szablewska

Three Red Robins

11″x12″ mixed media on Fabriano watercolor paper. Watercolor painting with ink & acrylic lineart, 2020. SOLD.

Painting created based on the watercolor texture rather than subject first.

Red Fox in Marsh

15″x15″ mixed media watercolor painting – ink, watercolor, acrylic on Fabriano paper, 2020.

Todd is one of the foxes at Save a Fox rescue shelter. Save a Fox let me use their images for reference photos. This painting is in honour of those to work to save animals.

Red fox watercolor painting by Karolina Szablewska, Todd the Fox from Save a Fox Rescue

Artist Statement

The Canadian landscape is a special climate overlooked because of its extreme or gloomy weather. The majority of Canadians live in a few small pockets of the country further towards the southern border to escape these weather extremes, yet the rest of our country is rich with wildlife and ancient forests hundreds of years old. From south to north, there are grasslands, marshes, temperate forests, boreal forests, and then tundra. We are lucky to have national parks, larger city parks, and nature reserves integrated into our urban lives.

I wanted to capture some of that wanderlust I get from hiking in Canada and the connection I feel to our local wildlife, which I feel is overlooked for not being as glamour as exotic lions, tigers, and birds of paradise. Also, I feel our landscape and a connection has an impact on our attitude towards life, how we handle conflict and stress, how we come together. I hope to capture this feeling of quiet resolve, endurance, wonder, and calm in these portraits of wild animals from our climate.

On an aesthetic level, this series explores combining watercolor painting with other mixed media techniques I learned over the years of trying many different mediums in hope of finding a happy middle ground and making a watercolor style distinctly my own.

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