“HOMEWARD BOUND”: This watercolor by Margaret Simpson is featured in “Water, Woods & Wonder,” on view through March 5 at Tulpehaking Nature Center in Hamilton. The free exhibit is presented by the nonprofit Friends for the Abbott Marshlands.

The nonprofit Friends for the Abbott Marshlands (FFAM) present their opening exhibit of 2023, a fine art watercolor exhibit entitled “Water, Woods & Wonder,” on view through March 5 at Tulpehaking Nature Center in Hamilton. This is a first solo show for Hamilton artist Margaret Simpson at the nature center. Simpson is a volunteer and executive board member of FFAM as well as the Garden State Watercolor Society. She has led several “Art in the Marsh” sessions for FFAM and teaches watercolors at the West Windsor Senior Center.

“Water, Woods & Wonder” provides a window into the artist’s source of inspiration hiking the many trails of the Abbott Marshlands. For the “Water” component of the title, Simpson’s landscape paintings portray the Delaware River and estuary, the Delaware Bay, and several ocean and beach scenes. There are paintings of “Woods,” with the marsh and wildlife prominently displayed. Birds and sky are a reoccurring theme contributing to the “Wonder” aspect of the exhibit (the marsh holds an Important Bird Area designation).

Simpson hopes to assist in the Friends’ efforts to build awareness and support for its protection and stewardship. The exhibit combines her love of the marsh and nature with watercolor painting. Her paintings evoke a feeling of calm and depict nature’s beauty with muted, transparent glazes, a technique that provides for subtle nuances in color.

Tulpehaking Nature Center is located at 157 Westcott Avenue in Hamilton. It is open Wednesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Purchase of original watercolors can be made at the nature center’s reception desk, or call (609) 888-3218. A percentage of sales will benefit FFAM.

For more information, visit abbottmarshlands.org.