What began as a gloomy, foggy morning brightened into a sunny, warm afternoon full of wine and art of the natural world. The sun parted through the clouds and shined right into the big wooden windows of the Dutton-Goldfield Winery, lighting up the entire tasting room.

Botanical artwork produced by Victoria Kochergin is on display in the Dutton-Goldfield Winery Tasting Room from November until January.  On Sunday, the winery was set up to hold a special artist reception for Kochergin from 1-3 p.m. Unfortunately, due to a miscommunication, Kochergin was unable to come to the reception thrown in her honor. 

David Hewitt, Dutton-Goldfield Winery’s taste room manager, said that the winery usually rotates their artists every two and a half months. This was Kochergin’s second time being displayed in their tasting room, her last time being about two years ago. 

“We know Victoria very well,” said Hewitt. “She works for Joseph Phelps Winery in Freestone, where our winery also grows the grapes for our pinot noir. There is a lot of camaraderie in this industry, and by working together with Joseph Phelps Winery in Freestone we have gotten to know Victoria quite well.”

People trickled in throughout the afternoon, some for wine tasting and others for Kochergen’s art. By 2 p.m. Hewitt feared that Kochergin may have rescheduled her reception for another date and called the reception off. Although the reception was no longer going to happen, Kochergin’s art still brought smiles to those who dropped by.

Kochergin is a botanical artist and illustrator whose art consists of colored pencil drawings of plants displayed on every wall of the wine tasting room. Her meticulous detail was clear and precise as each pedal was unique from one another.  The veins in the stems and leaves are seen by her shading technique.

All of her original art pieces on the walls were for sale in addition to cards and prints for lower prices that were laid out on a burl wood table. Cards came in boxes of eight for $23 while every box had a selection that consisted of one of each of her pieces, including “Lilac,” “Lavender Columbine,” “Tulips” and more. 

Her prints were sold in three different sizes ranging in prices from $25 to $50. Kochergin also has her own set of Christmas cards consisting of red poinsettias and a decorative “Merry Christmas” in shiny red cursive script on the cover.

On the table that displayed her cards and prints for sale, was a laminated sign that gave Kochergin’s background as an artist. Although it would have been more personable to hear Kochergin in person, the sign was written by Kochergin herself and gave observers a close look into the heart of her art.

Kochergin’s introduction said, “As a botanical artist, I closely study each subject to assure that I capture all of its wonderful details. In doing so, I am continuously amazed and in awe with the amount of variety, complexity and beauty within the botanical world.”

For more information of Kochergin’s artwork, one can visit her website at victoriakochergin.com and view all of her artwork online or in person at Dutton-Goldfield Winery until January.