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Wildwood Awaits! New Paint-Out Opportunity on August 17 and August 20, 2013

You may know Nina Koziol as a garden writer for the Chicago Tribune and Chicagoland Gardening, as well as a speaker and teacher at the Chicago Botanic Garden and The Morton Arboretum.

Nina Koziol's Wildwood Garden, Used with permission

Nina Koziol’s Wildwood Garden, Used with permission

Now we will be lucky enough to experience Nina’s gardening skills in person, as she has so generously offered to open her personal garden, Wildwood, (also the name of the gallery in Lockport, IL owned by Nina and her husband, http://www.WildwoodGallery.com) on two separate mornings to members of the Nature Artists’ Guild for painting, sketching and photographing!

Nina Koziol's Wildwood Garden, Used with permission

Nina Koziol’s Wildwood Garden, Used with permission

Nina’s gardens take inspiration from her grandparents’ garden in Essex, England, and include flower and shrub borders, edible and container gardens, and judging from the photos on Nina’s website, www.thisgardencooks.com, some fascinating creatures as well!  Not all of them will be present for our paint-out, but Nina promises there will be “hummingbirds and butterflies galore”!

Nina Koziol's Wildwood Garden, Used with permission

Nina Koziol’s Wildwood Garden, Used with permission

Our members are invited to share Nina’s garden on either Tuesday, August 17 or Saturday, August 20, 2013, from 9 am until 1 pm.  The address is 11925 Ford Road, Palos Park, IL, and Nina has even been kind enough to offer light refreshments!

Please let Carol Jean Rogalski know on which of the two dates you’d like to attend (or both, if space permits, but please indicate your first choice).  You can find Carol Jean’s contact information in your Yearbook.

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Remember to Make the Most of Your Nature Artists’ Guild Membership

We are so excited to welcome  many new members to the Nature Artists’ Guild this year!  We just wanted to check in with all our members, the brand new ones, as well as those that have been around a while, to make sure everyone is making the most of their membership.

Remember, your membership entitles you to -

  • Attend formal meetings (the next one will be in August, and will feature three of your talented fellow members sharing some of their favorite techniques in various media)
  • Attend paint-outs at some great places (there is one coming up in July at Laverne Bohlin’s wonderful garden, and more are being added all the time)
  • Participate in Nature Artists’ Guild exhibitions (either at The Morton Arboretum, where up to a thousand visitors will view your artwork in one weekend, or at various outside venues)
  • Attend workshops (to help create items for fundraising and to learn new skills from fellow artists)
  • Contribute artwork or articles to our quarterly publication, The Nature Artists’ Quarterly
  • Contribute artwork to the annual Nature Artists’ Guild desk calendar

There are also many opportunities for just having fun with your fellow artists, whether by attending a “field trip” to somewhere interesting,  helping to create our annual Scarecrow for The Morton Arboretum,  volunteering on one of the committees or attending the Holiday Party!

Please check the Important Dates tab above to see our current schedule of events.

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We Need Your Art and Articles!

Members, please submit your artwork, or articles you have written about art or nature to Evelyn Grala for our quarterly publication, The Nature Artists’ Quarterly.  The Nature Artists' Quarterly, Summer 2013 CoverPlease check your current Quarterly for details, or contact Evelyn at the e-mail address listed in your Yearbook.  We look forward to seeing your contributions in the next issue!  

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What a Pretty Paint-Out!

Once again, the weather and the garden couldn’t have been lovelier for the Nature Artists’ Guild 2013 Paint-Out at Susan and Kenneth Beard’s garden in Oakbrook, IL.  Please enjoy these gorgeous photos contributed by Kathy Wagner.  We thank the Beards for so graciously sharing their garden with us.

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Join us in Celebrating! Bohlin Garden Paint-Out July 13, 2013

Talk about talent!  Long-time Nature Artists’ Guild member, Laverne Bohlin, is an instructor in The Morton Arboretum’s Botanical Art program , teaches at the Peninsula School of Art in Door County, Wisconsin, and her paintings are widely exhibited and collected around the country.  We are lucky enough to exhibit Laverne’s paintings in each of our Nature Artists’ Guild exhibits, and they are appreciated by all.

In addition to all of the above, Laverne also happens to be a skilled landscape designer and gardener. She teaches numerous classes on Landscape Design at The Morton Arboretum, and we have just learned that Laverne’s personal garden will be featured in the upcoming July/August 2013 issue of Chicagoland Gardening magazine!  The issue should be on the newsstands in June, and we can’t wait to see it.

Let’s help celebrate Laverne’s wonderful news by joining her in her garden, which she has been kind enough to share with all the members of the Nature Artists’ Guild, for a paint-out on July 13, 2013.Laverne Bohlin Garden Feel free to drop in any time between  10 am and 4 pm.  There is no need to RSVP, and light refreshments will be served.   

It will be a great chance to not only paint or sketch a lovely garden, but to spend some time getting to know your fellow artists in a casual and fun setting.  Member Carol Jean Rogalski has seen Laverne and Pete Bohlin’s garden and claims that they apparently know Jack (of the beanstalk fame) because the garden surely has its origins in some kind of magical seeds!

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You Didn’t Miss It, Did You?

We had a great time at the meeting last evening!  Our presenter, the wonderful Peggy Macnamara wowed us with her paintings, and her hilarious stories left us both entertained and encouraged.   Thank you, Peggy!  We will be sure to let everyone know when Peggy’s book-signing at The Morton Arboretum is scheduled.

We would also like to thank all of the guests that attended!  We hope you enjoyed the program and will consider returning.  We’d love to have you as a member of the Nature Artists’ Guild, so that you would have the chance to not only attend programs, but to participate in paint-outs, exhibitions, workshops and social events.  Please click the Membership Application tab above for more details.  Artists of all levels of ability are welcome.

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Calvin C. Wright

In remembrance –

We received word from Evelyn Grala last week of the passing of a longtime and well-loved member of the Nature Artists’ Guild.  Calvin Wright was 92 years old, and will be missed by all those who knew him.  Carol Jean Rogalski has shared these photos of some of the beautifully carved birds that Cal was known for creating.