Where the Garden Leads, copyright Lora Lee Gelles, was included in last year’s Autumn Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum. Click on image for more.
Recent cool evenings are beginning to hint at the coming wonders of autumn, especially the spectacular displays of color. Nature Artists’ Guild exhibits, paint-outs, a program, and a workshop (as well as a selection of classes offered by The Morton Arboretum) will help withexploring and celebrating these wonders.
In just a few weeks, prospectuses for the 2026 Autumn Exhibit at the Morton Arboretum and Fauna, the display of 8 x 8 works honoring the Arboretum, will be emailed to members. (New members who join the Guild before the prospectus due date will be eligible to participate in these exhibits.)
The Nature Artists’ Guild will sponsor a program by oil pastel artist George Shipperly on the evening of Thursday, October 1, at The Morton Arboretum. This presentation will be free and open to the public, and no registration will be required. More details coming soon.
A return of the free workshop for Guild members, Wood Slice Ornaments with Lindsay Sandbothe, will be held on October 10. Registration is required, and only a few spots remain for this popular event.
For those who want to learn a new skill or increase their skills with expert instruction, The Morton Arboretum has updated its schedule of classes to include some old favorites as well as new and unique offerings. These classes are open to all, and registration fees apply.
And for those who just want to drop by to enjoy the wonderful sights and sounds of The Morton Arboretum on a weekday morning without the crowds, the Guild’s Coffee and Art gatherings continue each Wednesday, beginning at about 9:30 in the Visitor Center.
Most paint-outs hosted by the Nature Artists’ Guild are limited to members and guests, but at this end-of-summer event, artists from, or visiting, the Chicagoland area are invited to paint or sketch along with Guild members. (Arboretum membership or a gate fee will be required for entry to the Arboretum).
Some seating is available within the gardens, but artists may also bring portable chairs, and restroom facilities are nearby in the Visitor Center and the Administration Building. Although drop-in artists are welcome, registration is strongly recommended so that enough pastries can be planned and weather-related updates and other details can be shared.
Guild members could use this opportunity to find their subject for this autumn’s Fauna project, a display of small works inspired by the creatures of The Morton Arboretum. (Migrating monarchs will surely stop by!)
Award-winning artist (and Nature Artist Guild member), Dan Danielson, will be demonstrating his fun and fluid style of watercolor painting at the reception for the Guild’s exhibit, open to all on August 16, 2026, from 2 to 4, at the Bloomingdale Park District Museum.
The free reception for Rooted in Observation: Art Inspired by the Living World, at the museum on Sunday, August 16, will be open to the public from 2 to 4 pm. Refreshments and music provided by the museum, a demonstration by Dan Danielson, and the opportunity to view more than 75 works of art by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum, will all contribute to a wonderful afternoon!
The exhibit will continue until September 12, and visitors can visit the museum’s website for hours and directions.
Also —
Guild artists will also be demonstrating inside the Visitor Center of The Morton Arboretum during the Arboretum’s 2026 Wine and Art Walk. Everyone is invited to stop by and learn more about the Guild or simply chat with an artist and watch them create between 10 and 4 on Saturday and Sunday, August 15 and 16. (Arboretum membership or a gate fee will be required for entrance to the Arboretum.)
The next Nature Artists’ Guild paint-out will be on the morning of September 3 at the Grand Garden at The Morton Arboretum. Visiting artists are welcome to join Guild artists for this end-of-summer, soon-to-be-autumn event. More details will be coming soon, and registration is recommended.
Registration has begun for the free fundraiser workshop with Lindsay Sandbothe at the Arboretum on October 10, 2026. Space will be limited for this popular and fun event, and the workshop is open to Nature Artists’ Guild members only.
A new Nature Artists’ Guild Facebook Group is now available for members to engage with their fellow artists! Guild members can find the group at Nature Artists’ Guild Facebook Group.
Yellowstone Tree Root detail, copyright Jeffrey Zawada
It’s that exciting pre-exhibit time for participating members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum! They will be dropping off their work today for volunteers to artfully arrange throughout the galleriesfor tomorrow’s opening.
Rooted in Observation: Art Inspired by the Living World will be exhibited from August 8 through September 12, 2026 at the historic Bloomingdale Park District Museum. A reception will be held on Sunday, August 16, from 2 through 4, with music and light refreshments provided by the museum, and a demonstration by talented Guild artist Dan Danielson (details coming soon).
Exhibit attendees should check the museum’s website for directions, hours, and other information before planning their visit.
The Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum is excited to sponsor a presentation by a master of drawing and illustration, Cynthia Hellyer Heinz on August 6, 2026.
After earning a Master of Fine Arts at Northern Illinois University, Cynthia Hellyer Heinz began her long career at the university teaching and mentoring students in drawing and design.
Cynthia will share some of her insights and skills in her presentation, The Poetry of the Crone in the Woods, at The Morton Arboretum on the evening of Thursday, August 6, 2026 from 7 until 9.
The use of color pencils is the primary tool which lends itself to details and the exploration of nuance in color and light. There is a narrative on the surface of the paper as it erupts into the images. Stories unfold and are shared by the exercise of drawing. I look forward to sharing the how, what, and why of my work as an artist, story teller and teacher.
– Cynthia Hellyer Heinz
This program will be open to the public with no charge for attendance, admission to the Arboretum, or parking. Registration is not required, and visitors can let the gate attendant know they are there for the program to be directed to the Thornhill Education Center.
A door prize, delicious light refreshments, and plenty of seating will add to the enjoyment of the evening!
A few reminders for members —
Articles, images, and announcements for the Autumn Quarterly are due by tomorrow, August 1.
The final day to register for this summer’s special exhibit at the Bloomingdale Park District Museum, is also tomorrow, August 1, the final day to sign-up for demonstrations is August 2, and artwork drop-off will be on August 7, from 1 to 3 pm.
It’s time for the Nature Artists’ Guild’s annual trip to the display gardens of one of the world’s most renowned growers, Ball Horticultural!
Guild members are invited to attend one of the year’s most anticipated paint-outs at The Gardens at Ball on the morning of Tuesday, August 4, 2026, from 9:30 until noon.
“What began as a row trial garden for seed varieties in 1933 has grown to encompass over 15 acres of display gardens for annuals, perennials, cut flowers and vegetables, including the newest plants from the industry’s leading breeders and marketers.”
The gardens are guaranteed to offer a glorious variety of color and form for Guild artists to capture in their sketches, paintings, or photographs. Space is limited for this opportunity, and registration is required. Coordinator Celia Rodee will contact participants with details, directions, and updates.
A few reminders —
The final day to register for the summer special exhibit at the Bloomingdale Park District Museum is tomorrow, July 27. Members were emailed the prospectus and registration link earlier this week.
The last day to submit announcements, images, and articles for the Autumn Quarterly is this Saturday, August 1. Instructions were recently emailed to Guild members.
The Nature Artists’ Guild will sponsor a program featuring Cynthia Hellyer Heinz on the evening of Thursday, August 6, at The Morton Arboretum. This presentation will be free and open to all, and no registration is required. Details coming soon.
Clockwise: 2025 Quarterly covers, details of artwork by Ann Lamoureux, Linda Hilderbrant, Ann Lamoureux, and Jeffrey Zawada.
Nature Artists’ Guild members have lots to do this July, both indoors and out —
The current forecast is for gorgeous weather on July 23 for the paint-out at the private garden of Guild member Ann Lamoureux. Participants will be greeted with light refreshments and a chance to spend the morning painting and sketching in Ann’s lovely garden of annuals, perennials, and large trees providing cool shade. Registration is required.
When the weather is a little less comfortable, members can spend a few cool hours indoors looking through their artwork or writing a poem or essay to contribute to the Guild’s Autumn 2026 Quarterly. Artwork images and articles can be submitted by August 1, as outlined in the July 18 email sent to members.
Another important indoor activity for members of the Nature Artists’ Guild is completing their registration for the exhibit at the Bloomingdale Park District Museum opening in August. Registration must be submitted by July 27 through the link emailed to members on June 25. Update – registration extended until August 1.
Also beginning indoors, cool and comfortable, are the casual weekly gatherings of Guild members and visitors, Coffee and Art, at the Visitor Center of The Morton Arboretum. All are welcome to stop by any Wednesday morning beginning about 9:30, and possibly move outdoors if the weather is nice. (An Arboretum membership or gate fee will be necessary to enter the Arboretum.)
And finally, it’s back outdoors, on another lovely day of the artists’ choosing, to find a subject to depict in their contribution to the Guild’s 8×8 small works display, Fauna, this autumn at The Morton Arboretum.
The garden of Ann Lamoureux in Wheaton, IL will provide artists withbountiful blooms, but the top attraction this summer just might be the cool, cool shadeof the towering trees.
The Lamoureux garden is full of annuals, perennials, mature trees, and nearly everything that an artist could desire for inspiration. Ann has generously offered to share her lovely garden and porch with fellow members of the Nature Artists’ Guild for a paint-out on Thursday, July 23, 2026, beginning at 9:30 am.
As always, delicious pastries and coffee will be served, and there will be plenty of room for artists to set up for a lovely morning of painting, sketching, or photographing. Registration is required, and coordinator Celia Rodee will email attendees with the address, details, and updates.
Woods Garden and Peter’s Pond, copyright Ann Lamoureux
July brings a multitude of wonders for artistic inspiration, and Nature Artists’ Guild members and The Morton Arboretum are generously providing opportunitiesto enjoy many of them.
On the morning of Thursday, July 9, 2026, at 9:30, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will meet at fellow artist Mary Ann Thompson’s home to paint and sketch the beauty of her garden. Mary Ann’s garden is filled with wonders, including a large koi pond and swaths of floral color. Coffee and delicious pastries will be provided, and registration is required.
Two weeks later, on Thursday, July 23, another Guild member, Ann Lamoureux, will open her garden to fellow artists. The wonders of Ann’s garden include numerous large trees shading and cooling the surrounding flora, as well as the artists painting it. More about this paint-out coming soon, and registration is required.
Nature Artists’ Guild members and guests can sketch birds, butterflies, and bees at The Morton Arboretum each Wednesday morning, about 9:30, at a Coffee and Art gathering at the Visitor Center. These cool mornings, before the crowds, would be perfect opportunities for members to work on their contributions to this autumn’s small works display, “Fauna,” or to just enjoy the company of fellow artists. (An Arboretum membership or gate fee will be necessary for entry.)
Members (and not-yet-members) of the Nature Artists’ Guild will have numerous opportunities to learn and practice nature art skills at The Morton Arboretum this July!
Artists who paint or sketch outdoors will enjoy the Arboretum’s Plein Air Community Meet-Ups on alternate Wednesday evenings throughout the summer. The coordinator at each session will greet artists and help them locate a prime location on the grounds for capturing lovely landscapes or captivating close-ups in paint, colored pencil, pastels, ink, or other portable media.
The Nature Artists’ Guild has many fabulous fiber artists in its membership, and the Arboretum is offering space to gather on alternate Thursday evenings. These Bring your own project: Fiber Arts sessions are a fun way to share tips with and enjoy the company of fellow artists.
In addition to these meet-ups, the Arboretum is offering nature art classes and workshops taught by talented and experienced instructors (many of whom are Guild members or former presenters) that begin in July.
Cyanotype Printing – Harness sunlight to create striking blue botanical prints.
Nature Artists' Guild 