Our new blog header features the artwork of Susan Vogel, the featured artist for the Guild’s 2010 Holiday Exhibition at Thornhill Auditorium.

The Exhibition, showcasing the artwork of over fifty Guild members, opens Friday, November 12 with a reception from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm for Arboretum members, Guild members and their guests. The exhibition is open to the public  November 13-14 from Noon to 5:00 p.m.

There is no admission fee for the exhibition; however, non-Arboretum members will need to pay admission to the Arboretum.

I grew up in Lisle, IL. I have fond memories of past winters including ice skating on Lake Marmo in the Morton Arboretum and walks through that  snowy wonderland. I was constantly aware of nature. Wild plants and animals were everywhere when I went on outings with my family. When I came home, I would sit by my desk and make pencil drawings of some of the sights I experienced. My mother was an artist and I loved her work. It inspired me. I wanted to be just like her.

It was the comic books and movies by Walt Disney that were my next inspiration. “Bambi” and “Alice in Wonderland were my favorites. I guess I was an ambitious little kid because at the age of eleven I sent Walt Disney a letter and some of my drawings and asked him for a job. Someone very kind answered my letter and suggested that I go to college first.

Art classes weren’t offered at my schools when I was growing up. So when I was of high school age, I rode the train each summer to attend art classes at Lyons Township High School in LaGrange. Later, I attended Northern Illinois University, majoring in art.

Then along came marriage and children with no time for artwork. After a gap of 30+ years, I started classes at College of Dupage, as a beginning art student once more. Their catalog offered botanical art classes at The Morton Arboretum. I love the classes here at the Arboretum, with teachers who actually teach techniques and students who are helpful and supportive. I got my Botanical Art Certificate and when the Master program was offered; I was the first to receive the Botanical Art and Illustration Master’s Studio Certificate.

I prefer working with live specimens of fauna and flora in front of me., but sometimes a photograph has more advantages. I always carry my little digital camera with me and take snapshots of moving subjects, like birds, bugs and other animals.  Originally, I was strictly a botanical artist but I’m branching out in different directions. Maybe I’ll try painting birds. After all, my last name “Vogel” means bird in German.

I joined the Nature Artists’ Guild (NAG) in 2001 and have met many wonderful artists who inspire and challenge my abilities. Thank you all for your support and believing in me.