The 2023 Autumn Nature Art Exhibit by the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum will open next Friday evening, November 10. The exhibit will feature over 200 works by more than 60 members of the Guild, including many by Featured Artist Joe Rizzo.
Visitors to the exhibit will also have the opportunity to meet and interact with some of the artists as they demonstrate their methods and share inspirations, techniques, and tools.
Friday, November 10, 5 – 7 pm
Dale Olsen, pastels
Palm House, Kew Gardens, Dale Olsen
Saturday, November 11, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Pat Mroczka, watercolor
Dreamy Lillypads, copyright Pat Mroczka
Saturday, November 11, 1 – 3 pm
Michelle Buziak, scratchboard
Lake Sturgeon Adult and Juvenile, copyright Michelle Buziak
Short Eared owl, copyright Michelle Buziak
Sunday, November 12, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Mary Ann Jimenez, silverpoint with powdered pastels
My Favorite Flower, in progress and complete, copyright Mary Ann Jimenez
Sunday, November 12, 1 -3 pm
Linda Hilderbrant, watercolor with colored pencils
Hummingbird (in progress), copyright Linda Hilderbrant
Please click on the image above for a closer look (including titles and artist names)at a sample of artwork that will be included in the upcoming 2023 Autumn Nature Art Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum from the evening of Friday, November 10 through Sunday, November 12.
The exhibit will showcase over 200 works by more than 60 members of the Nature Artists’ Guild. Many more images of artwork to come (after the exhibit)!
Flamboyant Departure, copyright Jeff Walter
Hide and Seek, copyright Jeffrey Zawada
Sunny Disposition, copyright Yvonne Buckley
The Squirrel’s Been Here!, copyright Alice Wych
The Antiquated Farmer’s Pest, copyright Michelle Buziak
Summer Shades, copyright Patty Koenigsaecker
Stop and Smell the Roses, copyright Alice Sulinkski
Sparrow, copyright Lisa Kanellos
Sneak Preview, copyright Mary Ann Jimenez
Pondside Dancer, copyright Terrie McComb
Peony and orange blossoms, copyright Margie Navolio
Orange Sherbet Sunrise, copyright Beth Berry
Oak Twig, copyright Betsy Edwards
memory thread, weaving into the future, copyright Laurie Peters
Harvest Lunch, copyright Pat Mroczka
Forest Treasures: Fern and Fungus, copyright Cheryl Holz
False Solomon Seal, copyright Ann Lamoureux
Deer Morning, copyright Marybeth Devine
Common Whitetail Dragonfly, copyright Karen A. Johnson
Chickadee on Pine Tree, copyright Jill Adzia
Blue and Gold Macaw, copyright Lindsay Sandbothe
Begonia, copyright Linda Hilderbrant
American holly (Ilex opaca), copyright Kumie Kim
Snowy Enchantment, copyright Mary Roberts
Blown Flower, copyright Joe Rizzo
Chimerical Birch, copyright Joe Rizzo
Colorful Ramirezi and Friends, copyright Joe Rizzo
Right-click to download the invitation for sharing by email or social media. A copy of the invitation is not required to attend the reception.
All are invited to the reception for the Nature Artists’ Guild 2023 Art Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum. The reception will take place from4:30 to 7 pm on Friday, November 10, 2023 at the Cudahy Room (adjacent to the Sterling Morton Library) inside the Administration Building of The Morton Arboretum. In addition to over 200 works of art by more than 60 members of the Nature Artists’ Guild, there will be an art demonstration, raffle and fundraising items, and light refreshments at the reception.
The above invitation can be downloaded to share with friends and family by email or social media by right-clicking on the image. Printed exhibit postcards are also available at the desk in the Visitor Center of The Morton Arboretum while supplies last.
There will no charge for admission to The Morton Arboretum for this event. Admission to the exhibit and parking are also free and no tickets or copies of the invitation are required. Visitors can let the gate attendant at the Arboretum know they are there for the event to be directed to the exhibit location.
The Nature Artists’ Guild is excited to present two sets of seasonal greeting cards featuring members’ artwork.
Eight members of the Nature Artists’ Guild graciously agreed to the use of their artwork to create sets of greeting cards to be sold as a fundraiser at the upcoming 2023 Autumn Nature Art Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum.
The artwork was chosen from works previously published by the Nature Artists’ Guild on the cover of a Quarterly or Yearbook in recent years. All proceeds from the sale of the cards will be go to the Nature Artists’ Guild to contribute to its mission of exploring and sharing nature through art.
The cards, blank inside, with the artist’s name and the Guild’s logo on the back, will be sold in sets of four (one of each design per set) along with their included envelopes for $10 per set during exhibit hours.
Colorful Ramirezi and Friends, copyright Joe Rizzo
The Nature Artists’ Guild is pleased to announce its Featured Artist for the 2023 Autumn Nature Art Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum, Joe Rizzo.
Numerous pieces of Joe’s joyous artwork will be exhibited along with up to 200 works by more than 50 fellow Guild members on November 10, 11, and 12, 2023 in the Cudahy Room, adjacent to the Sterling Morton Library.
Much more about the exhibit, including information about demonstrations and samples of member artwork, will be coming throughout the next few weeks.
Examples of Joe’s work, along with some of his artistic experiences and inspirations, can be found on his Featured Artist page of this website.
Of course, nearly 100 years after this photo was taken, comfortable painting clothes, a warm drink, and a folding chair might be more appropriate for those members of the Nature Artists’ Guild meeting at the lovely Lake Marmo at The Morton Arboretum for a paint-out on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 beginning at 9:30 am.
Guild members can register here to be added to an email list to receive details and updates about the paint-out. Those who would rather just stop by might have to look around for their fellow artists (who may or may not be wearing berets) scattered around the lake.
This paint-out at Lake Marmo would be a great opportunity for Nature Artists’ Guild members to find inspiration or complete a drawing or painting for this fall’s Joy’s Vision special display at the Sterling Morton Library.
Important Reminder– the final day for members to register for the 2023 Autumn Nature Art Exhibit is October 7, 2023. Guild members were emailed a link to the prospectus and online registration form in recent weeks.
My watercolor drawings emerge as poetic expressions of my wonderment for the natural world. They provide a surreal, emotional, and ineffable response to overwhelming beauty.
Bryce Lafferty
Bryce Lafferty leads the Department of Art and Design at Jacksonville State University in Alabama, where he teaches drawing and painting. Originally from the Northeast, Bryce is now also “enamored by the abundant variety of living things and geologic features to be discovered in the Southeast.” His widely collected and exhibited watercolors are inspired by his “wonderment for” the natural beauty he has encountered across the country.
The Nature Artists’ Guild is honored to welcome Bryce to speak about his art and experiences on Thursday, October 5, 2023 at 7 pm in the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum.
This program is open to the public, with no charge for parking, attendance, or admission to the Arboretum. Visitors can let the attendant at the gate of The Morton Arboretum know they are there for the presentation to be admitted and directed to Thornhill. Tickets are not required and light refreshments and plenty of seating will be available.
Bryce is also teaching a Visiting Artist Workshop co-sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild at The Morton Arboretum beginning October 6. Guild members can claim an additional discount by registering by phone.
Bryce Lafferty sketching at Lake Ellen Wilson, Glacier National Park
Some reminders about the October 5 meeting for members of the Nature Artists’ Guild –
Artwork submissions for the Joy’s Vision special display will be accepted at the meeting, as well as at the Autumn Nature Art Exhibit’s drop-off event on November 8. Artwork for this display does not require matting, framing, preregistration, or an exhibit fee, but must be 8 x 8 inches and properly labeled on the back.
Completed prospectuses and fee payments for the Autumn Nature Art Exhibit will be accepted at the meeting (as well as by mail or online by October 7). In-person payments at the meeting must be by cash or check.
Posters and postcards for the Autumn Nature Art Exhibit will be available for members to take and share with friends and local businesses.
Voluntary contributions for the Autumn Nature Art Exhibit raffle baskets can be dropped off. A list of suggested items was previously emailed to members.
It should be a work of art … In short, it should be a beautiful place, affecting one like a beautiful painting.
O.C. Simonds
The creation of Lake Marmo (named after Joy Morton’s wife, Margaret Morton) at The Morton Arboretum began in the autumn of 1922 with crews using teams of mules and dredges to widen and deepen a small tributary of the DuPage River. Working with those crews was renowned landscape designer O.C. Simonds, who believed that an arboretum should be more than a museum of trees. He wrote that it should also be a “work of art … like a beautiful painting.”
Just over one hundred years later, at 9:30 on the morning of Wednesday, October 4, 2023 (rain date October 11), Nature Artists’ Guild members will meet at Lake Marmo to attempt to capture the stunning autumn colors of the lake, sky, and surrounding landscape in their own “beautiful paintings,” drawings, or photographs. Members can register here to be added to the email list for paint-out details and updates.
This paint-out would be a wonderful opportunity for Guild members to find inspiration for the special exhibit of 8 x 8 small works, Joy’s Vision, at the Sterling Morton Library during the 2023 Autumn Nature Art Exhibit.
Poster art by Featured Artist Joe Rizzo. Poster design by Jane Kellenberger. Copies of the poster and postcards will be available at the October 5 meeting at The Morton Arboretum.
The 2023 Autumn Art Exhibit by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will take place November 11 and 12 at The Morton Arboretum. A reception for the artists, guests, and other visitors will be held on Friday evening, November 10.
The exhibit will feature over 200 works of nature art by more than 50 members of the Nature Artists’ Guild. Artist demonstrations, raffles, and a special exhibit inspired by the Arboretum’s founder, Joy Morton, will add to the experience. Much more about the exhibit and Featured Artist Joe Rizzo will be coming soon.
Reminders for members –
The deadline for registering for the Autumn Nature Art Exhibit is Saturday, October 7. An email with links to the prospectus and online registration form was sent to all members this week. (Note: previous links emailed on August 28 had an incorrect date for the registration deadline. The correct date is October 7.)
Any member who would like to contribute to the raffle baskets can bring their donated items to the October 5 meeting at The Morton Arboretum. A list of requested items was emailed to members on August 29.
Completed 8 x 8 works for the Joy’s Vision special exhibit can be brought to the October 5 meeting (where they will be temporarily displayed for meeting attendees and then retained for the November exhibit) or dropped off at the Autumn Exhibit’s “referee night” on November 8. Artwork for this special exhibit of small works does not require pre-registration, but must be correctly labeled on the back.
My watercolor drawings emerge as poetic expressions of my wonderment for the natural world. They provide a surreal, emotional, and ineffable response to overwhelming beauty.
Bryce Lafferty
Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will be able to obtain an additional discount for the workshop fee by registering by phone to confirm their Guild membership.
Bryce will also be sharing some of his methods and inspirations at a presentation at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum on Thursday, October 5 at 7 pm. This program, sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild, will be open to all, completely free of charge. Visitors can let the gate attendant at the Arboretum know they are there for the program to be admitted and directed to Thornhill. Light refreshments will be available.
A few reminders for members-
There is still time to be added to the email list for details and updates about this Wednesday’s paint-out at Cantigny’s gardens.
Links to the prospectus and an online registration form for the 2023 Autumn Art Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum were recently emailed to all current Nature Artists’ Guild members. Members who did not receive the email should contact Membership Chair Jane Kellenberger.
Nature Artists' Guild 