Please enjoy these wonderful contributions to the Summer’s End paint-out from Nature Artists’ Guild members. Beata Nowak and Jane Kellenberger drew and painted some of the annuals on their decks, Yvonne Buckley used pen and acrylic ink to illustrate some of the bounties of the garden, Marilyn Peretti visited a park where she found her subject on an oak tree, and Alice Wych, Eileen LaBarre, Dorothy Duffala, Bernadette Hanacek, and Kathi Kuchler all found the beauty in leaves, seeds, and flowers. Ann Lamoureux continued her work in progress from the front porch, and Gary Chipman painted a prairie view in pastel.
Congratulations to all the participants in the paint-out for choosing to take the time to appreciate the end of summer and thank you to the artists mentioned above who generously shared their beautiful results.
The sky is blue, the air is crisp, and the geese are flying overhead. Hmmm. Is there some activity that would help a nature artist make the most of the day?
Thank you to Alice Wych for the first contribution to the 2020 Nature Artists’ Guild Summer’s End paint-out with her lovely drawing, Thistle. While Thistle is certainly worthy of a frame, paint-out creations do not need to be finished pieces of art. Any sketch, drawing, or painting that reflects a few hours spent in nature can be a treasure. Details about participating in the paint-out are in an e-mail sent to members last week.
Nature Artists’ Guild members will be receiving an e-mail soon with the who, what, where, when, why, and how of participating in this month’s Summer’s End paint-out. The paint-out will not be a gathering of members in person, but each participant can celebrate the beauty of nature during the last days of summer by painting, drawing, or sketching on their own and then sharing images of their artwork afterwords.
Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum can look forward to a full Fall of art and nature!
Autumnal Gold, copyright Patricia Mroczka
Some upcoming events include –
A virtual lecture this month about the symbolism of art (much of it nature) portrayed on an 18th Century Asian screen. (Postponed until further notice.)
A “paint-out” in September where members create art in their own environment and share their experiences through video-chat or by sending images to display on this website.
An online presentation about journaling in nature with Lara Call Gastinger. Lara’s workshop at the Arboretum sold out immediately, but all Nature Artists’ Guild members are invited to join her October 1 presentation.
A new “Art Encounter” in October that will involve working almost solely in ink. Its a great way to quickly hone those drawing skills!
An online exhibit in November of images of some of the finished artwork that members had hoped to include in the cancelled 2020 Spring or Autumn (Holiday) exhibits.
A fun and creative holiday card project in lieu of the annual in-person celebration.
Dates, times, and all the other details about these events will be shared with members through e-mails and announcements on this website.
Stippled Leaf, sketchbook, copyright Lara Gastinger. Used with permission.
Fall sketchbook page, copyright Lara Gastinger. Used with permission
“As a trained plant ecologist, my love of learning and drawing nature is exemplified in my field journals.” – Lara Call Gastinger
Botanical artist and illustrator Lara Call Gastingerwill be sharing some of her inspirations, ideas, and techniques for journaling in nature at the October 1, 2020 Nature Artists’ Guild online program. Lara has received two gold medals at Royal Horticultural Society Botanical Art Shows in London and is the Chief Illustrator for the Flora of Virginia Project.
Please click on this link for a short video that features Lara speaking about some of her travels, discoveries, and inspirations as a “documenter of nature” and her joy in combining the love of both art and science in her work.
Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will receive an e-mail closer to the program date with specific instructions on how to participate.
Sketchbook pages, copyright Lara Gastinger. Used with permission.
Lara will also be teaching a three-session online workshop for The Morton Arboretum beginning on October 2, 2020. During the workshop, Lara will “teach pen illustration techniques, plant identification, page composition, and how to add basic watercolor to your pages. During each live session, students will have the chance to interact with the instructor and each other, asking questions and sharing their work”. Registration for Visiting Artist: Field Journaling with Lara Gastinger opens on September 1, 2020 by phone or though the Arboretum website’s Learn and experience page. Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild can receive a discount for the workshop by registering by phone and confirming their membership. Update – this workshop is sold out, but Nature Artists’ Guild members will still be able to participate in the program on October 1.
The first online meeting of the Nature Artists’ Guild is just a few days away, on Thursday, August 6, 2020 at 7 pm. Members of the Guild were e-mailed instructions on July 26 for joining the meeting. The initial set-up can be done any time ahead of the meeting, and while simple to do, may take a few minutes. Then, at meeting time, participants can just click on the link and enter the password specified in their e-mail. A phone number and password is also given for those who would prefer to just listen in.
The seven artists who have agreed to share some of their recent creative experiences are Dan Danielson, Linn Eldred, Vicki Liszewski, Kathi Kuchler, Beata Nowak, Marilyn Peretti and Evalyn Holy. While we don’t have specifics for each artist’s upcoming presentation, we can tell from artwork that they’ve shared in the past that we can expect a wonderful variety of media, styles and subject matter!
A few examples of previously shared works by some of these artists (please click on any image for the full version and artist’s name) –
Owl, copyright Evalyn Holy
Pink Orchids and Stick, copyright Kathi Kuchler
Colorful Iris, copyright Linn Eldred.
Ant, copyright Dan Danielson
Soft Moons of the Forest, watercolor, copyright Marilyn Peretti
Red Bud, copyright Linn Eldred
Coneflowers, copyright Vicki Liszewski
My Red Pears, watercolor, copyright Marilyn Peretti
The Nature Artists’ Guild has a tradition of inviting three of its talented members to present their inspirations, materials, and methods to fellow members during the annual August meetings. This year, that “Artist Trio” will be expanded to an “Artist Octet” (or more) as the meeting moves to an online format.
So far, seven members of the Nature Artists’ Guild have agreed to share some of their artistic experiences. We can look forward to hearing from Dan Danielson, Linn Eldred, Vicki Liszewski, Kathi Kuchler, Beata Nowak, Marilyn Peretti and Evalyn Holy on the evening of Thursday, August 6, 2020beginning at 7 pm.
Fly, copyright Dan Danielson.
Guild Members will be receiving an e-mail soon with details and instructions for “attending” the online meeting. Any additional members interested in sharing their recent art experiences should contact Linda Fairbanks.
The Morton Arboretum will be re-opening soon (with certain limitations), but unfortunately, the springtime display of redbuds, daffodils, and trilliums is nearly over. Some members of the Nature Artists’ Guild have generously shared their artwork from previous springs at the Arboretum, reminding us of the beauty we can look forward to enjoying again in future years.
Springtime is wonderful at The Morton Arboretum. The wildflowers and daffodils in bloom, turtles climbing onto logs to soak up some sun, and the reflections of the redbuds over Lake Marmo are some of the most memorable sights of the year.
Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum are invited to contribute images of their artwork depicting Springtime at The Morton Arboretum to share on this website. The artwork can be in any medium, and does not have to be new, but should be directly inspired by the sights, sounds, scents, textures, or tastes of spring at The Morton Arboretum.
All images should be e-mailed to Denise Fisk (whose contact information can be found in the Nature Artists’ Guild’s Yearbook) by next Wednesday, May 20, 2020. Up to three images may be sent (with titles), but depending on the total number of submissions, not all may be used.
The final submissions for the Nature Artists’ Guild’s There’s No Place Like Home page have been added. Please click on this link to see the latest contributions. Thank you to all of the artists that have shared their wonderful artwork. More images from this project will be featured in the upcoming Summer issue of the Nature Artists’ Quarterly (a members-only publication).
Nature Artists' Guild 