Poster art by Patricia Mroczka, poster design by Jane Kellenberger, daffodil sketch at Coffee and Art by Celia Rodee, “Daffodils” in colored pencil by Alice Wych, frame display by Colbert Custom Framing
Some reminders for members of the Nature Artists’ Guild –
Monday, March 20, 2023 is the final day to mail completed prospectuses or register online for this April’s Spring Art Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum. Links for the prospectus and online registration form were emailed to members on February 20.
A paint-out at the Daffodil Glade at The Morton Arboretum is scheduled for the morning of Thursday, April 13, 2023. This would be a great opportunity to complete sketches or gather reference material for the Joy’s Vision exhibit of 8 x 8 inch works scheduled this autumn. Members who would like to be put on the email list for updates about the paint-out can click here.
Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild and their guests are always welcome to stop by the Visitor Center of The Morton Arboretum for Coffee and Artany Wednesday morning after 9 am to sketch, sip, or chat. No registration is required.
On Tuesday, March 21, 2023, from 6:30 until 8 pm, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will have the opportunity to learn about preserving their artwork and presenting it in ways that will enhance, and never detract from, the viewer’s experience.
Colbert Custom Framing & Art Printing has more than thirty years of experience in matting, framing, and preserving fine art. Third generation owner Stephanie Colbert Randall has offered to share professional knowledge about preparing and presenting artwork and a tour of their production and warehouse areas at their facility (click here for a short video) in Naperville, Illinois.
Interested members should contact Terrie McComb by email or by clicking here to complete a registration form before March 19 to reserve a seat. Space is limited and recent Nature Artists’ Guild events have been filling quickly!
Reminders –
Registrations are being accepted by for the Nature Artists’ Guild’s 2023 Spring Art Exhibit through March 20, 2023. Links to the prospectus and an online registration form were emailed to members on February 20.
The Nature Artists’ Guild will be sponsoring a presentation by watercolorist Thomas Trausch next Thursday, March 2, 2023 at 7 pm at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum. This event will be open to the public, free of charge.
Coffee and Art gatherings take place each Wednesday morning between 9 and 12 at the Visitor Center of The Morton Arboretum. Guild members and guests are welcome to stop by to sketch, chat, or sip!
Fringed Gentian, Gentianopsis crinita, copyright Heeyoung Kim
The Nature Artists’ Guild is proud to co-sponsor an upcoming workshop with The Morton Arboretum by renowned botanical artist Heeyoung Kim. The workshop is open to all, but members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will receive a 10 percent discount by enrolling by phone and confirming their membership. (If enrollment in the workshop is being given as a gift, the discount is available if the attendee is a current member of the Nature Artists’ Guild.)
The subtle tones of winter return as the Nature Artists’ Guild prepares for 2023. After celebrating the many moods of the prairie last autumn, members of the guild can now look forward to studying the nuances of local and exotic plants in various phases during the upcoming months.
January 2023 will include a paint-in at The Morton Arboretum’s Herbarium, which contains within its more than 200,000 specimens the world’s most complete collection of dried plants from the Chicago region.
Wednesday morning Art and Coffee gatherings will return in January with various plants or greenhouse flowers for sketching while sipping.
In early February, Lynne Railsback will return with an online program, sharing her stunningly intricate artwork and thoughts about spontaneity and the use of a limited palette.
The palette will become more colorful in February at the Nature Artists’ Guild’s annual “trip to the tropics” at Orchids by Hausermann, one of the Midwest’s largest orchid growers.
The Guild is honored to co-sponsor a workshop by renowned botanical artist Heeyoung Kim at The Morton Arboretum in March. Guild members will have the opportunity to enroll in the workshop at a discounted fee.
Dates, times, and other details for these and other upcoming events will be shared with members by email and on this website as they become available.
On Thursday evening, December 1, 2022, at 6 pm, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild and a guest are invited to the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum to celebrate the season and a year full of art, nature, and friendship.
Members can check their invitation, emailed on November 6, for all the details.
Also coming up –
The popular holiday card exchange tradition returns for 2022. Blank cards will be available to pick up at the holiday party on December 1, but members can contact Celia Rodee any time to sign up for the exchange. An email with the details was sent on November 15.
For those needing a little guidance with their cards, Carrie Carlson is teaching an online workshop on creating holiday cards in watercolor on December 8 at The Morton Arboretum.
The annual Downers Grove Library exhibit of work by the Nature Artists’ Guild will be held throughout January, 2023. Guild members were emailed the details and a link to the prospectus on November 19 (updated November 21.)
The weather is already a bit brisker, there is just a hint of brilliant color in the leaves, and members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are looking forward to celebrating the wonderful displays of the season through their art.
Coming soon –
Tomorrow,September 24, 2022, the guild has a workshop scheduled for members interested in creating subtle pieces of art using color pencil on slate tiles.
Color pencil on slate, copyright Mary Ann Jimenez
On Thursday, October 6, 2022, artist and illustrator Kelley Cappell will be sharing some of her thoughts about creating artwork for a variety of viewers using pen and ink and acrylic, as well as digitally. This program, sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild is open to the public, free of charge.
Snow Leopard, pen and ink, copyright Kelley Cappell
October 10, 2022 is the last day for members to mail completed prospectuses for participating in the 2022 Autumn Nature Art Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum in November. More to come soon about the exhibit and Featured Artist Alice Wych.
Poster artwork by Alice Wych. Poster design by Jane Kellenberger.
Every Wednesday morning, a group of guild members meet at the Visitor Center of The Morton Arboretum to chat, sketch, or enjoy the morning quiet at the Coffee and Art gathering. All guild members are invited to stop by.
Previous October pages in nature journal, copyright Linn Eldred
Members who would like to participate in celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Schulenberg Prairie will be able to pick up an 8 x 8 canvas, board, or paper for the project at the Thornhill Education Center on September 24 during the Color Pencil on Slate Tile workshop or on the evening of October 6 at the Kelley Cappell presentation. Some types of supplies may be limited, so interested members may wish to contact Carol Balabanow for more information.
8 x 8 pieces from the Schulenberg Prairie, copyright Marlene Vitek (first two) and Maggie Mardis.
As always, click on the highlighted links for more information.
Color pencil on slate tile, copyright Mary Ann Jimenez
At a free workshop for Nature Artists’ Guild members, Mary Ann Jimenez will share techniques for creating stunning but subtle works of art on slate tiles using color pencils. The workshop will be held at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum on Saturday, September 24, 2022 from 10 am until 2 pm.
Blank slate tiles will be provided free of charge to members to complete at the workshop or take with them for further work. The completed pieces will be for sale at the 2022 Autumn Art Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum in November with all proceeds benefitting the Nature Artists’ Guild.
Interested members can contact Mary Ann Jimenez to register for the workshop. Her contact information and a supply list were emailed to members on August 3.
Note: 8 x 8 canvases, boards, or papers for the Schulenberg Prairie anniversary project will also be available at the workshop for members to pick up. Supplies of certain surfaces may be limited, so members are encouraged to contact Carol Balabanow for further information.
Garden at Cantigny Park. Photo credit Jane Kellenberger.
This Wednesday, September 7, 2022, the Nature Artists’ Guild’s paint-out at the gardens of Cantigny Park will take place from 9 am until noon. While members are encouraged to let Linn Eldred know they are attending, drop-ins are also welcome. The gardens and grounds at Cantigny Park are always wonderful and this year there is the added bonus of an exhibit of colorful large-scale sculptures by artists from Mexico City. Parking and admission will be free.
(Boards, canvases, or papers for the Schulenberg Praire anniversary project will be available at this paint-out if a request is made in advance to Carol Balabanow.)
Note – The weekly Art and Coffee gathering will not take place on this date.
Also coming soon –
On September 24, 2022 from 10 to 2, members can attend a volunteer workshop at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum to learn how to create artwork using color pencils on slate tiles. The tiles will be sold at the upcoming Autumn Art Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum with proceeds benefitting the guild. Tiles will be provided, but participants are asked to bring a few other supplies (details are in the August 3rd email sent to members.)
On October 6, 2022at 7 pm, Artist and Illustrator Kelley Cappell will share some of her experiences, inspirations, and techniques with the audience at the Thornhill Education Center. This program will be open to the public, free of charge. More about Kelley and her art coming soon.
October 10, 2022 will be the final date for members of the Nature Artists’ Guild to mail their completed prospectuses for participating in the Autumn Art Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum in November. The link to the prospectus was emailed to all members on August 31. Much more about the exhibit and the Featured Artist, Alice Wych, to come.
Nature Artists’ Guild members who would like to participate in the Schulenberg Prairie anniversary project can still pick up an 8 x 8 canvas, board, or paper at any of the in-person guild events (including by request at the Cantigny paint-out and excluding the Wednesday Coffee and Art gatherings.) Members can also use their own surface, but the final artwork must be exactly 8 x 8 inches (and less than approximately a half inch deep) to fit into the display. Questions about the project can be emailed to Carol Balabanow.
A sample of some of the stunning artwork by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild at Gallery 200 in West Chicago throughout August 2022 –
Waldport, Oregon, copyright Ann LamoureuxFall Crocus, copyright Irena GintilasNova Scotia Coastline, copyright Patty KoenigsaeckerThree Tulips, copyright Linn Eldred22 Dwarfs – Snowdrops, copyright Patricia MroczkaPink Magnolia, copyright Marlene VitekIris, copyright Jill AdziaAllspice, copyright Irena GintilasQueen of the Night, copyright Linn EldredStar Gazer Lily, copyright Jill AdziaBirds Eye You, copyright Linda FairbanksWhite Magnolias, copyright Marlene VitekPlease click on any image for the full version. If the images do not display correctly on your device, click on the post title to visit the website.
Also coming soon –
Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will demonstrating and talking with visitors about the guild at a table inside the Visitor Center during theWine and Art Walk at The Morton Arboretum this weekend, August 20 and 21, 2022.
The Wednesday morning Art and Coffee gatherings continue each week at 9 am. All Nature Artists’ Guild members are invited to drop by to share ideas, inspirations, or supplies, or simply relax and enjoy the morning.
More to come soon about a paint-out at the gardens of Cantigny Park on September 7, 2022 and a Color Pencil on Slate workshop for members on September 24, 2022.
Fox River View, copyright Laverne Bohlin. Used with permission.
Laverne Bohlin has been a valued instructor, volunteer, and member of The Morton Arboretum and the Nature Artists’ Guild for many years. Although she has chosen to spend her “retirement” creating award-winning paintings in the mountains of New Mexico, Laverne still enjoys visiting and painting the many wonderful local landscapes of the Chicagoland area.
Although her work often depicts ordinary scenes that are experienced by many – looking, seeing and recording the effects of light on the landscape is the essence of her work.
The Nature Artists’ Guild is proud to sponsor a program featuring Laverne Bohlin and her stunning pastel works on Thursday, August 4, 2022 at 7 pm at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum. This program will be open to all, free-of-charge (including free admission to The Morton Arboretum and free parking.) Visitors can let the gate attendant at the Arboretum know they are there for the Nature Artists’ Guild program to be directed to Thornhill.
Laverne will also be teaching Nature in Pastel: The Nuances of Water at The Morton Arboretum the following weekend. A few spots are still available and details can be found by clicking on the highlighted link above.
Nature Artists' Guild 