White Petunia II, copyright Marge Hall, is included in the Into the Wild exhibit at Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Bolingbrook, IL until August 30.
Despite what we see and hear on the screens and in the stores, we know that summer is far from over and there is plenty of the season left to enjoy. The Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum looks forward to making the most of it!
Works by more than 30 artists are showcased in the lovely cool and quiet gallery room overlooking the edge of a forest in Into the Wild, the summer exhibit by members of the Guild at the Hidden Oaks Nature Centerin Bolingbrook, IL, until August 30, 2025. (Artwork images coming soon.)
Spots at the popular annual paint-out at the Gardens of Ball are filling quickly! Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will meet at Ball Horticultural’s spectacular display gardens on the morning of August 8, 2025. Registration is required.
Coffee and Art continues each Wednesday morning inside the Visitor Center of The Morton Arboretum. Artists can also head outdoors to gather reference material for their contribution to this autumn’s special exhibit, Flora! No registration is required for these friendly and informal gatherings.
The Nature Artists’ Guild is pleased to announce that their August program at The Morton Arboretum will feature artist Sarah M Johnsonand her methods for creating striking landscapes in gouache.
Sarah M Johnson’s career in creating and teaching art includes the use of various media, but on Thursday evening, August 7, 2025, from 7 to 9, she will focus on the many uses of gouache.
Sarah will be demonstrating and explaining the tools and techniques for creating landscapes in two different types of gouache, describing the medium’s advantages for plein air and travel, and sharing examples of her own style, “realism with expressive and painterly elements.”
This program at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum will be free and open to the public. There will be no charge for parking or entrance into the Arboretum for the event, and visitors can let the gate attendant know they are there for the program to be admitted and directed to Thornhill. Plenty of seating and light refreshments will be available, and registration is not required.
Gardens at Ball photo credit Hoerr Schaudt. Click on image for more about the design of the gardens.
Pinks and purples, reds and yellows, greens and blues – all the colors of summer will be on display for members of the Nature Artists’ Guild at the August paint-out at the Gardens of Ball.Artists will want to bring their full palettes!
Each year, Ball Horticultural Company, one of the world’s leaders in “all facets of horticulture,” welcomes the Nature Artists’ Guild to its display gardens, the Gardens at Ball, to draw, paint, and photograph some of the thousands of plants showcased across its nine acres.
Participants will meet on August 8, 2025, at 9:30 am before spreading out to explore the beautifully landscaped gardens in their attempt to “capture the colors.”
Members of the Guild can register here or email Celia Rodee to receive more information about this event and be added to the list for email updates.
Summer is the perfect time for members of the Nature Artists’ Guild to gather reference material for or sketch or paint their contribution to “Flora,” this autumn’s small works exhibit.
Each year, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild create 8 x 8-inch works of art for a special display honoring The Morton Arboretum. The theme for 2025 is “Flora,” and virtually anything growing at the Arboretum can be considered for artistic interpretation.
From the prairie and lakes to the formal gardens and displays, summer at the Arboretum will be full of inspiration!
Summer Shades, copyright Patty Koenigsaecker, is one of more than 30 works of nature art included in ‘Into the Wild’ at the Hidden Oaks Nature Center.
It’s time for a cool break! The Nature Artists’ Guild’s summer special exhibit, ‘Into the Wild,’ opens this Saturday, July 5, at the Hidden Oaks Nature Center of the Forest Preserve District of Will County.
Visitors will enjoy plenty of cool and quiet while surrounded by artwork celebrating the wonders of the natural world in the upstairs gallery space of the Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Bolingbrook, IL. More than 30 members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are participating in this special exhibit, which will be open daily between 10 and 4 (except Mondays and Tuesdays) from July 5 until August 30, 2025.
Kids will love exploring the newly renovated center and be welcome to accompany their parents or grandparents into the gallery room to choose their favorite pieces! They can even sign up to win a poster or tote bag featuring Lindsay Sandbothe’s fabulous Scratch That artwork.
Woods Garden and Peter’s Pond, copyright Ann Lamoureux
The Nature Artists’ Guild has been invited to share the garden that has been the inspiration for many of the joyous works of artist Ann Lamoureux.
On the morning of Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at 9:30, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will gather at the home of fellow artist Ann Lamoureux in Wheaton, IL, to paint, sketch, and photograph her garden.
Ann’s exuberant garden has just about everything a nature artist could ask for! There are shady nooks with cool colors, sunny spots featuring bright perennials, water features, towering trees, and a porch that provides a comfortable spot to enjoy it all.
Hosta, copyright Ann Lamoureux
Paint-Outs Coordinator Celia Rodee will join Ann in welcoming participants with her homemade baked goods and hot or iced coffee. Advance registration for this paint-out is required, and Celia will contact attendees with details and updates by email.
Only a few days left for members to register for the Nature Artists’ Guild’s exhibit at Hidden Oaks Nature Center!
It’s time for Guild artists to take a few minutes away from relaxing in our long-awaited sunshine to look through their artwork, find their favorites, and register for the summer’s special exhibit, Into the Wild.
Into the Wild is a special exhibit by Nature Artists’ Guild members being held at the Hidden Oaks Nature Center of the Forest Preserve District of Will County from July 5 through August 30, 2025. The newly renovated facility has a dedicated area for displaying artwork, away from the busy main floor attractions.
View of garden of Cynthia Hellyer Heinz and Earl Heinz
Update – An encore paint-out has been planned for August 22, 2025 at 10 am. Members can register here!
Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum will visit the garden of Cynthia Hellyer Heinz and Earl Heinz in Warrenville, IL, next Friday, June 13, 2025, for a paint-out and studio tour.
Paint-Outs Coordinator (and accomplished baker) Celia Rodee will meet participants at 9:30 am with coffee (hot or iced) and homemade scones at the private garden of artists Cynthia Hellyer Heinz and Earl Heinz.
Cynthia is an artist and associate professor at the School of Art and Design at NIU, and Earl creates wonderful works in ceramics. Their colorful and whimsical garden near the DuPage River is a reflection of their creativity and artistic talents. To add to the experience, paint-out participants are invited to join Cynthia on an informal tour of her home studio!
A Nature Artists’ Guild presentation by three talented members will be held on Thursday, June 5, 2025, at The Morton Arboretum and will be open to all, free of charge.
Todd Serrano, whose spectacular drawing is shown above, will be one of three Guild members sharing inspirations, recommendations for tools and supplies, and methods with visitors beginning at 7 pm in the Arbor Room of the Arboretum’s Thornhill Education Center.
Program attendees will have the opportunity to watch three short demonstrations in various mediums, ask questions, learn about the artists’ supplies and tools, and closely view a sample of their artwork. Plenty of seating and light refreshments will be provided.
The program is open to the public, free of charge, and there will be no charge for parking or admission to the Arboretum for the event. No registration or ticket is required, and visitors can let the gate attendant at the Arboretum know they are there for the Nature Artists’ Guild program to be admitted and directed to parking for Thornhill.
The Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum is pleased to announce a return to the Hidden Oaks Nature Center in July and August, 2025, for a special exhibit, “Into the Wild.“
The Forest Preserve District of Will County has long been supportive of the visual arts, frequently hosting and promoting exhibits (just last year, one of their facilities was chosen to begin the traveling tour of internationally renowned Birds in Art). Hidden Oaks Nature Center includes a well-lit dedicated space on their second floor for exhibiting artwork.
The Nature Artists’ Guild’s exhibit will open on July 5 and continue through August 30, 2025 (artwork drop-off on June 29 and pick-up on August 31). Two pieces, either previously exhibited at The Morton Arboretum or juried by email, can be registered per member. Guild members will be emailed a copy of theprospectus and a registration form link by the end of this month, and the final day to register will be June 20, 2025.
Nature Artists' Guild 