This post has been updated with the new date for the paint-out. The paint-out, originally scheduled for August 21, 2018, has been rescheduled due to weather concerns.
So much to sketch. paint or photograph on Thursday, August 23, 2018 between 9 am and noon! As shown in Jane Kellenberger’s photos above, artists can choose from picturesque views or detailed close-ups in colors galore at The Gardens of Ball at the Ball Horticultural Company worldwide headquarters, 622 Town Road, West Chicago, Il.
The Gardens at Ball have been the evaluation and testing grounds for the world’s wealth of horticultural introductions and improvements for over 80 years. What began as a row trial garden for seed varieties in 1933 has grown to encompass over 9 acres of display beds for annuals, perennials, cut flowers and vegetables, including the newest plants from the industry’s leading breeders and marketers.
Please click on either of the above highlighted links to read more and to view more beautiful images.
Interested Nature Artists’ Guild members should contact Jane Kellenberger to RSVP for the paint-out and for maps of the garden and paint-out guidelines. Jane’s contact information can be found in their Yearbook (membership directory).
Red-winged Blackbird, copyright 2018 Lindsay Sandbothe. Please click on the image for more at lindsaysandbothe.com.
Lindsay Sandbothe and her incredible paintings of birds return to The Morton Arboretum on the weekend of July 28 and 29, 2018. In a two-day workshop for intermediate to advanced artists, Lindsay, in her friendly and fun teaching style, will share her techniques for painting on wood in acrylic.
Lindsay Sandbothe returns for a two-day, intermediate/advanced workshop. Explore intermediate techniques for painting on wood in acrylic, including staining, blocking, layering, and glazing while rendering detailed portraits of birds in their natural environment. Through demonstrations and time to work under the guidance of the instructor, students will create their own bird portraits.
To register or to read more about this workshop, please click on this link to The Morton Arboretum’s Learn and Experience page. All artists with some painting experience are invited to participate. There is no requirement to be a member of the Nature Artists’ Guild or The Morton Arboretum, but Arboretum members will receive a discounted fee. Registration ends soon!
Nature Artists’ Guild members Joe Rizzo, Marilyn Peretti and Catherine Stacy will be sharing their artistic talents on the evening of Thursday, August 2, 2018 from 7 until 9 pm at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum. Each of these three artists will give audience members the opportunity to learn the basics of a unique and fascinating art form.
Retreating Glacier, copyright Joe Rizzo.
Joe Rizzo will be giving attendees a chance to experiment with creating landscapes using his marbleizing technique.
Spring, At Last, copyright Catherine Stacy.
Catherine Stacy will be sharing her method for creating nature prints in ink.
Polar Vortex Landscape, copyright Marilyn Peretti.
Marilyn Peretti will be sharing her cold wax painting technique.
Visitors and guests are welcome to attend this program, which is sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild. There is no fee for attendance or parking, nor is there a gate fee to enter the Arboretum for this special event. Visitors can let the gate attendant at the Arboretum know they are there for the Nature Artists’ Guild program to be directed to Thornhill.
Who knew, when the Nature Artists’ Guild Summer Sketchbook Encounter began, that sketches would come from as near as the backyard garden and from as far away as Sweden? Florida also weighs in, as does Denmark (in the form of a troll at The Morton Arboretum). For this project, the subject matter is not strictly limited to nature. Participants are encouraged to continue to submit their sketch images and new ones will be posted soon.
Nature Artists’ Guild members participating in the Summer Encounter 2018have been busily sketching four pages per week for a month. Some of each artist’s sketches, like Karen Johnson’s Spiderwort, will turn out to be wonderful pieces of art. Many will not. All, though, will contribute in important ways to the artist’s journey. As project coordinator Evelyn Grala says “The journey awakens the imagination”.
Spiderwort, copyright 2018, Karen A Johnson. Please click on the image to go to Karen’s Nature Artfor more.
Art and nature lovers have been able to enjoy the Nature Artists’ Guild’s exhibit at Mayslake Hall of the Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook, IL since it opened on June 6, 2018. On the evening of Wednesday, June 27, 2018, from 6 to 8 pm, all are invited to attend a reception to meet and speak with some of the artists and enjoy some light refreshments. There is no charge to attend.
Please click on this link for additional information about the exhibit, which will be open through Friday, July 13, 2018. More than 25 nature artists have contributed to this lovely exhibition filling two rooms of the historical estate.
A sample of the artwork at the Nature Artists’ Guild 2018 Exhibit, Mayslake Peabody Estate.Colorful Iris, copyright Linn Eldred. One of many pieces by artists participating in the 2018 Nature Artists’ Guild Exhibit at the Mayslake Peabody Estate.
No need to “pack up the station wagon” for this trip to the lake! Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are invited to join their fellow artists at Meadow Lake, located near the Visitor Center of The Morton Arboretum, the morning of Tuesday, June 26, 2018 any time between 9 am and noon. Participants will meet at the P2 parking lot east of the lake at 9 am, but late-comers are welcome and can also access the lake from the main parking lot.
There will be plenty of room, and plenty of subject matter. Shrubs, flowers, trees, birds, and a large wooden creature are near the path around the lake. Art supplies, a chair, sunscreen, insect repellent, and some water are all that are needed.
If a storm rolls in, participants can head over to the Ginkgo Restaurant and Cafe with its wall of floor-to-ceiling windows facing the lake to finish their sketch and enjoy a coffee or snack. After the paint-out, members might wish to go on a Troll Hunt throughout the Arboretum.
Note: This post has been updated to show the rescheduled date.
Visiting Artist Thomas Dambo at work on one of his Trolls for the Troll Hunt at The Morton Arboretum. Photo credit mortonarb.org.
All are invited to the Thornhill Education Center at The Morton Arboretum this Thursday, June 7, 2018 from 7 until 9 pm, for a presentation by acclaimed author, artist and naturalist, Julie Zickefoose.
Baby birds are abundant this time of year, fluttering, chirping, squawking, and making their first attempts at flight. Julie has studied and sketched birds in their nest all the way through the growth cycle, and in her newest book, Baby Birds: An Artist Looks into the Nest, Julie chronicles that growth with her words and her art.
After her presentation, Julie will be available for signing copies of her books, and the books will also be available for purchase. Please click on one of the highlighted links to read more about Julie’s fascinating adventures in nature, or to listen to some of her commentaries on NPR.
Field Sparrow with Nesting Materials, copyright Julie Zickefoose. Used with permission.
This program is sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum and is open for all to attend. There is no charge for admission, parking, or entrance into the Arboretum for this special event. Non-members of the Arboretum should let the gate attendant know they are there for the program to be directed to Thornhill.
Two classes coming up very soon are being taught by some of the best artists and best instructors that The Morton Arboretum has ever offered. Suzanne Wegener will be the instructor for Drawing Nature II on four Thursday evenings beginning on May 31, 2018. Suzanne will be teaching skills that are essential to any artist who wishes to draw nature realistically. Plein Air on the Prairie, on either Monday, June 4, or Monday, June 11, 2018 is a three-hour excursion onto the prairie with a sketchbook and two experts, naturalist Cindy Crosby, and artist Karen Johnson. It’s a unique opportunity to learn about and experience the prairie from a botanical as well as an artistic point of view. Please click on the above links to learn more or to enroll. Classes are open to all, not just members of the Nature Artists’ Guild or The Morton Arboretum, but Arboretum members will receive a discount on registration fees.
Page from Karen Johnson’s sketchbook. Copyright 2017, Karen Johnson.
Evelyn Grala has done it again, and come up with a way to keep Nature Artists’ Guild members growing this summer. Evelyn has planned a new Summer Sketchbook Encounter, to begin on June 1 and continue until September 1, 2018. Participants will be asked to fill four pages of a sketchbook per week, using any media they would like (including crayons), and to have fun. It’s as simple as that. The improvement in drawing and composition skills will come automatically! Interested members who have not already signed up should contact Evelyn (whose contact information can be found in their Yearbook) to ensure they receive her periodic updates and encouragements.
The Nature Artists’ Guild will be exhibiting at the Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook, IL from Wednesday, June 6 through Friday, July 13, 2018. The exhibit may be viewed any time during estate business hours, Monday through Friday, from 9 am until 3 pm, or Saturday between 9 am and 1 pm, but the best time to visit would be on Wednesday evening, June 27, 2018 between 6 and 8 pm. This artists’ reception is open to all, and is a great opportunity to meet and talk with the artists and enjoy light refreshments. Participating artists should check the prospectus for drop-off and pick-up dates and times.
There is so much excitement and anticipation around the upcoming program featuring biologist, author and artist Julie Zickefoose on Thursday, June 7, 2018 at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum. All are welcome to attend this event free-of-charge. Please click on the highlighted link for more information.
Page from Baby Birds, An Artist Looks into the Nest, copyright Julie Zickefoose. Used with permission.
A new paint-out has been added for June, and it’s at one of the prettiest spots in the area, Meadow Lake at The Morton Arboretum. On Tuesday, June 26, at 9 am, Nature Artists’ Guild members will meet at the P-2 parking lot east of Meadow Lake. There will be water, flowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees (naturally), and even some large mysterious creatures in the area. Guild members can contact Jane Kellenberger if they would like to attend, but last-minute drop-ins by members are also welcome.
Note: This post has been updated to include the new date for the rescheduled paint-out.
Artist in Residence Thomas Dambo at work on one of his creations for the Troll Hunt at The Morton Arboretum. Photo credit mortonarb.org. Please click on the photo for more information about the artist.
Mayslake Hall, at the Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 West 31st Street in Oak Brook, IL is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The buildings and remaining 89 acres of the estate are now owned by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. The Mayslake Peabody Estate, amidst ongoing restoration work, hosts art classes and exhibits inspired by nature, lectures about culture, history, and architecture, as well as concerts featuring jazz and classical musicians and theatrical performances.
The Nature Artists’ Guild is excited to announce that the Mayslake Peabody Estate will be sponsoring an exhibit of nature art by members of the Guild from June 6 until July 13, 2018, with a “meet the artists” reception on June 27, 2018 at 6 pm.
Mayslake Peabody Estate. Photo credit Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.
Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild should have received their prospectus for participating in the exhibition a few weeks ago. Prospectuses need to be completed and returned by this Saturday, May 19, 2018. Any questions can be directed to Gary Chipman or Linn Eldred, whose contact information can be found in the Nature Artists’ Guild Yearbook or on the prospectus. Additional information about artwork drop-off and pick-up dates is also included there.
An added bonus for participating in this exhibit is that no extra work is required. This exhibit will feature works shown at The Morton Arboretum within the last five years, so there will be no need for last-minute tweaking, matting, or framing. All eligible members (see prospectus) are encouraged to participate in making this exhibition one to be proud of.
Below are a few photos from a previous Nature Artists’ Guild paint-out at the Mayslake Peabody Estate. Please click on any of the photos for a larger image.
Nature Artists' Guild 