Category: Events

Tonight’s Program, March 1, 2018

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Here are just a few of the many reasons to attend tonight’s Nature Artists’ Guild program from 7 until 9 pm at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum –

  1. Dale Olsen’s Landscapes. Once you’ve seen Dale’s landscapes online, you will very likely want to see them in person as well.  As gorgeous as they are in photographs, the actual paintings will be even more so! Here’s an opportunity to see them up close and learn about Dale’s methods and inspirations.

    Mirror, copyright Dale Olsen. Used with permission.
  2. Postcards and Posters. Members and guests are encouraged to take some posters and postcards for the Spring Exhibition of Natural History Art taking place on the weekend of April 7 and 8, 2018, share them with friends and family, and post them in local businesses. The postcards will have information about the artists’ reception on Friday evening, April 6, when guests can gain entrance to the Arboretum to attend the exhibit with no gate fee.  A digital version will be distributed to members soon.
  3. Diptych Canvases. Members who would like to participate in a fundraising project for the spring exhibit by painting a small diptych can pick up their canvases at the meeting.  The finished canvases will be sold at the exhibit and all proceeds will go to the Guild to be used in furthering its mission.
  4. Fall into Winter Artwork.  Many of the industrious members of the Nature Artists’ Guild have been busy all fall and winter creating montages from nature.  The results are posted here, but members will also be sharing their artwork at tonight’s meeting.  It’s a chance to see the details that often make nature art so wonderful.

    Copyright Nancy Thyfault.
  5. Fun and Food. As always, there will be snacks, sweets and drinks.  There will be some time to chat with friends, old and new.  Guests and visitors are welcome to attend, and there is no fee for parking, attendance or admission to The Morton Arboretum for this event.  Visitors can let the gate attendant know they are there for the program and they will be directed to Thornhill.

For a Taste of Spring

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For a welcome taste of spring, the Nature Artists’ Guild gladly shares some artwork by Susan Bartlett, the Featured Artist of the 2018 Spring Exhibition of Natural History Art.  Please click on the above highlighted link or the Featured Artist Susan Bartlett tab to read more about Susan and to view a sample of the work she will be featuring at the exhibit on the weekend of April 7 and 8, 2018 and at a reception for artists, guests and members of The Morton Arboretum on the evening of April 6.

The exhibit will include nearly 150 pieces of artwork by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum. Check back soon for more details.

Copyright Susan Bartlett

Dale Olsen’s Stunning Landscapes on March 1, 2018

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Talented artist Dale Olsen will be sharing some of his inspirations and techniques at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum on Thursday, March 1, 2018 from 7 until 9 pm.  Dale’s website features the full scope of his work in varied subject matter and media, but at this program he will be focusing on his stunning landscapes.

Aspens, copyright Dale Olsen. Used with permission.

As always, guests and visitors are invited to attend this program sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum.  There will be no charge for admission or parking for this event, and non-members of the Arboretum should just let the gate attendant know they are there for the program to be directed to Thornhill.

Please visit Dale’s website, Dale Olsen Fine Art, to learn more about him and to view many more examples of his wonderful work.

February Afternoon, copyright Dale Olsen. Used with permission.

Plenty Coming Up!

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Some of the activities and events coming up for the Nature Artists’ Guild –

  • The annual paint-out at Orchids by Hausermann will take place next Tuesday, February 6, 2018.  Sorry, but all the spots at this popular paint-out have already been reserved.
  • Artist Dale Olsen will bring his talents and his artwork to the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum on Thursday, March 1, 2018 from 7 until 9 pm.  For a sneak peek at Dale’s stunning work, please visit his website by clicking here.  Visitors are welcome to attend this event, which is sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild, free-of-charge at The Morton Arboretum.
  • The next  paint-out at Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum will take place on Tuesday, March 20, 2018 from 9-12 am.  There will be room for all of our members at this one!  More information to come soon.
  • The prospectus for the 2018 Annual Spring Exhibition of Natural History Art has been sent to members.  The exhibit, scheduled for the weekend of April 7 and 8, 2018 (with a reception on the evening of April 6, 2018) will feature up to 150 works of art by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild, as well as numerous works by Featured Artist, Susan Bartlett.  Check back in the following weeks for more about Susan and her art.

    Susan Bartlett’s collage in progress. Constructed from Susan’s hand-painted paper.

Nature Artists’ Guild Exhibit in Downers Grove Concludes Next Week

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Anyone who happens to be in the Southwest Suburbs this weekend might want to stop by the Downers Grove Public Library for an enjoyable stroll through the January exhibit of art by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild.

I Like Ducks, copyright Evelyn Grala. Photo credit Downers Grove Public Library.

The Downers Grove Public Library has both permanent and rotating art exhibits year-round, but the Nature Artists’ Guild exhibit ends on January 31, 2018.  The exhibit and parking are free and open during library hours.  This is a wonderful chance to view a variety of styles of nature art in different media by talented artists.

Artists, experienced or beginning, still have time to join the Nature Artists’ Guild and be eligible to receive a prospectus for the next exhibit at The Morton Arboretum in April, 2018, which will feature more than 100 works by our members and is expected to be attended by nearly 1000 visitors over the weekend.  Please click here or on the Membership Brochure tab above to read more.

Fall into Winter Encounter Second Phase Begins

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Please click on this link or the Member Artwork tab above to view the first contributions to the Fall into Winter Encounter gallery. Participating Nature Artists’ Guild members spent time each week in the autumn collecting items, photos or sketches from nature. The winter phase of this project is to create a montage each week or one final montage using some or all of these collections.  Please check back each week for more artwork.

Copyright Fran Kelly

Art and Alpacas at Thornhill on February 1, 2018

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Susan Waldron and alpacas at her farm. Please click on image to visit susanwaldronart.com

No, there will not be any actual alpacas in the historic Founder’s Room or Arbor Room of the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum in the near future, nor have there ever been, as far as we know.  The Nature Artists’ Guild, though, will be hosting a program at Thornhill on Thursday evening, February 1, 2018, from 7 until 9 pm featuring artist and alpaca farmer, Susan Waldron.

While Susan also creates wonderful paintings in the more familiar media of oils and watercolors, her fiber art made from the wool of her own alpacas is uniquely beautiful.

On her website, Susan Waldron Art,  she writes-

I use my own hand-dyed alpaca fibers in the art pieces that I create.  The alpaca fiber feels like a combination of cashmere and silk.  As a result of raising these animals from birth, there is a spiritual connection with the animals and the felted pieces.

I am able to combine my love for color, nature, and alpacas to create exquisite, felted pieces.

Susan Waldron’s Alpaca Fiber Art. Copyright Susan Waldron. Please click on image to visit SusanWaldronArt.com

Exquisite, indeed. Please visit her website for more images and to read more about Susan’s artistic journey and these fascinating creatures she raises.

As always, programs sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum are open to all.  Guests and visitors are welcome and there will be no charge for attendance, parking, or for admission to the Arboretum for this event.

The Nature Artists’ Guild would also like to encourage potential new members to attend.  Please arrive a few minutes early if you have any questions about our group and one of our members will be happy to assist you.  There is absolutely no pressure to join and it’s a great opportunity to learn more about the Guild, its members, exhibits, and activities.

Beginning the New Year

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Whether your priority for the upcoming year is to make more art, to learn new techniques, or simply to view more art or make new friends, the Nature Artists’ Guild has it covered.  There is still time to join or renew, and since memberships are for the calendar year, the sooner you join, the more benefit you’ll receive from your membership.

Here are a few of the activities coming up in the next month or so –

  • The Nature Artists’ Guild is proud to present their first exhibit of the year at the Downers Grove Public Library.  This lovely collection of members’ work will be open to the public throughout the month of January during regular library hours.
  • On Thursday evening, February 1, 2018,  between 7 and 9 pm, Susan Waldron will give a presentation at the Thornhill Education Center on her techniques for creating floral and landscape paintings in oil as well as in fiber made from, if you can believe it, the wool from her own herd of alpacas!  Guests and visitors are also welcome to attend this program free-of-charge.  More details will be coming soon, but please visit Susan’s website for a preview of her work (and her alpacas).
  • The first paint-out of the year is scheduled for Tuesday morning, February 6, 2018 from 8 until 11 am at Orchids by Hausermann in Villa Park, IL.
    Copyright Jane Kellenberger.

    This popular paint-out (think tropical weather and being surrounded by thousands of orchids) has limited space and fills up quickly, so interested Guild members should contact Jane Kellenberger to save a spot.  Jane’s contact information can be found in the Yearbook.

  • New classes and workshops start soon at The Morton Arboretum.  Some upcoming nature art classes include Rocks, Minerals and Bones in Colored Pencil with Kimberly Mullarkey, Jewelry Making: Winter Berries Necklace with Karen Johnson, Linoleum Block Printing Workshop with Carrie Carlson, and Advanced Textures in Graphite and Watercolor and Nature in Graphite with Suzanne Wegener.  For those just starting out, Beginner’s Nature Art Workshops: Winter Foliage in Graphite and Begin to Draw Nature are scheduled for late February and early March.  All classes are open to the public and a discount is offered for members of The Morton Arboretum.  Please click on this link to the Arboretum’s class listings for more information or to enroll.
  • It won’t be long before we begin to post montages from those Nature Artists’ Guild members who are participating in the Fall into Winter Encounter.  It will be exciting to see the results of weeks of collecting and creating!

Please check back here soon or click on any of the highlighted links for more about these and other upcoming activities.

The Fall Into Winter Encounter is Underway

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Participants in the Nature Artists’ Guild’s Fall into Winter Encounter have been busy outdoors this autumn collecting nuts, leaves, twigs, pine cones, berries, feathers, and other natural treasures and stashing them away in boxes or bags, as well as taking photos and making sketches.

At the start of the new year, out come the treasures, the paints, the pencils, the canvases, the paper, the sketches, and the photographs as the artists begin creating.  Participants will be creating one montage per week for the following six weeks, or if they choose, one grand montage using all their collected materials. According to Merriam-Webster, “montage” can be defined as an “artistic composite of juxtaposed more or less heterogeneous elements”.

Beginning in January 2018, photos of completed montages will be posted on this website in the Member Artwork section.  There is still time for industrious members of the Guild to participate by catching up with the collecting phase before the creating phase begins.  Those interested can sign up by contacting Evelyn Grala, whose contact information can be found in the Yearbook.  Evelyn will continue to send informational and encouraging e-mails to participants throughout the project.

Montage, copyright Paulette McDermott

Birds of a Feather, We Flock Together

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The work is done (for a while), the exhibit was a success, and now it’s time to celebrate a wonderful year of creating nature art.

The theme for this year’s holiday gathering is Birds of a Feather,We Flock Together.  The party planners have a festive evening planned, with decorations, music with an (optional) sing-along with Bruce Oscar of WDCB’s Swing Shift, lots of food, and the traditional raffle (which will include the generous donation of free admission to a class from The Morton Arboretum).

The best part, of course, will be the chance to celebrate with fellow members of the Nature Artists’ Guild, a special flock of friendly, sharing, and talented birds!

Sandhill Cranes screenprint, copyright Carol Cooley.

The evening begins at 6 pm on Thursday, December 7, 2017 in the historic and lovely Founders Room of Thornhill Education Center at The Morton Arboretum.  Dinner begins at 7 pm, and the after-dinner raffle will continue until 9.  Current members of the Nature Artists’ Guild should check their e-mailed invitation for details and contact Gail Diedrichsen or Susan Bartlett (whose contact information can be found in the Yearbook) with questions.