Members enjoyed lovely weather and spectacular views at last week’s Nature Artists’ Guild paint-outs at The Morton Arboretum (Tuesday Morning Coffee Club) and theGardens at Cantigny. Tommorow’s gathering of the Coffee Club is open to all members and meets at the cafe in the Visitors Center of The Morton Arboretum at approximately 9 am.
Plein Air painting in oil at the Gardens at Cantigny, copyright Terry Niccoli
A link to the prospectus for the guild’s upcoming exhibit, Visions of Nature, at McCord Gallery has been emailed to all members. Completed prospectuses must bereturned by this Saturday, July 17, 2021.
Postcard for Nature Artists’ Guild exhibit at the McCord Gallery, 2021
The next program of the Nature Artists’ Guild will take place online on Thursday, August 5, 2021 beginning at 7 pm and will feature fellow members sharing artwork and experiences from the Seeds of Inspiration project. More details and instructions for attending will be emailed to all members closer to the program date.
Coleus, acrylic, copyright Ann Lamoureux (artwork from previous exhibit, not Seeds of Inspiration)
The Nature Artists’ Guild is excited to announce that there will be an exhibit of members’ work at the McCord Gallery in Palos Park, IL throughout the month of August, 2021. The exhibit, Visions of Nature, will feature artwork that has been previously exhibited at The Morton Arboretum and will take place from August 5 until September 5. A reception will be held on Sunday, August 22 at 2 pm.
Guild members will receive an email soon with a link to the prospectus and all the details and instructions for participating.
The McCord Gallery & Cultural Center is located in the stately pre-Civil War McCord House and is an integral part of the Palos Park community, educating music and visual-arts students in addition to serving as a gallery. The gallery is open every day except Sunday.
McCord Gallery & Cultural Center, Palos Park, IL. Image credit mccordgallery.org.
The Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum enters its 35th year of art and nature in 2021!
As it has for more than 34 years, membership in the Nature Artists’ Guild in 2021 brings opportunities to participate in programs, paint-outs, exhibits, workshops, and social events (in person or online, as conditions require.) In addition, the Nature Artists’ Quarterly, featuring news, articles, and artwork by, for, or about members is delivered to every member’s mailbox each season.
Now, before the season becomes too busy, might be a good time for Nature Artists’ Guild members to renew their membership for 2021 (or for new members to join.) Current members of the guild can renew at a reduced fee (through the end of the month) by clicking hereand scrolling down to the appropriate payment button. New members can click here to join at the regular rate. If preferred, new members can send a check to the address on the membership form and returning members can send a check to treasurer Catherine Stacy. Use of the membership form is not required as long as the member’s contact information is included with the check or online payment.
Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild would like to share some of the work that would have been (and might be in the future) exhibited at The Morton Arboretum as part of the guild’s annual Spring or Autumn (Holiday) Exhibit of Natural History Art.
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If the slide show does not show up on your device, please click on this link to the Nature Artists’ guild website. Click on any image to see a larger version and the title, artists’ name, and media used. The images are also available for scrolling through or viewing individually on the 2020 Exhibitof Natural History Art page under the Member Artwork tab of this website. Thank you to all participating members for sharing your artwork.
All artwork exhibited on this website is the sole property of the artist and should not be used or reproduced without their written consent. If you would like to contact one of the artists, please leave a comment on this website and you will receive an e-mail reply, normally within 48 hours. Your e-mail address will not be shared or used for any other purpose.
The annual Autumn (Holiday) Exhibit of Natural History Art by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum will be online-only in November 2020.
Study of Red Oak Trees, acrylic and soft pastel, copyright Laverne Bohlin
There is nothing like viewing artwork in person – the colors are somehow either more vivid or more subtle, the texture and brushstrokes are more obvious, and even the size of the work adds to the effect.
That being said, 2020 is a year for adapting. Online exhibits give viewers the chance to zoom in on details, study their favorites without a line forming behind them, and bypass weather, crowds, and parking. Any refreshments will be exactly to taste and can be enjoyed right along with the exhibit!
Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are asked to submit a few pieces of artwork that otherwise would have been exhibited in person this fall to include in the online exhibit on this website. These pieces can still be submitted for future in-person exhibits at The Morton Arboretum. Artwork should be submitted by November 14, 2020 according to instructions sent by e-mail to all guild members on November 7.
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.
Coming up in March for members of the Nature Artists’ Guild –
Eastern Towhee, copyright Alex Warnick. Used with permission.
Monday, March 2, 2020 is the last day for members to mail their completed prospectuses for the 2020 Spring Exhibit of Natural History Art. The link for the prospectus was sent out to all members by e-mail last month. New members, please don’t hesitate to participate. The Guild is a supportive, non-competitive organization that values the contributions of nature artists at all skill levels. Beginners to professionals, we welcome you all!
Thursday, March 5, 2020 is the date of a very special program sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum from 7 until 9 pm. Visiting ArtistAlex Warnick will be sharing some thoughts about her exquisite paintings and illustrations of birds and her adventures in birding. This event is open to all and free-of-charge. Members are encouraged to invite their fellow artists, birders, and nature lovers to this presentation. Details are in this previous post.
On Saturday, March 7, 2020 a repeat of last month’s Round Table Paint-In event will take place at Thornhill beginning at 1 pm. Members should contact Linn Eldred if they’d like to participate. Linn’s contact information is included in the February 19 e-mail sent to members. All supplies will be provided, and there is no cost to attend this fun and creative event.
A fundraising workshop has been scheduled for Saturday, March 28, 2020 at the Thornhill Education Center. Supplies will be provided for Nature Artists’ Guild members who wish to participate by painting canvases to be sold at the Spring Exhibit as a fundraiser. Fundraising workshops are a great place to get to know and enjoy some time with fellow Guild members. Update – This event has been postponed until a date to be determined.
The exhibit will be held at the Cudahy Room adjacent to the Sterling Morton Library in the Administration & Research Center of The Morton Arboretum on Saturday and Sunday, April 4 and 5, 2020 between 10 am and 4 pm. The exhibit will be open to all visitors to The Morton Arboretum for no additional fee. A reception for friends of the artists and members of the Arboretum will be held at the same location on the evening of Friday, April 3, 2020.
For questions about group accommodations, please use the contact form on the About page of this website. There will be much more to come about this exhibit in coming weeks, including the official exhibit poster featuring the artwork of Jill Adzia. Check back soon!
The link to the prospectus for the 2020 Spring Exhibit of Natural History Art was e-mailed to all current Nature Artists’ Guild members on January 24, 2020. Since the e-mail service used by the Nature Artists’ Guild has changed recently, some members’ e-mails could automatically be going to a different folder in their inbox. Members who haven’t received the prospectus should check their “social”, “promotions”, and “spam” folders for the message.
There is still time to join the Nature Artists’ Guild for 2020 and receive a copy of the Spring prospectus. Prospective members can join online or by mail. More information is available on the Membership page of this website. New members who join during January or February will be e-mailed a link to the prospectus. All completed prospectuses must be returned by March 2, 2020.
Pileated Woodpecker, copyright Jill Adzia, Featured Artist of the Spring 2020 Exhibit of Natural History Art.
