Category: Exhibitions

Welcome to Autumn

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The unique pleasures of Autumn make for a busy (the busiest?) season at The Morton Arboretum and for the Nature Artists’ Guild.  Here are some reminders to keep everyone on track!

Wood duck, copyright Peggy McGahan, Featured Artist for the 2017 Exhibition of Natural History Art by the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum.
  • Nature Artists’ Guild members who would like to participate in the upcoming 2017 Autumn (Holiday) Exhibition of Natural History Art need to have their completed prospectuses postmarked by Thursday, September 28, 2017.  All requirements are detailed on the prospectus which was e-mailed to eligible members approximately a month ago.  Drop-off of artwork for the exhibit will take place on the evening of Wednesday, November 1 between 6 and 8 pm at the Cudahy Auditorium in the Administration and Research Center at The Morton Arboretum.
  • Renewing members can mail their $45 membership dues for next year beginning on October 1, 2017.  Dues should be mailed to the treasurer, Nancy Wu, whose contact information can be found in the Yearbook.  New members are also welcome and can mail their dues to the address provided on the membership brochure.  New or renewing members can also pay in person at the October 5, 2017 meeting or the upcoming exhibit.
  • On October 5, 2017, the Nature Artists’ Guild will sponsor a program featuring artist Patricia Larkin Green and Sumi-e brush painting.  This program is free-of-charge and open to the public.  More details can be seen by clicking on this link.
  • There is still time to enroll in one or more of the Autumn Nature Art classes or workshops at The Morton Arboretum, many of which are taught by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild. Please click on this link to the Arboretum’s class listings for more information. All classes are open to the public.
  • The 2017 Autumn (Holiday) Exhibition of Natural History Art will open on the evening of Friday, November 3, 2017 with a reception for guests of the artists and members of The Morton Arboretum and will continue throughout the weekend, Saturday, November 4 and Sunday, November 5, 2017, for the enjoyment of all visitors to The Morton Arboretum.  E-mail postcards will be made available soon to Nature Artists’ Guild members.  The official exhibit posters and postcards featuring the work of Peggy McGahan and designed by Evelyn Grala will be available for members to pick up at the October 5, 2017 meeting or at the Thornhill office thereafter.

Peggy McGahan Featured Artist for 2017 Autumn Exhibition of Natural History Art

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Congratulations to Peggy McGahan, who was chosen to be the Featured Artist for the 2017 Nature Artists’ Guild Autumn (Holiday) Exhibition of Natural History Art at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL.

This exhibit of Peggy’s work along with approximately 150 pieces by fellow members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will be open to all the weekend of November 4 and 5, 2017 between 10 am and 4 pm.  A special reception for guests of the artists, as well as members of The Morton Arboretum will take place on the evening of Friday, November 3, 2017 from 5 until 9 pm.

More information about the exhibit to come soon.  Please click on the “Featured Artist” tab to read more about Peggy and to view additional examples of her gorgeous artwork.

From the Thorns, copyright Peggy McGahan.

Lindsay Sandbothe’s Birds at Vogt Visual Arts Center

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Nature Artists’ Guild member Lindsay Sandbothe would like to extend an invitation to all to visit her new exhibit at the Vogt Visual Arts Center in Tinley Park, IL.  This two-person exhibition features the artwork of bird artists Lindsay and Kristina Knowski, and will be open from September 5th through September 30th, 2017.  Please click on this link for times and driving directions.

An artists’ reception will be held at the Vogt Visual Arts Center on Friday, September 8, 2017 from 7 until 9 pm, and all are invited to attend. Please click on this link to the Facebook event page or this link to Lindsay’s website for more information.

Goldfinch, copyright Lindsay Sandbothe. Used with permission.

Nature Painting on Ceramics Workshop for Nature Artists’ Guild Members

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The Nature Artists’ Guild fundraising committee will be conducting a new workshop for members only on Saturday, September 23, 2017 from 9:30 until noon at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum.

Participants in this free workshop will learn how to create art on ceramics using oil-based paint markers.  The Nature Artists’ Guild will provide all the ceramic plates and some oil-based paint markers for the workshop, but attendees are asked to bring one Sharpie oil-based paint marker in a color of their choice to share. These markers are widely available in art stores or craft departments.

Sharpie Oil-Based Paint Markers. Photo credit http://www.dickblick.com.

Attendees should also bring a simple nature art design to transfer onto a ceramic plate. Flowers, birds, feathers or leaves would be appropriate, but landscapes are discouraged.

The finished ceramic pieces (for decoration only and not dishwasher safe) will be sold for $20 each at the Autumn (Holiday) Exhibition of Natural History Art in November, with all proceeds going to the Nature Artists’ Guild. Materials and instructions can be provided for participants who would like to take their piece home to complete and return it on November 1 at the exhibit artwork drop-off.

Interested members should contact workshop leaders Jill Adzia or Catherine Stacy to enroll in this fun and easy fundraising project.  Their contact information can be found in the Guild’s Yearbook.

Nature Artists’ Guild members Catherine Stacy, Jill Adzia and Susan Bartlett with their lovely ceramic plates.

Some Upcoming Events

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  • This month’s Nature Artists’ Guild paint-out is scheduled for Thursday, June 22, 2017 from 9 am until noon in the Ground Cover Garden of The Morton Arboretum. Please click on the highlighted link for details.

    Ground Cover Garden at The Morton Arboretum. Photo credit http://www.mortonarb.org.
  • A Nature Artists’ Guild Special Exhibit, Impressions of Nature, at A Gallery of Nature  opens at Wasco Nursery and Garden Center in St. Charles, IL this Friday, June 23, 2017. Participating artists should drop off their work on Tuesday, June 20 between 11 am and 1 pm.  All are invited to attend a public reception on Saturday, July 22, 2017 between 3 and 5 pm to meet the artists, enjoy some light refreshments, view 30 works of nature art and observe a few of the artists engaging in the creative process.  Please click on the above highlighted link for driving directions and more information.
  • The Summer Encounter – Nature Artist’s Journal is well underway, but members can still join in. More details are available by clicking on this link.
  • The next Nature Artists’ Guild program is scheduled for Thursday, August 3, 2017. More information coming soon about what promises to be a fun and informative evening!

A Few Reminders For Nature Artists’ Guild Members

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  • The paint-out at The Gardens at Cantigny Park has been rescheduled for Thursday, May 25, 2017 (originally scheduled for Tuesday, May 23, but changed due to weather concerns).  Please contact Jane Kellenberger if there are any questions. You can also click on this link for more information.
  • Prospectuses (which were e-mailed in late April) for this summer’s Nature Artists’ Guild Special Exhibit, Impressions of Nature, at A Gallery of Nature at Wasco Nursery and Garden Center in St. Charles, IL are due on Saturday, May 27, 2017. Please contact Gary Chipman if there are any questions.
  • The Summer Encounter begins on June 1, 2017. 30 Nature Artists’ Guild members have already agreed to try to get outdoors this summer to create a Nature Artist’s Journal.  Check your e-mail for details and contact Evelyn Grala if there are any questions.
  • On the evening of June 1, 2017, the Nature Artists’ Guild welcomes Marge Hall and her Floral Portraits to the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum. Guests and visitors are also welcome to attend this free presentation. Please click on this link for more details.

Nature Artists’ Guild members will find contact information for Jane, Gary, and Evelyn in their Yearbook.

America’s Flora, Linking People to Plants through Botanical Art at United States Botanic Garden

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Thank you to Nature Artists’ Guild member Carol Jean Rogalski for this link to information about America’s Flora, Linking People to Plants through Botanical Art, opening in Washington D.C. in collaboration with the United States Botanic Garden in May 2018. Please click on the highlighted link for more information about this exhibition of artwork by members of the American Society of Botanical Artists.  Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild who are also members of the ASBA may possibly be represented in this juried exhibit of botanical art.

View of United States Botanic Garden with United States Capitol in background. Photo credit https://www.usbg.gov/

It All Came Together in a Wonderful Way

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The weather could hardly have been nicer, the grounds were in glorious bloom, the exhibit was beautiful, and the visitors were plentiful.  The 2017 Spring Exhibition of Natural History Art at The Morton Arboretum last weekend was, by all accounts, an outstanding success.

So much effort went into every detail that isn’t surprising that it all came together in such a wonderful way.  Congratulations and thank you to all who contributed in so many ways, both large and small.

Congratulations also to Featured Artist Nancy Wu, whose display of work was breathtaking, and to Luciana Peters, whose special exhibit on Friday evening was such an added joy.

Finally, congratulations to whoever convinced that happy little unseen but tirelessly exuberant bird to welcome visitors at the beginning of the walkway. (Thanks to the finely-tuned birding ear of Carol Cooley for identifying our tiny greeter as a White-throated Sparrow.)

Please click on any of the highlighted links for more information, and please feel free to leave a comment.

2017 Nature Artists’ Guild Spring Exhibit Featured Artist Nancy Wu
2017 Nature Artists’ Guild Exhibit Co-Chairpersons Patty Koenigsaecker and Mary Sinclair