The Nature Artists’ Guild Executive Board members and Committee Chairs will be meeting this Thursday to discuss upcoming programs, paint-outs, presentations, exhibits, workshops, field trips and social gatherings, and we look forward to the schedule for 2016. Nature Artists’ Guild members are always welcome to forward their ideas to any board or committee members, as events are added throughout the year.
Our busy new Program Coordinator (and Vice President), Sharon Malec, has already scheduled February and March, 2016 programs featuring artists JoAnne Laudolff and Rhonda Nass, and our new Outside Exhibits Chair, Gary Chipman,will be coordinating a Nature Artists’ Guild exhibit for February, 2016 at Gallery 200 in West Chicago, IL (members should have received a prospectus in December 2015).
Many Nature Artists’ Guild members were able to catch a glimpse of some of the artwork at the Father Michael E. Komechak O.S.B. Art Gallery at Benedictine University in Lisle, IL while dropping off their own artwork for a group exhibit last year. What many may not have known is the extent of the artwork collection housed at the university or the history behind it!
The late Fr. Michael Komechak, O.S.B. spent his life collecting and celebrating the works of others. Over time, he amassed one of the finest art and sculpture collections in the Midwest. The collection, approximately 4000 pieces, represents both fine and applied arts, and is engagingly diverse in its scope of subject and media. While a majority of the collection deals with religious themes, it also has a fair representation of contemporary art and work by well-known artists, but, consists mainly of works on paper and fine art prints.The gallery also boasts a collection of ceramics, drawings, paintings, photography, textile, sculpture, mixed media, folk art and kitsch.
Komechak Art Gallery, Benedictine University. Photo credit www.ben.edu/komechak-art-gallery
Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are invited to attend a behind-the-scenes gallery tour of the collections on the morning of Tuesday, December 8, 2015 from 10 am until noon. Participants should meet at the gallery located on the fifth floor of Kindlon Hall at Benedictine University, 5700 College Road, Lisle, IL promptly at 10 am.The elevator to the fifth floor is located near the rear of Kindlon Hall in a short hallway to the right (the main elevator near the front entrance does not go past the second floor). Other buildings on the campus will be part of the tour, so comfortable walking shoes and warm outerwear would be advised.
There is no need to RSVP for this wonderful opportunity to attend the gallery tour. Please click on the highlighted links above to read more about the gallery, the collections, or for maps and directions.
All members of The Morton Arboretum, as well as friends, family and guests of Nature Artists’ Guild members are invited to attend the artists’ reception of the 2015 Annual Holiday Exhibit of Natural History Art tonight, November 6, 2015, between 5 and 9 pm at the historic Thornhill Education Center. Light refreshments will be served in the Founders Room, former library of the Morton family mansion. There is no charge for parking, admission, or admission to the Arboretum for this special event. Visitors can let the gate attendant at The Morton Arboretum know that they are there for the Nature Artists’ Guild exhibit and they will be directed to Thornhill.
The exhibit will be open to all visitors of The Morton Arboretum on Saturday, November 7, and Sunday, November 8, 2015 from 10 am until 4 pm. While there is no charge to attend the exhibit, the gate fee will apply to non-members of the Arboretum.
Artwork by Featured Artist Mary Ann Jimenez. Postcard design by Evelyn Grala.
Birds in Jeopardy, an exhibit of fine art showcasing images of birds that are either extinct or endangered, opens Sunday, November 1, 2015 at the Noyes Cultural Center, First Floor Art Gallery, 927 Noyes Street, Evanston, IL.
The Nature Artists’ Guild is proud and excited to announce that two of our favorite artists, member Lindsay Sandbothe, and Artist in Residence at the Field Museum of Natural History, frequent instructor for The Morton Arboretum art program, and presenter for our guild, Peggy Macnamara, will be featured in this exhibit. Curated by Sarah Kaiser-Amaral, the exhibition will also include artwork by Kristina Knowski, Maggie Weiss, and others. All participating artists in the exhibit will donate a portion of sales to a local bird conservation organization.
The opening reception will take place on Sunday, November 1, 2015 from 2 until 5 pm at the gallery. Refreshments will be served and entertainment will be provided by singer Josefien Stopplenburg. It will be a wonderful opportunity to show support for some great artists as well as for endangered birds. Birds in Jeopardy will be exhibited until December 1, 2015.
Please click on the highlighted links above for exhibit hours, directions, or more information about the artists.
Nature Artists’ Guild former president Susan Bartlett, and treasurer Nancy Wu will be exhibiting their work at the Woodridge Public Library, Woodridge, IL for the entire month of September, 2015. An artists reception is coming up this Saturday, September 12, 2015 from 2 until 4 pm.
Karen Johnson’s Artwork, Oak Park Conservatory
Karen Johnson, Nature Artists’ Guild member and instructor for the Botanical Art program at The Morton Arboretum is honored to share her solo exhibition of artwork in a variety of media, titled Inspirational Insects, An Artists’ Journey, at the Oak Park Conservatory, Oak Park, IL.An artist reception will be held Sunday, September 13, 2015 from 1:30 until 3:30 pm at the conservatory.
Laurie Alvear’s work will be featured in a solo show at Gallery II of the DuPage Art League, in Wheaton, IL for the month of September, 2015.
If you are in the mood for a road trip, it would be worthwhile to head to the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, NY (near Niagara Falls), where The Society of Animal Artists is presenting their annual exhibit. Charter member and former president of the Nature Artists’ Guild, instructor for the Botanical Art program at The Morton Arboretum, and last spring’s featured artist, Nancy Halliday is a member of this world renowned group of animal artists, and her Moonlight Snack has been juried into their Art and the Animal exhibition. The exhibit will run through October 25, 2015. You can spot Nancy attending a lecture by Robert Bateman at about 5:19 on the video of the opening weekend!
The Roger Tory Peterson Institute, photo credit The Society of Animal Artists
Please click on any of the highlighted links or photos for more information on the artists and exhibits.
An exhibit of over thirty lovely works of art created by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum will take place from September 16 through October 26, 2015 at the Gallery of Nature, Wasco Nursery, 41W781 Route 64, St Charles, IL. Please click on this link to the Wasco Nursery website for directions and hours.
The Nature Artists’ Guild exhibit will open during the annual St. Charles Arts Fest, September 11 through 20, 2015, and is listed on their calendar of events (thanks for the tip, Marilyn Peretti)! The exhibit will be also open throughout the St. Charles Scarecrow Fest, October 9 through 11, 2015. What a wonderful way to spend an early autumn day – viewing nature art and attending one of these fun festivals in beautiful St. Charles!
An Artists’ Reception will take place from 4 until 6 pm on Saturday, October 3, 2015 at the gallery. Appetizers and pastries will be served and the event is open to the public.
Please click on any of the highlighted links above to learn more.
A preview of some of the exciting events coming up this autumn for the Nature Artists’ Guild –
The first Nature Artists’ Guild Painting-in-the-Round is scheduled for Thursday, September 3, 2015 from 7 until 9 pm at Thornhill. Please check the previous post for more about this event, which promises to be a lively one!
Wasco Nursery, St. Charles, Il, will be featuring the artwork of the Nature Artists’ Guild in their Gallery of Nature from September 16th through October 26th, 2015. An artists’ reception (complete with appetizers and pastries) will be held on Saturday, October 3, from 4 to 6 pm. Please click on this link to the Wasco Nursery website for hours and directions. (Nature Artists’ Guild members who are interested in participating can still return their prospectus until the end of this week.)
Whooooo do you suppose will be the surprise guests at the October 1, 2015 Nature Artists Guild program at Thornhill from 7 until 9 pm? If you give a hoot about finding out, please check back later for more details!
Renowned nature artist Wendy Brockman will be teaching the workshop Painting Oaks as part of The Morton Arboretum’s 2015 Visiting Artists’ Series this October. The Nature Artists’ Guild is pleased to announce that Wendy has agreed to do a special presentation for our members featuring her art and techniques on Thursday, October 15, 2015 from 7 until 9 pm at Thornhill.
The annual Holiday Exhibition of Nature Art, featuring over 100 pieces of artwork by Nature Artists’ Guild members is scheduled for the weekend of November 7 and 8, 2015, with an artists’ reception on the evening of Friday, November 6, 2015. The featured artist for this exhibit will be Mary Ann Jimenez. New this year will be a “mosaic” display of small paintings by members. The prospectus will be sent to members next month.
Nature Artists’ Guild members and their guests are invited to gather at Thornhill on the evening of Thursday, December 3, 2015, for the annual holiday celebration.
More details about all of these events will be announced as the dates approach. Please click on any of the highlighted links for more information.
We may not be able to count on the weather this time of the year (how about all of this rain?), but we can always count on the Nature Artists’ Guild to come up with some great events, indoors and out.
Coming up in the next few months –
On Wednesday, July 15, 2015, from 9 am until noon, members will be meeting on the Joy Path and in the Fragrance Garden of The Morton Arboretum for a paint-out filled with wonderful scents, sounds and sights.
The Nature Artists’ Guild exhibit, Viewing Nature, at Benedictine College in Lisle, IL, continues until July 16, 2015. This gorgeous collection of nature art is located in the Komechak Gallery on the fifth floor of the Kindlon Hall of Learning. After entering at the main entrance, visitors should proceed to the back of the building, where the elevator to the fifth floor is located in a short hallway to their right. For more details, please click on the gallery name above.
On Thursday evening, August 6, 2015, from 7 until 9 pm, at Thornhill Education Center at The Morton Arboretum, Nature Artists Guild members and their guests will be given the opportunity to see three of our most talented artists at work. Gail Diedrichsen, Bob Sunyog and Lindsay Sandbothe will be sharing some of their techniques, tips and inspirations at this popular yearly program. Open to visitors, it is a great chance to interact with these artists, as well as to meet other members of the Nature Artists Guild (and possibly even consider becoming a member in the future). Everyone is welcome to attend this fun and fascinating program!
Member Margo Heald has very generously donated over 60 books to the Nature Artists’ Guild! At our August 6, 2015 meeting, these books (instructional art books to fabulous coffee table books, as well as everything in between) will be available for purchase at a generous discount to our members (cash or check only, please).
A new fundraising project will be announced at our August 6, 2015 meeting. Committee members will have twenty 6-inch square canvases to give to members who wish to participate. These canvases will then be taken home by the artists, to be painted or collaged as they wish, and returned at “referee night” of the Holiday Exhibit. A display of all the canvases will be part of our 2015 Holiday Exhibit, and the canvases will be for sale, with proceeds going to the Nature Artists’ Guild.
Please be sure to check back for more details about these events as the dates approach.
The Growing Place, 25w471 Plank Road, Naperville, IL, has again asked members of the Nature Artists’ Guild to return for their annual Gardener’s Art Festival, a fun celebration of plants and art, taking place on Saturday,June 20, 2015!
Space is limited to ten artists, so members of the Nature Artists’ Guild who wish to participate in this event should contact Mary Ann Jimenez (whose e-mail address can be found in their Yearbook) as soon as possible. Our artists will be featured from 11 until 3 pm, and can stay the entire time or just 2 hours, and will be working right amongst the flowers, shrubs, trees, and garden art of The Growing Place or at the Nature Artist’s Guild information table.
Most types of media are welcome, and styles can range from detailed botanical sketches to impressionistic views of the many garden tableaus featured at The Growing Place. Participating artists should bring a chair, some water, art supplies, and if desired, small examples of some of their finished artwork.
Suzanne Wegener and Karen Johnson at the Nature Artists’ Guild Information Table, Gardener’s Art Festival at The Growing Place
This is a wonderful opportunity to participate in a lively and festive event, where visitors from throughout the area who are interested in both gardening and art can view our talented Nature Artists’ Guild members at work! For more information about The Growing Place, please visit their website by clicking here.
Nature Artists' Guild 