Category: Exhibitions

Guild of Natural Science Illustrators Exhibit at Sterling Morton Library

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On your next visit to The Morton Arboretum, consider taking a break from your hiking, biking, walking, running, drawing, painting, photographing or just appreciating the scenery, to stop in for a visit at the Sterling Morton Library.

Featured in the library through June 4, 2011 is an exhibit of artwork by The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI),  Art in the Service of Science.  GNSI was founded in 1968 at the Smithsonian Institution, and a number of Nature Artists’ Guild members, as well as instructors in the Morton Arboretum’s Botanical Art & Illustration Certificate program are also members of GNSI. 

Please click here for more information about the exhibit from the Arboretum, or here for the Sterling Morton Library blog.  You can visit the GNSI website at www.gnsi.org.

The library is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.

Nature Artists’ Guild Spring Exhibit This Weekend!

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 A quick glimpse of some of the artwork being dropped off last evening for the Spring Exhibit of The Nature Artists’ Guild was enough to convince us that the exhibit, which opens this Friday evening for artists, their families, and Morton Arboretum members, and remains open to the public this Saturday and Sunday from noon until 5, will be another fine example of the creativity, quality and variety we’ve come to appreciate from our members.

Along with amazingly detailed and delicate botanicals in watercolor and colored pencil, there were soft pastel landscapes, striking acrylics and oils, and as always, birds and other creatures represented in a variety of media. Along with many of your favorite returning artists, we’re also welcoming a number of first-time exhibitors this year, who’ll be adding their own styles to the exhibit! 

Please feel free to invite your friends, family and neighbors – why not make a day of it?  Even if you’re not exhibiting, you’ll get new ideas and inspiration, not only from the exhibit, but from the Arboretum grounds.  Check Bloom ‘N Color here for the Arboretum’s latest weekly color report!

 

Are You Ready for the Spring Exhibit?

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Just for fun, let’s see what really goes on with members of the Nature Artists’ Guild a week before an exhibit.   Please check one of the three choices below and click on the vote button (don’t worry, we don’t know who you are)!  No matter where you fit on the spectrum, don’t forget that the drop-off evening is less than a week away (next Wednesday,  April 6, 2011)!

 

The Nature Artists’ Guild Spring Exhibit Featured Artist, Kathleen Tomasek

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You’ve probably noticed by now our lovely new header, contributed by our Spring Featured Artist, Kathleen Tomasek. 

© Kathleen Tomasek

Please click on the Featured Artist tab above to read more about Kathleen and to see more of her artwork. 

Don’t’ miss the Spring Exhibit of the Nature Artists’ Guild at The Morton Arboretum on April 9th and 10th, where you will see much more of Kathleen’s artwork as well as that of about fifty other members of the Nature Artists’ Guild!

Spring has Arrived at the Canterbury Shoppe!

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The Canterbury Shoppe’s spring exhibit of the Nature Artists’ Guild is up and looking great!   Everything spring-related, from bulbs to birds are beautifully represented by our group of talented artists.   Please take a few minutes one afternoon to stop by and enjoy the exhibit, at 43 E. Jefferson, Naperville, IL  60540.  The phone number is 630-717-5005, and the shop is open on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 to 6, Thursday from 10 to 8, and Sunday from 11 to 3.    

In addition to the original artwork and fine-art prints, there are cards, jewelry and decorative items for sale, all created by Nature Artists’ Guild members!   Be prepared to possibly make a day of it, though.  When you leave the Canterbury Shoppe, the scents of the area restaurants and the sight of all the other unique shops in downtown Naperville are hard to resist!

Looking Forward to Your Latest!

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This is just a reminder of a few deadlines coming up –what a busy month for Nature Artists’ Guild members!

This Friday, February 18, the prospectus for the Canterbury Shoppe Spring Exhibit is due, and Saturday, March 5, the prospectus for The Morton Arboretum Spring Exhibit is due.  Saturday, February 26 is the day to drop off and pick up your artwork at the Canterbury Shoppe.  (You should have received instructions for both exhibits either through e-mail or mail.  If you haven’t received them, please leave a comment below, and we’ll make sure to get them to you.)

These are both great exhibit opportunities for members of the Nature Artists’ Guild – the arboretum exhibit alone attracts up to 1000 visitors over the weekend.   Do you have a few drawings or paintings newly completed or almost completed?   Maybe some that have been sitting around for a while waiting for a new wave of inspiration or just waiting to be framed?   Now is a great time to finish them up and get them hung!  We look forward to seeing your latest work!

Botanical Art Acquisition

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If you’ve attended Botanical Art classes at the The Morton Arboretum, you’ve probably had the chance to see some of the rare prints and original artwork from the impressive collection held by The Sterling Morton Library. 

The Nature Artists’ Guild  recently made a donation to the arboretum to show our gratitude and to help contribute to their mission.  Our donation late last year was used by the library to purchase some contemporary artwork to add to their collection.  As Arlene Widrevitz, of the Rare Print Collection writes,

“The newest acquisitions in the Print Collection of The Sterling Morton Library were purchased with funds donated by The Nature Artists’ Guild.

Winter Portrait:  Asclepias syriaca by Karen Johnson is an example of scratchboard art. The scratchboard technique is normally associated with the use of ink, but here, Karen has created a black and white image with graphite. This original piece features dried milkweed pods with the seeds escaping against a prairie background.

Winter Portrait: Asclepias syriaca, © Karen Johnson

Sacred Union by Kimberly Mullarkey is an example of her delicate colored pencil work on a black background. The image is an imaginative combination of an insect with one wing outspread superimposed over the human skeleton.

Sacred Union, © Kimberly Mullarkey

Amanita muscaria  and Russula Bouquet II by Alexander “Sasha” Viazmensky represent his work in watercolor. Sasha specializes in portraying the mushrooms that he finds in the woods near his home in St. Petersburg, Russia. Sasha recently taught a class in mushroom painting here at the Arboretum, which was very popular with his students and everyone who was able to see his work and that of his class. Amanita muscaria is an original in watercolor and Russula Bouquet II is a print of his watercolor work.

Amanita muscaria, © Alexander Viazmensky

 

Russula Bouquet II, © Alexander Viazmensky

These works will be available for viewing in classes that feature these techniques. Also, anyone can make an appointment to view these artworks or any others here in the library. We do enjoy showing off our collections!”

Nature Artists’ Guild Important Dates List Updated for 2011

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The Nature Artists’ Guild calendar is already full of exciting exhibits, programs, workshops and paint-outs for next year.  Please click on the “Important Dates” tab above to see the updated list.  As there are a number of dates “to be announced” and details to be added, remember to check back often for updates!

Some Reminders for the Coming Weeks

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As busy as you may be at this time of the year, there are just a few more Nature Artists’ Guild events you may still want to work into your schedule –

  • Share a cup of good cheer, and support your fellow artists at the Canterbury Shoppe Nature Artists’ Guild gallery for a “Meet the Artist” open house between 1 and 4 on Saturday, December 11, or at one of the artist demonstrations in December (see schedule here).
  • Don’t forget about the deadline for mailing your prospectus for the Downer’s Grove Library exhibit on December 17! It’s a nice venue for displaying your artwork.  Please contact Paulette if you have misplaced the prospectus that was e-mailed last month.
  • Save the date of January 15th for our popular annual Jurica paint-out.  More details to come!