Category: Exhibitions

Congratulations to the Nature Artists’ Guild for a Wonderful 2025 Spring Exhibit!

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Blackburnian Warbler, copyright Vicki Liszewski, Featured Artist of the Nature Artists’ Guild’s 2025 Spring Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum. Click on image for a sample of exhibit artwork.

The Nature Artists’ Guild would like to congratulate and thank all those involved in the success of the 2025 Spring Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum!

Visitors to The Morton Arboretum were able to enjoy more than 200 lovely works of art created by 65 members of the Nature Artists’ Guild last weekend, thanks to Exhibit Co-Chairs Alice Wych and Lisa Kanellos, Featured Artist Vicki Liszewski, and all the artists, volunteers, demonstrators, and Arboretum staff who put their time, effort, and talents into making the exhibit a success.

  • Woods Garden and Peter’s Pond, copyright Ann Lamoureux
  • Stretching to Bloom, copyright Celia Rodee
  • Nature’s Symphony, copyright Shannon Yeh
  • Desert Place, copyright Todd Serrano
  • Butterflies, copyright Linda Hilderbrant
  • Poppies and Olive Trees, copyright Ann Lamoureux
  • After Rain, copyright Lia Liu
  • Poppy Pods, copyright Terrie McComb
  • Hidden Prize, copyright Bernadette Hanacek
  • Zinnia, copyright Mark Scherer
  • Butterflies, Linda Hilderbrant
  • Canada Goose, copyright Nancy Staszak
  • Winter Sunset, copyright Joanne May
  • Paphiopedium Matchmaker Orchid, copyright Celia Rodee
  • Wisteria, Multi-Color, copyright Joanne May
  • Summer Shadows, copyright Maryann Wattelle
  • Foggy Mountains, copyright Lia Liu
  • Pretty in pink, copyright Lisa Kanellos
  • Great Horned Owl, copyright Nancy Staszak
  • Golden Peaks of Banff, copyright Shannon Yeh
  • Garden Wild, copyright Julie Rivera
  • Winter Tree, Fermilab, copyright Todd Serrano
  • Piping Plovers, copyright Vicki Liszewski
  • Resting Deer, copyright Jill Adzia
  • Apple Blossoms, copyright Vicki Liszewski
  • Blackburnian Warbler, copyright Vicki Liszewski
  • Poppy, copyright Mark Scherer
  • Bluebird, copyright Jill Adzia
  • Zinnia, copyright Mark Scherer
  • Crabapple 1, copyright Sandra Wilcoxon
  • Creek, copyright Patricia Joyce
  • Juncos, copyright Patricia Joyce
  • Striated Parrot Tulip, copyright Kathi Kuchler
  • Center Attraction, copyright Kathi Kuchler
  • Crabapple 2, copyright Sandra Wilcoxon
  • Gift from the Rose Garden, copyright Jean Black
  • Natures Bounty, copyright Deb Giampoli
  • Garden of Cosmos Delights, copyright Julie Rivera
  • Water lilies, copyright Lisa Kanellos

Click here to view the images in larger format.

(Exhibit artists who haven’t already done so can send up to two images of their exhibited work to Denise Fisk this week to have them added to the online display.)

Nature Artists’ Guild Exhibit Opens this Friday, April 4, at The Morton Arboretum

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Exhibit artwork by Spring 2025 Featured Artist Vicki Liszewski. Poster design by Jane Kellenberger.

The Nature Artists’ Guild’s Spring 2025 Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum opens this Friday, April 4, 2025.

The exhibit will include more than 200 works of nature art in a wide variety of media, created by 65 members of the Guild, and will be free to attend for all Arboretum visitors (regular Arboretum gate fees will apply).

The reception on Friday evening from 4:30 until 7 pm will be open to the public, completely free of charge. Admission to The Morton Arboretum will be waived for the reception, and as always, there will be no charge for parking. No registration is required, and attendees can let the Arboretum gate attendant know they are there for the reception to be directed to parking for the event.

While enjoying wonderful works of art inspired by the natural world, attendees will also have opportunities to interact with talented artists demonstrating their processes, purchase raffle tickets (cash only) for popular themed gift baskets, and speak with Featured Artist, Vicki Liszewski. (Read more about Vicki and her art in a recent article on Art Beat Buzz.)

The exhibit will be held in the Cudahy Room and reception area adjacent to the Sterling Morton Library, in the Administration Building of The Morton Arboretum, a short stroll from the Visitor Center.

Artists Creating Art, April 4 through 6, 2025, at The Morton Arboretum

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Visitors to the Nature Artists’ Guild’s Spring 2025 Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum will have the opportunity to interact with talented artists as they share thoughts about their inspirations and demonstrate their methods and materials.

The exhibit will showcase more than 200 works by 65 members of the Guild, including many by Featured Artist, Vicki Liszewski. Exhibit admission will be free of charge for all visitors to The Morton Arboretum (Arboretum admission fees will still be required, except for the Friday evening reception). No registration is required.

Detail of wool and silk fiber art, copyright Sharon Malec
Detail of African Elephant, copyright Carrie Carlson
Detail of Poppy Pods, charcoal, copyright Terrie McComb
Detail of Househunting, colored pencil, copyright Linda Hilderbrant
Detail of Scratch That, acrylic, copyright Lindsay Sandbothe
Detail of Prairie Drought, pen and ink, copyright Todd Serrano

2025 Spring Nature Art Exhibit Opening April 4 at The Morton Arboretum

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Pretty in pink, copyright Lisa Kanellos. Click on the image for a sample of exhibit artwork images.

The 2025 Spring Exhibit by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild opens at The Morton Arboretum on Friday, April 4, and continues through Sunday, April 6. This exhibit of more than 200 works of art by 65 members of the Guild will be open to Arboretum visitors between 10 and 4 each day.

A reception is planned for Friday evening from 4:30 until 7, and is open to all. Reception attendees will have free admission to the Arboretum on that evening, and there will be no charge for parking or admission to the exhibit. Registration is not required.

Please click on poster for an exhibit artwork sample preview.

Poster artwork by Featured Artist, Vicki Liszewski. Poster design by Jane Kellenberger.

Safe Journey, Juncos, and Come Back, Kinglets!

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Golden-crowned Kinglet, watercolor, copyright Vicki Liszewski, Spring 2025 Featured Artist

And here it is! Chicagoland residents don’t need a calendar to know when spring has arrived. Almost overnight, the woods are filled with movement and sound, and green shoots begin to appear everywhere. Later this month, tiny, flitting Golden–crowned Kinglets will be spotted along wooded trails, seeming to cheerfully accompany humans on their walks.

The Nature Artists’ Guild’s contribution to the season will be their 2025 Spring Art Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum on April 4th through 6th. The exhibit will feature nearly 250 works of art by more than 65 Guild members. The Featured Artist for the 2025 Spring Exhibit will be Vicki Liszewski, whose joyful watercolors and pastels have been favorites of exhibit visitors for years (click here for more about Vicki and samples of her work).

The Guild will also be celebrating spring with a paint-out at the Arboretum’s beloved Daffodil Glade in April and the beginning of this year’s small-works project honoring the Arboretum, Flora. (More to come soon about these events.)

Spring Marches In with a Program, Paint-Out, and Exhibit

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Click on image and right click to download and share.

So much to keep Nature Artists’ Guild members busy while awaiting the wonders of spring!

  • Joel Sheesley will share “conceptual and practical steps” in landscape painting on March 6, from 7 to 9 pm at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum. The program will be open to all, free of charge, with no registration required. (Posters and postcards for the Guild’s Spring 2025 Art Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum will also be available for attendees to take home and share with friends, family, and local businesses.)
  • A paint-out at the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum will take place on the morning of March 6, beginning at 9:30. Coffee and Celia’s homemade muffins will prepare artists for a lovely morning of sketching and painting. Drop-ins are welcome, but registration ensures being contacted with updates.
  • The final day for Nature Artists’ Guild members to register for the 2025 Spring Exhibit is only one week from today. Members will need to register online or by mail by Saturday, March 8, 2025 to be eligible to participate. Last year’s Spring Exhibit attracted more than 1300 visitors!

The Nature Artists’ Guild is Thinking of Spring

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Poster artwork by Featured Artist Vicki Liszewski. Poster design by Jane Kellenberger.

The 2025 Spring Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum, featuring artwork by approximately 50 members of the Nature Artists’ Guild, is coming soon! More than 1000 visitors are expected to view the 200 or more works of nature art between April 4 and April 6, 2025.

All current Guild members were emailed a prospectus and a link for online registration on February 1, and the final day to register, either online or by mail, is March 8, 2025. New members who join the Nature Artists’ Guild by March 8 will also receive a prospectus and be eligible to register. Much more about the exhibition and Featured Artist Vicki Liszewski, as well as samples of exhibit artwork, will be coming soon.

In other news for the Nature Artists’ Guild –

  • The Nature Artists’ Guild is excited to announce that the speaker for the March 6, 2025 evening presentation at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum will be Joel Sheesley. This program, sponsored by the Guild, will be open to all, free of charge, and no registration is required to attend. More about Joel and his work coming soon.
  • Copies of the Spring 2025 Nature Artists’ Quarterly (a members-only publication) will be arriving in mailboxes by the first week of March. The Quarterly includes news, artwork, and articles contributed by members of the Guild, all artfully presented by Publications Chair Jane Kellenberger.
  • This year’s theme for the Guild’s annual display of small works honoring The Morton Arboretum in November (alongside the annual Autumn Exhibit) will be “Flora.” The special project involves members exhibiting up to three unframed 8 x 8-inch works of art created at or inspired by the Arboretum. More details and a registration form to come soon.
  • As always, Guild members and visitors are welcome to stop by the Visitor Center of The Morton Arboretum any Wednesday morning (weather permitting) to enjoy time with fellow artists at a Coffee and Art gathering.

Beginning 2025 with a Nature Artists’ Guild Exhibit and Much More

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Aphrodite Sweetshrub, copyright Arlene Widrevitz, will be one of many works of art celebrating nature at a special exhibit at the Downers Grove Library this January.

The year begins with a special exhibit and quickly jumps right into exciting paint-outs, programs, and other ways for members of the Nature Artists’ Guild to celebrate and share the beauty of nature throughout winter.

  • The Nature Artists’ Guild’s annual exhibit at the Downers Grove Library opens in just three days, on Tuesday, January 7 during normal library hours. Guild members’ artwork will complement the library’s permanent collection throughout library exhibit spaces for all to enjoy through February 4, 2025.
  • A paint-out at the Field Museum has been scheduled for January 18. Guild members will join members of the Artists at the field group in sketching some of the wonders of the natural world. Much more about this event will be emailed to Guild members soon.
  • On February 6, the Guild welcomes talented artist and beloved instructor Rhonda Nass for an online presentation about her experiences with scratchboard and colored pencil. Guild members will be emailed a link for attending the presentation. More details will be coming soon, including instructions for non-members to attend.
  • Also on February 6, Guild artists can leave the winter behind for a few hours at Orchids by Hausermann. This paint-out starts in the early hours, but the thousands of orchids and balmy conditions in the greenhouse of Hausermann’s make it worth setting the alarm. More details and a form to register online will be available soon.
  • It’s time to begin thinking of Spring! Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild who have news, articles, or artwork for the Spring edition of the Quarterly must submit them no later than February 1, 2025. An email with instructions for submission will be sent to all members in coming weeks.
  • The theme for the Guild’s annual 8 x 8 project, in which members create small works of art honoring The Morton Arboretum, will be announced soon for those who want to get an early start! The artwork will be exhibited alongside the Guild’s annual Autumn Exhibit at the Arboretum in November.
Click here for information about new memberships or renewals for 2025

Looking Back at 2024 with the Nature Artists’ Guild

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Click on image for a sample of images and list of posts from 2024.

2024 was filled with programs and paint-outs, exhibits and demonstrations, gatherings and artwork, and friendship and fun for members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum.

The Guild is hoping to welcome back all of its current members, as well as new ones, for even more in 2025. (Memberships are for the calendar year, so joining or renewing by January 1 ensures receiving all the benefits for the year.)

Please enjoy this small sample of images from 2024 (or scroll through the website or visit the Member Artwork pages for many more).

  • Downers Grove Library exhibit 2024
  • Diamonds of Winter detail, Dale Olsen
  • Field Museum paint-out
  • Field Museum paint-out
  • Claudia Lane presentation
  • Orchids by Hausermann paint-out
  • Great Horned Owl, copyright Lindsay Sandbothe
  • Spring Exhibit poster 2024
  • Rachel Davis presentation
  • Jurica-Suchy Museum paint-out
  • Goldfinch, copyright Lindsay Sandbothe
  • Rachel Davis presentation
  • Spring exhibit demo
  • Spring exhibit demo
  • Spring exhibit demo
  • Spring exhibit demo
  • Spring exhibit demo
  • Jewels of Spring, copyright Beth Berry
  • Wild Bergamot, copyright Lisa Kanellos
  • Spring 2024 Artists’ Card Collection
  • Daffodil Glade, copyright Yvonne Buckley
  • Lilacia Park paint-out
  • Aurora Public Art exhibit postcard
  • Lilacia Park paint-out
  • Cicada pendant detail, copyright Karen A Johnson
  • Ink demonstration, Nancy Wu
  • Glazing demonstration by Dale Olsen
  • Aurora Public Art exhibit
  • Private Garden paint-out
  • Anderson Japanese Gardens paint-out
  • Nature Journal Pages class by Sandra Wilcoxon
  • Grand Garden paint-out
  • Wine and Art Walk
  • Autumn Exhibit at The Morton Arboretum poster
  • Cantigny paint-out
  • Presentation by Don Widmer
  • Presentation by Don Widmer
  • Autumn events montage
  • Morning Light 3, copyright Dale Olsen
  • Trees exhibit
  • Trees at Sunset, copyright Marlene Vitek
  • Three Fall Maples, copyright Maggie Capettini
  • Autumn Exhibit demonstration
  • Autumn Exhibit demonstration
  • Autumn Exhibit demonstration
  • Autumn Exhibit demonstration
  • Autumn Exhibit demonstration
  • Yellowstone Tree Root detail, copyright Jeffrey Zawada
  • Card Exchange
  • 2024 Holiday Card, copyright Suzanne Wegener
  • 2024 Holiday Card, copyright Celia Rodee

This Week for the Nature Artists’ Guild

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Yellowstone Tree Root, copyright Jeffrey Zawada will be included in the Nature Artists’ Guild’s January 2025 Exhibit at the Downers Grove Library.

December sneaked in so quickly this year that it’s hard to believe the time is here for Nature Artists’ Guild members to –

Register for the exhibit at the Downers Grove Library by December 4. The library has a long history of featuring artwork and has an impressive permanent collection by local and internationally renowned artists. The Nature Artists’ Guild has been honored for decades to be featured in their annual January exhibit, and will continue the tradition in 2025.

Register for the Holiday Card Exchange by December 5. Just a few years ago, the Guild began coordinating informal exchanges of handmade holiday cards between members. This popular event is now an annual tradition! Members were emailed all the details in November, and for those participants who would like to use them, blank multi-media cards will be available at the December 5 party.

Attend the annual Holiday Party on the evening of December 5. The Holiday Party is a year-end celebration that gives Guild members an opportunity to enjoy a meal and spend time with fellow artists in the lovely Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum. A fun raffle of donated nature and art-related items will be held (cash only for raffle tickets). Each member is invited to bring a guest, and there is no registration required. Nature Artists’ Guild members received an invitation by email in November with details.