Category: Meetings

Yes, you may feel like screeching at all of these corny references, but if you give a hoot about art or wildlife, you might find it wise to attend the upcoming Nature Artists’ Guild program on Thursday, October 1, 2015 from 7 until 9 pm at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum.

The guest presenter at the upcoming meeting will be Marla Jedlicka, director of The Wise Old Owls Sanctuary, along with a few of her feathered friends. Marla began her career of rehabilitating owls by volunteering and interning at a small raptor center, which later closed. That is when Marla began the Wise Old Owls Sanctuary, which houses “owls that were once wild, injured, nursed back to health, but sadly cannot be released back to their natural habitat”. Marla also teaches and volunteers at SOAR Illinois – Save Our American Raptors, Inc., dedicated to “the welfare of our native birds-of-prey”.

There will be no Great Horned Owls there, (as in Evelyn Grala’s lovely painting, below), but Marla will be bringing some of her rescued Eastern Screech Owls and a Short-eared Owl for program attendees to sketch, photograph, or just learn more about.  

As always, guests and visitors are welcome to attend the Nature Artists’ Guild presentations.  This presentation would be of interest to artists, photographers, birders or anyone who enjoys nature! Parking. attendance and admission to the arboretum are free for this event, and visitors just need to let The Morton Arboretum gate attendant know they are there for the Nature Artists’ Guild program.

Each year, the Nature Artists’ Guild presents a program featuring three of our most talented members and their artwork. This year, artists Bob Sunyog, Gail Diedrichsen, and Lindsay Sandbothe will be sharing their knowledge of techniques, materials, tips and inspirations with us. An added twist for 2015 is that all three artists will be working with wood, each in their unique way.

Bob Sunyog has been a member of the Nature Artists’ Guild for many years and as an advertising firm retiree, as well as fine artist, has worked in many media. For this presentation, Bob will be narrowing his focus to the creation of his wonderful small three-dimensional dioramas made of wood, featuring various aspects of nature.

Gail Diedrichsen, our current Nature Artists’ Guild president, is a retired art teacher (as well as children’s book illustrator), and creates beautiful work in numerous media.  For this program, Gail will be showing us her stunning creations that give a whole new dimension to the art of pyrography.

Detail of Moth pyrography, copyright Gail Diedrichsen

Loon pyrography, copyright Gail Diedrichsen

Bee pyrography, copyright Gail Diedrichsen

Lindsay Sandbothe, currently employed by the American Academy of Art, created quite a stir at the last few Nature Artists’ Guild exhibitions with her acrylic paintings of birds on wood.    We can’t wait to get a glimpse of how Lindsay creates such breathtaking works. Please click on this link to Lindsay’s website to learn more about her and her artwork.

Great Horned Owl, copyright Lindsay Sandbothe

Lindsay Sandbothe at work

Wood Ducks, copyright Lindsay Sandbothe

Sandhill Crane, copyright Lindsay Sandbothe

This casual and fun presentation will take place at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL, on Thursday evening, August 6, 2015 from 7 until 9 pm, and is open to the public. Anyone interested in art or nature would certainly enjoy it!  There is no fee for the program, for entry into the arboretum for this event, or for parking.  Visitors should just let the gate attendant know that they are there for the Nature Artists’ Guild program, and they will be directed to Thornhill.

Plan to spend a wonderful evening on Thursday, June 4, 2015, from 7 until 9 pm at the Sterling Morton Library of The Morton Arboretum, as Manager of Library Collections, Rita Hassert, and Rare Art Collection Assistant (and Nature Artists’ Guild member), Arlene Widrevitz, discuss the lives and works of some of the adventurous and dedicated artists who contributed to plant hunting, collecting, and documentation across the world and the centuries.

Featured in the presentation will be Ferdinand Bauer, an Austrian botanical illustrator, and William Bartram, an American botanical and ornithological illustrator, both contributors of artwork to the French botanist and explorer, Andre Michaux and his son, Francois Andre Michaux, for their book on trees of North America, The North American Sylva. The lives and works of other artistic contributors, Pierre-Joseph Redoute and Pancrace Bessa will also be explored.  (Please click on any of the highlighted links above to read more.)

During this presentation, rare works by these and other artists from the Sterling Morton Library’s Art and Rare Book Collections will be on display to highlight and illustrate the presentation, as well as the library’s current exhibit, Plant Hunters.

Guests and visitors are welcome to attend this special presentation sponsored by the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum.  There is no fee for parking or attendance, and non-members of The Morton Arboretum should let the gate attendant know that they are there for the Nature Artists’ Guild program.