Category: Meetings

On Thursday, March 5, 2015 from 7 until 9 pm at the Thornhill Education Center of The Morton Arboretum, fiber artist Barbara Schneider will be sharing some of her artwork and techniques with members of the Nature Artists’ Guild, their guests, and visitors.

The three series of fiber art that Barbara will be presenting, Reflections, Leaves, and  Line Dance, Tree Ring Patterns are influenced by the Japanese concept of Wabi Sabi, which she describes as “finding beauty in things that are imperfect”.  Barbara’s program is meant to encourage viewers to look at nature “with fresh eyes”, and her creations using cloth, dye and thread are nothing short of breathtaking.

To see a preview of a Barbara’s DVD, Three Dimensional Fiber Art, please click on this link.  To view her artwork and read more about her techniques and inspirations, you can visit Barbara’s website by clicking here and here for her Facebook page.

As always, guests and visitors are welcome to attend the Nature Artists’ Guild programs. There is no fee for the program, parking, or entry into The Morton Arboretum for this event.  Visitors can let the gate attendant know that they are there for the Nature Artists’ Guild program, and they will be directed to the Thornhill Education Center.

Don’t forget that tonight’s Nature Artists’ Guild Meeting will be held in the Visitor’s Center of The Morton Arboretum.  Please park in the main parking lot and enter through the main doors of the Visitor’s Center.  Proceed towards the Ginkgo Cafe, and our friend Gary will direct you to the correct room.

Carrie Carlson will be sharing her linoleum block printing methods with us, and supplies will be provided to all who care to try some techniques for themselves.  It sounds like a fun evening!

On Thursday, February 5, 2015, from 7 until 9 pm, Nature Artists Guild members, guests and visitors will have the opportunity to explore the art of depicting nature through linoleum block printmaking with Scientific Illustrator, Carrie Carlson. Carrie is especially interested in raising awareness of native flora and fauna, especially threatened species.

Please note that this presentation will take place in the Ginkgo Room (located in the Visitor’s Center).  There is no fee for the program or parking, and visitors should just let the gate attendant at The Morton Arboretum know that they are there for the Nature Artists’ Guild presentation.

More about this upcoming program from Carrie –

Linoleum block is an established printmaking technique accessible for all ages and skill levels!  Come learn the basics and how to increase sophistication in both content and methodology to create striking works of art.  Working with oil-based inks allows the artist terrific opportunity for hand painting finished prints.  Basic tools and methods, inks, papers, alternative carving substrates, and hot tips will be discussed.

The artist is midway through an ambitious Artist in Residency venture documenting at-risk, recovering, and keystone prairie species through linocut in order to generate awareness and celebration of a local grasslands restoration project.  Step-by-step directions and imagery of these grassland pieces will inspire you to seek out your own local cause to celebrate through linocut!  Small prints will be provided by the artist for experiential learning in hand-coloring and collaborative artistry!

More examples of Carrie’s wonderful artwork can be seen by clicking on this link to her Etsy shop.

Please join the Nature Artists’ Guild on Thursday, October 2, 2014 from 7 until 9 pm at Thornhill for a unique and fascinating presentation by glass artist Paul Messink.

In his Artist Statement, Paul explains that he creates “hand-painted, multi-layered glass panels that exhibit nature in deep dimension, presenting natural objects around us in a new way”.   He goes on to describe his technique:  “By using only enamel applied by hand, I create depth using several techniques:  layering, diminishing size and color, texture, and translucence. “

To view Paul’s wonderfully ethereal artwork, please visit his website. www.paulmessink.com. by clicking here.   In the section entitled “Foggy Trees 1”,  Paul states that “Looking at nature for inspiration, I create scenes which often include bare trees.  I like bare trees because of their minimalism, and because they reveal a great deal of character.”   Paul’s Trees in Twilight, shown below, was recently honored with ” Best in Show” at Gallery 924 in Indianapolis, IN.

As always, guests and visitors are welcome to attend the Nature Artists’ Guild’s formal meetings.  There is no entrance fee or charge for parking.  Visitors can just let the gate attendant at The Morton Arboretum know they are there to attend the presentation.

The Nature Artists’ Guild annual “Nature Artist Trio” presentation is one of our most popular and well-attended programs each year!  From 7 until 9 pm on Thursday, August 7, 2014, each of three talented artists will share tips and techniques of their unique artwork process.  This is a great opportunity for our members and visitors to learn some basics of a type of artwork they may never have tried before. Since attendees are divided into three smaller groups which rotate between presentations, it is a chance to get an up-close and often hands-on look at the techniques and materials. Each presentation is like a mini-class!

This year, we are featuring the talents of Peggy McGahan, Mary Ann Jimenez, and Charlotte Doyle Leavitt.

Peggy McGahan will be sharing some unique methods for ” adding water to colored pencil in different ways, including using water-soluble colored pencil, using water-soluble crayons, and combining water-color paints with colored pencils”.  Sounds intriguing!  You can see more of her work by clicking on this link to Peggy’s website.

Mary Ann Jimenez will be working with silverpoint, a fascinating type of ancient drawing which is currently experiencing a revival.   Wikipedia explains that “The initial marks of silverpoint appear grey as other metalpoints, but silverpoint lines, when exposed to air, tarnish to a warm brown tone. ”  It is a delicate and subtly beautiful form of artwork.   Mary Ann is a member of The Society of Metalpoint Artists.

Charlotte Doyle Leavitt is one of our most talented watercolorist members, but it appears that she will be mixing things up for this presentation, and working on collage featuring some of those watercolor images.  We are looking forward to seeing what creative techniques she has been working on!

We welcome visitors and guests to this informal and fun meeting, and it is a wonderful chance to meet and talk with some of our Nature Artists’ Guild members.  There is no charge for attendance or parking, so just let the gate attendant know you are there for the Nature Artists’ Guild meeting and you will be directed to Thornhill.