Category: Meetings

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.

Nature Artists’ Guild members will have a wonderful and rare opportunity to view some of the treasures of the Sterling Morton Library’s Botanical Art Collection at our meeting on Thursday, June 5, 2014 from 7 until 9 pm.  The presentation, by Library Collections Manager Rita Hassert and Art Collection Assistant and Nature Artists’ Guild member Arlene Widrevitz, will take place in the Sterling Morton Library.

According to Arlene, we can look forward to a glimpse of contemporary as well as seventeenth century artwork.  “The new acquisition by the French artist Pancrace Bessa will be featured, as well as work by artists Barbara Regina Dietzsch, Pierre Joseph Redoute, Nancy S. Hart, Julie Sutter-Blair and many others.”

Please follow the links below for more information about each artist and to preview examples of their work (not necessarily those in the Sterling Morton Library collection).