Category: Meetings

On October 4, 2012 ,  the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum welcomes Heeyoung Kim, presenting the “Science of Watercolor Brushstrokes” at the Thornhill Education Center from 7 to 9 pm.

As Heeyoung explains,

Painting watercolor botanicals on hot-pressed watercolor paper is quite different from other types of watercolor paintings. It requires extreme control over the amount of water and brush strokes. It is all about the interacting process of water, paint, and paper, which can be explained scientifically, but in a very simple way.  The only or main tool for this whole process is the brush and the artist is the facilitator, in my personal point of view, who should create the best working environment for the tool and media. Working with transparent watercolor on hot-pressed watercolor paper is so sensitive that every single brush stroke is seen through or affects the next steps. Therefore, understanding how the brush works is critical in creating successful watercolor botanical paintings.

Botanical artist and instructor Heeyoung Kim was the gold medal winner of the Royal Horticultural Society London Botanical Art Exhibition in March, 2012.  She has shown her works in ASBA/HSNY International Juried Botanical Art Exhibitions (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 – Honorable Mentions Award, 2010, Award of Merit, 2011), 13^th Hunt International (2010), and Losing Paradise? Endangered Plants Here and Around the World (2009-2011).  You can view more of Heeyoung’s beautiful artwork on her website, prairieplantart.com.  

Please join us on Thursday evening, June 7 from 7 until 9 at Thornhill for a special program titled “Drawing from Nature”, featuring freelance artist Lynda Wallis.

Lynda is not only talented, but also a wonderfully versatile artist.  Her talents range from beautifully detailed illustrations of nature, including graphics featured on art maps and signs for many natural areas, to peaceful plein-air paintings.  Lynda’s artwork encompasses a wide variety of media, including pen and ink, watercolor and colored-pencil.

You can view numerous examples of Lynda’s artwork on her website, www.freelanceillustrations.com.  We’ve also heard from reliable sources that Lynda gives a warm and humorous presentation, so please join us for an enjoyable evening!

Please join us at our next Nature Artists’ Guild formal meeting, on Thursday, March 1, 2012 at Thornhill from 7 to 9 pm, as renowned collage artist Laura Lein-Svencner shares her passion for paper!

Laura Lein-Svencner’s love of paper has led her to pursue studies in drawing, printmaking, sculpture, papermaking and collage, and has motivated her not only to co-found the Midwest Collage Society, but also to teach and exhibit in various venues throughout the Midwest.

Laura’s website describes her collage work as beginning with paper, “from handmade with the plants from her backyard to found papers that are crinkled, sanded and repurposed. Textures are formed with gesso and molding pastes. Layers of gloss medium are added to the papers surfaces for added strength and protection. In creating the collages Laura uses a technique where each side of the paper is coated in a polymer medium and after they are dry, fusing is done with a tack iron to hold each piece in place. She delights in exposed raw edges of torn paper, and visual entries flow out of self discovery.”

You can read more about and view images of Laura’s fascinating work by following these links – website, blog.

Nature Artists’ Guild liaison, Suzanne Wegener describes our upcoming program featuring Marlene Hill Donnelly –

Nature artists have color considerations beyond those of other artists—we need to be able to mix both the intense and precise colors of our flowers, birds and insects, and the quiet but luminous colors of shadow, reflected light and distance.  Marlene will first demonstrate her system of “color mapping” designed to create a team of colors for any subject to ensure both accuracy and interest.  Next she will demonstrate a very loose and expressive method that can be used to learn color mixing in a fun and meditative way as well as to create finished paintings or backgrounds.

 Marlene HIll Donnelly is a third generation artist with degrees in Fine Art from the American Academy of Art in Chicago and in Zoology, with a minor in Botany, from University of Illinois.  She is a science artist Associate for the Field Museum, reconstructing ancient landscapes and extinct plants and animals for the Department of Geology.  She also works with the Smithsonian Institution, University College Dublin, Ireland, and many other institutions, bringing the past to life.  Her work is widely published and is exhibited in museums throughout the world.  She is a Certificate Course instructor at the Chicago Botanic Garden and at the Morton Arboretum.