Category: Member Artwork

Spring has begun and so has the Nature Artists’ Guild project, Seeds of Inspiration.  Participants have received the names of their seed-swap recipients and been asked to mail the seeds by April 5, 2021.  The seeds will be planted, tended, and sketched as they grow, and possibly inspire a finished piece of art when the plants reach maturity.  Sketchbooks and artwork will be shared with the group at the August 5 meeting and occasionally on this website in the coming months.

Of course, Nature Artists’ Guild members who did not sign up for the project can still join in by planting some seeds (or seedlings) of their own. Let’s see (and sketch) what grows! 

The Nature Artists’ Guild’s 2021 Winter Encounter wrapped up at the end of February, and here are the final contributions to the project.  Many thanks to all who participated – there have been numerous comments from members mentioning that their fellow artists’ work brought them cheer and a sense of connection throughout the winter.

• Marlene Vitek painted four panels representing views of the seasons through her tall narrow windows.
• Jean Black completed a realistic branch of oak leaves.
• Kathy Belletire used watercolor, pen, and India ink to study a frozen little wren that had nested near her home in southern Illinois in previous years.  On a brighter note, Kathy is hearing a sure sign of spring, the spring peepers peeping!
• Carol Cooley attended on online class about painting birds in watercolor, where she created tonal studies as well as a color wheel used to practice color mixing and the use of complements to create shadows.
• Karen Johnson continued her practice of visiting and sketching prairies. On one of her trips to Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie she hoped to see some bison, but a small bird turned out to be the featured wildlife of the journal that day.
• Nancy Wu created a wonderful way to remember the trolls at The Morton Arboretum with her sketch done in sepia ink from a photo taken before the trolls were recently disassembled. She added a dried cup plant and Catalpa tree details to fill out her journal pages.

Please click on any image for a larger version and the artists’ name.

Here are a few more wonderful pieces of art by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild as we go into the last week of the 2021 Winter Encounter.  Susan Stachovic used a photo of a bird to inspire her work done in colored pencil and watercolor.  Jean Black shared her painting of a frequent winter sight, and Karen Johnson added to her journal with views of the prairie completed en plein air.  Please click on any image for a larger version and the artist’s name.

Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are welcome to join in any time before the end of the month and contribute photos of their work by March 1 to share on this website.

There is more than a foot of snow on the ground, temperatures have been dropping into the single digits, and icicles hang from the roofs, but Spring is nevertheless on its way.  Even though the official start of the season is weeks away, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are seeing and noting some of the first promising signs in their sketchbooks.

Kathy Belletire lives a bit farther south than many members and is seeing some of the birds that will reach us soon.  She used a field guide to fill out the details of the red-headed woodpecker that visited her oak, but was unable to confirm the identity of her mystery bird.  Jean Black continues to share her observations of the natural world, and Jill Spealman braved the cold to record a budding elm after being motivated by online nature-journaling classes by Carrie Carlson and John Muir Laws.

Thank you to all of the artists who have shared images throughout the 2021 Winter Encounter.  Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are invited to join in any time throughout the month. Please click on any one of the images for a larger version and the artist’s name.

There hasn’t been much outdoor sketching going on lately for members of the Nature Artists’ Guild, but comfortable indoor sketching continues.

Jean Black sketched the visitors to her balcony and Marlene Vitek took note of the contrasts between the scenes inside and outside of her balcony window, as well as the variations in icicles. Lisa Kanellos sketched a mink skull that she received through a monthly subscription service for prepared animal skulls (please contact Lisa for more information about this service.  Her contact information can be found in the guild’s Yearbook.)

The Nature Artists’ Guild’s Winter Encounter continues through the end of February.  Members can join in any time and are encouraged to send in their images.  Please click on any image for a larger version and the artists’ name.

Nature Artists’ Guild members continue to practice their art and observation skills during the 2021 Winter Encounter.  Beata Nowak worked from a photo she had taken of some eagles at a local rookery, Dorothy Duffala worked along with an online video to paint her poppies, and Laverne Bohlin painted from her car at a trailhead in New Mexico.  Kathy Belletire sketched and painted a visiting “plague” of grackles and Jean Black sketched a pair of cardinals observed through her window. Marlene Vitek and Lisa Kanellos worked from found objects, and Marlene, who also worked from a photo, remarked that she is “so glad that I am doing this – really need a push sometimes to get to work! Once there, I am so glad I did something.”

Please click on any of the images for the artist’s name and the title or description of the work.  Members are invited to join in at any time throughout the month.  Details for participating are in the January 16th email sent to all members.

Oh, the weather outside may be frightful, but the views are quite delightful!

Nature Artists’ Guild member Laverne Bohlin’s view from her car in New Mexico may be vastly different than what we see from our windows in Chicagoland, but she shows us that a small watercolor or acrylic painting, a colored pencil, graphite, or ink sketch, or a photograph for future reference material are all quite possible from the comfortable confines of the automobile.

With the recent snow creating a winter wonderland, today may be the day to try sketching from the car, with just a few art supplies, a warm drink, and a safe and scenic place to park (including your own driveway if you’re still snowed in).