Images of the wonderful handmade holiday cards being exchanged between Nature Artists’ Guild members have been trickling in, and we will be sharing those soon on this website. Any participating member who hasn’t mailed their card yet should finish it up, put it in an envelope, and mail it today! Images of the cards can be emailed by the recipients to Denise Fisk, whose contact information can be found in the Nature Artists’ Guild Yearbook.
Holiday card by Maggie Mardis. (Maggie does the best nests, doesn’t she?)
The Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum enters its 35th year of art and nature in 2021!
As it has for more than 34 years, membership in the Nature Artists’ Guild in 2021 brings opportunities to participate in programs, paint-outs, exhibits, workshops, and social events (in person or online, as conditions require.) In addition, the Nature Artists’ Quarterly, featuring news, articles, and artwork by, for, or about members is delivered to every member’s mailbox each season.
Now, before the season becomes too busy, might be a good time for Nature Artists’ Guild members to renew their membership for 2021 (or for new members to join.) Current members of the guild can renew at a reduced fee (through the end of the month) by clicking hereand scrolling down to the appropriate payment button. New members can click here to join at the regular rate. If preferred, new members can send a check to the address on the membership form and returning members can send a check to treasurer Catherine Stacy. Use of the membership form is not required as long as the member’s contact information is included with the check or online payment.
The Nature Artists’ Guild is celebrating a year of nature, art, and friendship –
Any Nature Artists’ Guild member who would like to participate in the exchange of a handmade holiday card with another member should click on the link in the e-mail sent on November 18 or contact Susan Bartlett (whose information can be found in the guild’s Yearbook) before December 4, 2020. Susan will let each participant know the name of their card’s recipient on December 5, and all cards should be sent by December 15.
Images of the finished cards can also be sent to Denise Fisk by December 15 to be shared later (after all the cards have been sent – no spoilers here!) on this website.
This year members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will be celebrating a year of friendship, art, and nature by exchanging handmade holiday cards! Any member who would like to participate should let Susan Bartlett know by December 4, 2020 by clicking on the link in an e-mail sent to members on November 18. On December 5, Susan will let each person know the name of the recipient of their creation. All cards should be mailed by December 15, 2020.
An original handmade card should be sent to each artist’s exchange recipient, but scans or prints of the cards could also be shared with friends and family. Images of the cards will be posted on this website (after the exchange is over, of course – we wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise) if any artists choose to share. Those images can be sent to Denise Fisk any time before December 15.
Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild would like to share some of the work that would have been (and might be in the future) exhibited at The Morton Arboretum as part of the guild’s annual Spring or Autumn (Holiday) Exhibit of Natural History Art.
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If the slide show does not show up on your device, please click on this link to the Nature Artists’ guild website. Click on any image to see a larger version and the title, artists’ name, and media used. The images are also available for scrolling through or viewing individually on the 2020 Exhibitof Natural History Art page under the Member Artwork tab of this website. Thank you to all participating members for sharing your artwork.
All artwork exhibited on this website is the sole property of the artist and should not be used or reproduced without their written consent. If you would like to contact one of the artists, please leave a comment on this website and you will receive an e-mail reply, normally within 48 hours. Your e-mail address will not be shared or used for any other purpose.
The annual Autumn (Holiday) Exhibit of Natural History Art by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild of The Morton Arboretum will be online-only in November 2020.
Study of Red Oak Trees, acrylic and soft pastel, copyright Laverne Bohlin
There is nothing like viewing artwork in person – the colors are somehow either more vivid or more subtle, the texture and brushstrokes are more obvious, and even the size of the work adds to the effect.
That being said, 2020 is a year for adapting. Online exhibits give viewers the chance to zoom in on details, study their favorites without a line forming behind them, and bypass weather, crowds, and parking. Any refreshments will be exactly to taste and can be enjoyed right along with the exhibit!
Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are asked to submit a few pieces of artwork that otherwise would have been exhibited in person this fall to include in the online exhibit on this website. These pieces can still be submitted for future in-person exhibits at The Morton Arboretum. Artwork should be submitted by November 14, 2020 according to instructions sent by e-mail to all guild members on November 7.
Nature Artists’ Guild members bought some new pens, tried some new techniques, and sometimes even followed the suggested prompts (kudos, Alice!) for a strong finish to Inktober®2020. Many of the artists included the autumn color of the area while honing their drawing skills and ensuring that the fleeting treasures of the season did not go unnoted. Here are the final contributions –
Hide (Leaves Behind Leaves), copyright Alice Wych
October Garden, copyright Marlene Vitek
Swallowtail Buddies, copyright Alice Wych
October ink art, copyright Arlene Widrevitz
October sketchbook pages, copyright Karen Johnson
Releasing a Brand New Monarch, copyright Carol Cooley
Staghorn Sumac, copyright Jane Kellenberger
October ink, copyright Arlene Widrevitz
Sketchbook with Fringed gentian, copyright Karen Johnson
Three Climbers, copyright Jane Kellenberger
Please click on any image to see the artist’s name and a larger version of the work and scroll down on the website to see previous weekly contributions. Thank you to all of the participants!
Inktober is a registered trademark of J.P. Creative, LLC. Used with permission.
It may be peak color in the Midwest, but it won’t last too long. Opportunities for capturing the colors of fall, the vivid blues of the sky and the stunning reds and yellows of the leaves, will be ending soon for this year.
Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are encouraged to go outside and bring back some of that color. It could happen in a plein-air painting, sketch, or drawing (including those done from inside a vehicle), or in a photograph and color-notes later translated into artwork in the studio. Those interested in sharing their creations can send an image to Jane Kellenberger before November 1 for the Quarterly (a members-only publication) or by November 5 to Denise Fisk for this website. Contact information can be found in the Nature Artists’ Guild Yearbook.
Chicagoland is home to numerous parks, forest preserves, as well as the spectacular Morton Arboretum, so inspiration should be plentiful!
Nature Artists’ Guild members are invited to continue sharing their ink creations! Images can be e-mailed to Denise Fisk, whose contact information will be found in the Nature Artists’ Guild Yearbook, by November 2, 2020. Please click on any image to for the artist’s name and a larger version.
Oak and Locust leaves, ink and colored pencil, copyright Marlene Vitek
Last of Summer geraniums, ink and colored pencil, copyright Marlene Vitek
Red leaves, ink and colored pencil, copyright Marlene Vitek
A number of Nature Artists’ Guild members are enrolled in Lara Call Gastinger’s class on nature journaling, and their contributions to Inktober®2020 are wonderfully reflecting the beauty of season.
Pages from nature journal, copyright Nancy Wu
Pages from nature journal, copyright Linn Eldred
Pages from nature journal, October, copyright Linn Eldred
Pages from nature journal, color, copyright Linn Eldred
Please click on any image to see a larger version and the artist’s name. Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are encouraged to share their ink images throughout the month of October.
Inktober is a registered trademark of J.P. Creative, LLC. Used with permission.