Category: Member Artwork

This Wednesday, February 9, 2022, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will have the opportunity to attend a paint-out inside the vast tropical greenhouse of Orchids by Hausermann. The paint-out will occur from 7 until 10 am, before Hausermann’s business hours. Guild members who would like to attend can. contact Linn Eldred by Tuesday, February 8 to reserve a spot. (Linn’s email address can be found in the guild’s Yearbook or in the January 9 email sent to all members.)

Established in 1920, the Hausermann’s greenhouse complex is one of the largest “orchid ranges” in the world. Their website features a comprehensive photo gallery of their wide variety of stunning orchids.

“Color, color and more color” is the theme in the third week of the Nature Artists’ Guild’s 2022 Beginning the New Year with the Masters. Whether it’s through the use of one bright color, numerous jewel-like colors, or pairs of complementary colors, each piece of artwork chosen from the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago highlights color in a masterful way.

Participants have been asked to study the use of color in the above works and think about how they use it in their own.

(Click on any artwork title above to reach the catalog page of the Art Institute of Chicago.)

Many members of the Nature Artists’ Guild have been fortunate enough to spend time with the works of Old Masters and Modern Masters at one of the world’s largest museums of art, the Art Institute of Chicago.  Studying and gaining inspiration from some of the greatest artists in history is a widely recognized way of improving artistic skills and expanding creativity.

During the month of January, 2022, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild can continue in that time-honored tradition, studying images from the Art Institute’s online catalog of their collection.  

Each week we will announce three chosen pieces by artists whose works at the Art Institute of Chicago have been admired by millions. Guild participants can choose one or more to use as inspiration in the creation of original nature art using their own photos or observations. 

This can mean anything from doing daily value sketches from the master’s works, practicing the artist’s brush strokes, using their color palette, medium, or subject matter, to finishing a work in the style of, inspired by, or “after” or “in the manner of” the chosen artist.  It is fascinating and satisfying to study a work so closely (even through images) and participating artists will undoubtedly come away from the project with some new insights into their own artwork.

 Week 1 begins on January 5, 2022  with some dramatic interpretations of everyday scenes. Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will receive further instructions by email soon.

Please click here to join or renew membership in the Nature Artists’ Guild for 2022.

Participating members of the Nature Artists’ Guild have mailed their hand-made holiday cards to the designated recipients and many have also shared images of their cards here for all to enjoy.

The Nature Artists’ Guild exhibition guidelines are loosened a bit just for this project, so domestic animals, traditional scenes, people, colored lights, stockings, and bows all make an appearance in addition to the expected trees, birds, and forest creatures.

Thank you to all the participants in this wonderful new tradition for the Nature Artists’ Guild. Happy Holidays to all!

We have been receiving images of some of the holiday cards created by members of the Nature Artists’ Guild for 2021 and can hardly wait to share. The actual cards have also been mailed to their “secret” recipients, so we will wait for them all to be received and opened before posting any of the images – no spoilers here!

(There is still time for participating members to email an image of the card they created if they haven’t already done so.)