Category: Paint-Outs

A living carpet of foliage and flowers graces The Morton Arboretum’s Ground Cover Garden, linking the Visitor Center to the Research Center and the Sterling Morton Library.

The original garden was built in 1938. It is one of the more densely planted and diverse gardens in the Arboretum, with over 350 different plants amid shady, winding paths with strategically placed benches that allow visitors to enjoy a moment of seclusion and tranquility.

The Ground Cover Garden consists of perennial plants and ground covers chosen to complement trees and shrubs, blanketing the ground with a wonderful assortment of attractive flowers and foliage.  – http://www.mortonarb.org

Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are invited to attend a paint-out between 9 am and noon on Friday, October 4, 2019 at the Ground Cover Garden at The Morton Arboretum, where the numerous plants, shrubs, trees, and autumn arrangements will be sure to inspire.  Members should contact Linn Eldred if they have questions or would like to attend.  Linn’s contact information can be found in the Nature Artists’ Guild Yearbook.

The Field Museum, one of the world’s largest museums of natural history, has been a gem on Chicago’s lakefront for nearly 100 years.  Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild have been invited to a paint-out among their collections on Wednesday, September 18, 2019 with Artist-in-Residence, Peggy Macnamara.

Peggy’s watercolor paintings of birds, fish, mammals, and insects are found throughout the Field Museum and in her behind-the scenes office.  She is the author and illustrator of several natural history and art books, and is an adjunct professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.  Peggy is also, importantly, a friend of the Nature Artists’ Guild!  She has taught numerous classes and workshops at The Morton Arboretum and at the Field, given several wonderful presentations to the Guild at Thursday evening programs, and has generously hosted Guild members at previous paint-outs at the museum.

Nature Artists’ Guild members should contact Linn Eldred if they’d like to attend (her contact information can be found in the Nature Artists’ Yearbook).  Attendees will need to meet the group and Peggy at the entrance hall by the gift shop of the Field Museum promptly at 10 am on Wednesday, September 18, 2019 for free admission and a short guided tour.  Artists are then free to wander the vast collections to find their subject matter. The Ronald and Christina Gidwitz Hall of Birds and the dioramas are popular spots for sketching.

Attendees will be responsible for their own travel and parking.  The museum’s website has plenty of suggestions for parking, but the cost may be $20 or more, so carpooling is recommended when possible.

Please click on the highlighted links or the images to read much more about the museum and Peggy Macnamara and her artwork.

Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are invited to attend the next paint-out on Wednesday, August 7, 2019 beginning at 9 am at the lovely Cantigny Gardens in Wheaton, IL.

The Gardens at Cantigny beckon you. They tug at your senses, drawing you closer. If you listen carefully, each garden will tell you a story, unfolding with every step. You will feel your body relax as you absorb the landscape and the landscape devours your stress. The hustle of life melts away just a few steps into our 29 acres of flourishing, blooming tranquility.

http://www.Cantigny.org

 

Although parts of the garden will be closed for “revitalization”, there will still be plenty of nature to paint in the their gardens of Golden Pond.

There will be no charge for admission or parking for this event. Guild members can arrive any time after 9 am, and stay for as long as they’d like (or until the park closes).

After sketching, painting, or photographing the beauty of the gardens and grounds, there is much more to do at Cantigny Park, the 500-acre former estate of Colonel Robert R. McCormick, the longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. Wonderful restaurants and cafes, museums, a visitor’s center and the Cantigny Shop will all be available for participants to enjoy.

Participating Nature Artists’ Guild members are encouraged to contact Linn Eldred if they plan to attend, but last-minute attendees are also welcome! Linn’s contact information can be found in the Nature Artists’ Guild Yearbook or in the e-mail sent to members on July 21. Folding chairs and picnic lunches are allowed in the park. Please click on one of the highlighted links for driving directions and to learn more about Cantigny.

Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley –

Installed c. 1910, the Japanese Garden is a tranquil oasis where history melds with nature and design. George and Nelle Fabyan developed an intense appreciation for Japanese culture after visiting Chicago’s 1893 Columbian Exposition, which featured a Japanese Pavilion.  After moving from Chicago to their “villa” outside of Geneva, they commissioned renowned landscape designer Taro Otsuka to design a Japanese style garden on their property.  The nearby river and surrounding woods provided a perfect canvas for a Japanese-style garden, which relies on borrowed scenery for its naturalized vistas.

Members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will receive a tour of the tranquil Fabyan Japanese Garden in Geneva, IL, and an opportunity to sketch, paint, and photograph on the morning of Thursday, June 20, 2019.  The tour will begin at 10 am (although participants are asked to arrive 15 minutes early), and the paint-out will take place afterwards.  Interested Guild members should contact Linn Eldred (whose contact information can be found in their Yearbook or in an email sent to members on May 21) to RSVP and for details and instructions.  The Nature Artists’ Guild will cover all fees for its members for this event.

Please click on one of the highlighted links for more lovely photos, information, and driving directions.

Due to the weather, the Cosley Zoo paint-out originally scheduled for today will be postponed until Tuesday, May 14, 2019 from 2 until 4 pm.

Interested members of the Nature Artists’ Guild should contact Linn Eldred if they would like to attend next week.  All admission fees to the zoo for paint-out participants who contact Linn will be covered by the Nature Artists’ Guild.

This is limited to Nature Artists’ Guild members only.  Linn’s contact information can be found in the Nature Artists’ Guild Yearbook.

Please click on the highlighted link above to read more about the paint-out.

Note – This post has been edited to replace the originally scheduled paint-out date of May 7 with the new date, May 14, 2019.

The Chaco Golden Knee Tarantula and the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach may not be out on display for the Nature Artists’ Guild’s paint-out at the Cosley Zoo in Wheaton, IL on Tuesday, May 14, 2019, from 2 until 4 pm.  Nearly 60 other species, though, many native to Illinois, some domestic, and some exotic, will be available (click here for the zoo’s full species list with photos).

Space is limited, so interested Nature Artists’ Guild members should contact Linn Eldred (whose contact information can be found in their Yearbook) if they’d like to attend.  Please click on one of the highlighted links to read more about the Cosley Zoo and its animals, its history, and its mission.

The Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum at Benedictine University in Lisle, IL has more than 3500 specimens on display (from their collection of more than 10,000), and members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are invited to spend a morning sketching, painting, or photographing them on Thursday, March 21, 2019.  This fun annual event will take place between 9 am and noon, and participants may be able to borrow certain specimens to take home for further study.

No insect repellent, sun protection, or hiking boots are needed for this indoor event, but participants may want to bring a small folding chair along with their art supplies and camera.

Interested Guild members can contact Linn Eldred for any questions or to let her know they’d like to attend, but there is plenty of room and last minute drop-ins are also welcome.  This paint-out is reserved for Nature Artists’ Guild members only.  Please click on the highlighted link above for directions to the museum, which is located on the second floor of the Michael and Kay Birck Hall of Science at the university.

Here are some photos of Guild members at the annual Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum paint-outs over the last five years –

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