Category: Paint-Outs

“Inspiring curiosity about life on earth for more than a century”

Artist-in-Residence Peggy Macnamara has generously invited the Nature Artists’ Guild to a day at the museum, that is The Field Museum, the world-famous museum of natural history on Chicago’s spectacular lakefront.

On Thursday, April 20, 2017, from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm, after a brief  but exciting behind-the scenes tour with Peggy, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will be able to sketch, draw, paint and photograph among the vast collections.

Please click on this link for a fascinating and inspiring article on the museum’s website about Peggy and her work.

Interested members must contact Jane Kellenberger to RSVP for this special event, since Peggy will be providing admission passes to attendees who are not museum members, as well as seating. Jane’s contact information can be found in the Nature Artists’ Guild Yearbook. Further information about parking and the meeting location for entrance will be also be provided. Directions to the museum and parking instructions can be found by clicking on this link to The Field Museum’s website.

This event is limited to members of the Nature Artists’ Guild.  Please read more about becoming a member by clicking on the Membership Brochure tab above.

Each Spring, a group of intrepid explorers make their yearly trek through forests, jungles and tundra in search of bears, lions, and leopards, armed only with sketchbooks, pencils, erasers, brushes and paint.

On Friday, March 10, 2017, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild are invited to attend the annual paint-out at the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum at Benedictine University in Lisle, IL, between the hours of 1 and 4 pm.  Since classes will be in session during this paint-out, interested members are encouraged to RSVP to Jane Kellenberger, who can assist with parking directions and distribute parking passes.  Jane’s contact information can be found in the Nature Artists’ Guild Yearbook.  Please click on this link for driving directions and a campus map.

With over 3500 specimens currently on display, the award-winning Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum offers artists a rare opportunity to get a close-up look at some of the world’s most fascinating creatures.  Please click on the above link to read more about the history of the museum, and view photos, or click here for a searchable Online Specimen Catalog.

Grab your gear, and we’ll see you there!  Thank you to Jane Kellenberger and Evelyn Grala for these photos from last year’s expedition.

Copyright Nancy Kolar

Copyright Jane Kellenberger

Wind, snow, and bitter cold are all possibilities for Chicagoland on Thursday, February 9, 2017, but some members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will hardly notice, because they will be spending the morning in the tropics instead!

Sorry, this isn’t a give-away for a trip to Hawaii, but it is the chance to spend a morning, between 7 and 11 am, sketching, drawing, painting, and photographing in the tropical greenhouse of one of the nation’s oldest and largest orchid growers, Orchids by Hausermann, at 2N134 Addison Road in Villa Park, IL.  One lucky participant will be awarded a gift certificate to spend as they choose at the greenhouse.  Please click on this link to see the beautiful blooms in Hausermann’s catalog, including orchids that are in bud right now!

Space is limited for this popular event, so interested Nature Artists’ Guild members should contact Jane Kellenberger as soon as possible to reserve a spot. Jane’s contact information can be found in the Yearbook.  Participants should bring their camera, art supplies, and possibly a small folding chair, as seating is limited.

There will be something for every nature artist at the Willowbrook Wildlife Center, the location for the Nature Artists’ Guild’s next paint-out on Thursday, September 22, 2016 between 9:30 am and noon.

Willowbrook Wildlife Center, one of the nation’s oldest and largest wildlife rehabilitation facilities and education centers, is located on a 50-acre preserve at 525 South Park Boulevard, Glen Ellyn, IL.  An indoor exhibit area and outdoor enclosures house native Illinois wildlife not able to be released back into the wild. Songbirds, cranes, raptors, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals such as fox, raccoon and bobcat make up some of the 80 residents of the center.

Artists who prefer their subject to be a bit more tame will be able to explore the butterfly garden and pond as well as the flowers, grasses and trees along nature trails leading through 40 acres of forest, savannah, prairie and wetland ecosystems.

Participants are encouraged to contact Jane Kellenberger to RSVP, but last-minute drop-ins are absolutely welcome.  Jane’s contact information can be found in the Nature Artists’ Guild Yearbook. A folding chair will be useful for drawing outdoors, but some benches are available in the indoor exhibit area. Wildlife currently undergoing rehabilitation are treated in a separate building at the center and will not be available for viewing.

Please click on this link to the Willowbrook Wildlife Center’s website, or this link to their Facebook page to read more about the center and their wonderful and vital mission.  Short videos of many of the residents are available to view on the website.

Will it be the wonderful weather forecast, or the promise of an acre of mature trees, shrubs and flowers that will convince you to drop what you are doing tomorrow morning to join fellow Nature Artists’ Guild members for the last paint-out of the summer at Sharon Malec’s home?

There is plenty of room, so members are absolutely welcome to drop-in tomorrow, Tuesday, August 23, 2016, any time between 9:30 am and noon.  Bring your art supplies, camera, and a small stool or folding chair.  Sharon’s address can be found in the Nature Artists’ Guild Yearbook.

Please scroll down or click here for more information and a few photos of Sharon’s landscape. This paint-out is limited to Nature Artists’ Guild members and their guests only, please.

How nice would it be to enjoy a beautiful garden on a May morning without thinking about all of the hoeing, mulching and weeding that lies ahead? At the Gardens at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton, IL, the work has been done and the only thing left to do is enjoy the results.

The Nature Artists’ Guild paint-out at the Gardens of Cantigny Park is this Tuesday, May 24, 2016, between 9 am and noon.  Please click on this link to a previous post for more details, and on this link to Cantigny’s “In Bloom” report.  There is no need for Nature Artists’ Guild members to RSVP for this event.  Admission to the gardens is free, but there is a $5 fee for parking.

This is one of the busiest times of the year for many of our Nature Artists’ Guild members. There are so many things to see and do as Spring bursts in with all its colors, sounds and scents!

The Nature Artists’ Guild is asking its members to consider setting aside a few hours on Tuesday, May 24, 2016, between 9 am and noon, to join their fellow artists at the Gardens at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton, IL, for a morning of painting, drawing, sketching and photographing.

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. Come enjoy the pace of nature here in The Gardens at Cantigny.  – Cantigny.org

After a morning of creating art and enjoying nature, members may be interested in visiting Cantigny’s Le Jardin for lunch. We have heard only wonderful things about the food from members who have been there!  There is a $5 fee for parking at Cantigny, but there is no charge for admission to the gardens. Attendees are encouraged, but not required to RSVP to Jane Kellenberger, whose contact information can be found in the Nature Artists’ Guild  Yearbook.

Please click on any of the highlighted links above to read more about Cantigny’s history, to see a map of the garden or a list of the plants, to view a bloom report, or for driving directions.