Category: Paint-Outs

It’s Back to the Tropics for the Nature Artists’ Guild

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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.

Willowbrook Wildlife Center Paint-Out September 22, 2016

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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.

Willowbrook Wildlife Center's Dr. Jennifer Nevis performing examination on resident bobcat
Willowbrook Wildlife Center’s Dr. Jennifer Nevis performing examination on resident bobcat. Photo credit Willowbrook Wildlife Center Facebook page

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.

Lovely Weather Predicted for Paint-Out Tomorrow!

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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?Sharon Malec's garden, tulip trees

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.

A Morning in the Country

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Sharon Malec’s charming acre in West Chicago couldn’t be more picturesque and brings to mind a morning in the countryside.  Sharon humbly states that her garden is “just the normal stuff”, but where else could you sit in the dappled shade of huge tulip trees, sketch a bamboo patch or hydrangea and sneak a ripe blackberry fresh from the vine, all in one place?

On the morning of Tuesday, August 23, 2016, from 9:30 am until noon, Sharon will share her wonderful yard and garden for a paint-out with fellow Nature Artists’ Guild members.  Interested members are encouraged to RSVP to Paint-Outs Coordinator Jane Kellenberger, but there is plenty of room for last-minute participants as well.   Jane’s contact information, as well as Sharon Malec’s address and contact information can be found in the Nature Artists’ Guild Yearbook.

The Annual Garden Art Festival is All of the Above

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Is it a paint-out in a wonderful location?  Is it an artwork exhibit?  Is it a membership drive?  Yes, yes, and yes!  

Suzanne Wegener and Karen Johnson at the Nature Artists' Guild Information Table at The Growing Place
Suzanne Wegener and Karen Johnson at the Nature Artists’ Guild Information Table at The Growing Place

The annual Garden Art Festival, Saturday, June 25, 2016 at The Growing Place, 25w471 Plank Rd, Naperville, IL  will feature  “local artists, live music, talks and treats in our gardens” from 9 am until 5 pm.  Each year, the Nature Artists’ Guild is invited to host a table where guests can ask questions, pick up a membership brochure, or just talk with one of our members about the benefits of Nature Artists’ Guild memberships.

Meanwhile, Nature Artists’ Guild members are busy in the gardens sketching, drawing and painting.  Members bring their own chairs or standing easels, and set up throughout the vast display area.  While the Nature Artists’ Guild will not have a booth for selling artwork at this event, it is permissible for participants to bring business cards and a few small examples of previous work or a small portfolio for interested visitors to view.

Any members who would like to participate are asked to contact Mary Ann Jimenez as soon as possible.  Mary Ann’s contact information can be found in the Yearbook.  Please click on the highlighted links above to learn more about The Growing Place and the Garden Art Festival.

No Hoeing, Mulching or Weeding Required

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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.

Set Aside a Morning In May

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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!

Photo Credit Cantigny.org
Photo Credit Cantigny.org

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

Cantigny.org header 2
Photo Credit 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.

It’s All Up To You at the Nature Artists’ Guild Paint-Out This Tuesday

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Drop in for an hour, or stay all morning.  Sketch, paint, draw, sculpt, or snap a few photos. Sit with other artists, or find a quiet corner.  Choose a giant mammal or a tiny bird.

Nature Artists' Guild at Jurica-Suchy 2015
Nature Artists’ Guild at Jurica-Suchy 2015

It’s all up to you at the Nature Artists’ Guild paint-out this Tuesday, March 22, 2016 from 9 until around noon at the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum, located in the Birck Hall of Science at Benedictine University, 5700 College Road, Lisle, IL.

For photos and a link to the campus map, please click here or on the highlighted link above. RSVP’s are not necessary for this paint-out. Participants may wish to bring a portable chair along with their art supplies.

Natural History from Around the World

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Grab your gear and go – no plane tickets or passports needed! On Tuesday, March 22, 2016, between 9 am and noon, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will once again have the chance to sketch, draw, paint, and photograph specimens from every corner of the earth by visiting the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum in the Birck Hall of Science at Benedictine University, 5700 College Road, in Lisle, IL. Please click on this link for a map of the campus.

For the first time, the museum has offered to bring specific specimens out of storage by request.  Paint-out participants can request specimens by contacting Jane Kellenberger (whose contact information can be found in the Nature Artists’ Guild Yearbook) before Tuesday, March 15, 2016. Jane will forward the requests to the museum staff.  A searchable online specimen catalog of the museum’s collection is available by clicking here.

Members can RSVP to Jane, but there is plenty of room for everyone, so last minute drop-ins are absolutely welcome!

Some seating is available, but participants are encouraged to bring a folding chair along with their art supplies and camera.

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February’s Best

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There are so many reasons to celebrate in February!  Some of our greatest presidents had birthdays in February, and St. Valentines day is celebrated in February. Outdoors  in February, high up in the trees, cute little balls of feathers that will grow up to be Great Horned Owls are hatching, and down on the ground, the first flowers of spring, skunk cabbage, (whose flowers give off enough heat to be able to melt the snow immediately around themselves) will be blooming.

One more reason to celebrate February is that it is the month of the annual Nature Artists’ Guild paint-out at Orchids by Hausermann in Villa Park, IL.  This year, members of the Nature Artists’ Guild will meet from 8 am until 11 am on Tuesday, February 9, 2016 to sketch, draw, paint and photograph some of the thousands of orchids that will be blooming in February in the vast greenhouse of Orchids by Hausermann, the oldest and largest orchid grower in the Midwest.  Apart from booking a trip to some exotic location, it may be the best opportunity in the Chicagoland area this February to spend a relaxing morning in a warm, tropical environment, surrounded by gorgeous orchids.

Photo credit Orchids by Hausermann
Photo credit Orchids by Hausermann

Nature Artists’ Guild members should contact Jane Kellenberger (whose contact information can be found in their Yearbook) to reserve a spot at this popular event, since space is very limited.  Please click on this link to Orchids by Hausermann’s website for directions, and to view an online catalog of stunning orchids.

Who knew February had so much to offer?